Recent publication
Wenger, Nina (2025). Between the Rules of the Game and Missing Accessibility: A Grounded Theory Study on Employment-Related Education and Disability. Bielefeld: wbv Publikation.
https://doi.org/10.3278/9783763979158
E-Book (Open Access): https://www.wbv.de/isbn/9783763979158
Print edition: https://www.wbv.de/isbn/9783763979141
Education
| Feb. 2022 - May 2025 | General Doctorate in Educational Science, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zurich Dissertation entitled "Participation in employment-related education and employment under the condition of disability - a question of "luck" and "chance"? |
| Sept. 2019 - Aug. 2021 | Master of Arts in Special Needs Education at the University of Teacher Education Bern |
| Sept. 2013 - Aug. 2016 | Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Primary and Primary Education at the University of Teacher Education Bern |
| Sept. 2012 - Aug. 2013 | Basic year of Bachelor program in Environmental Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich |
| Aug. 2008 - July 2012 | Swiss Federal Baccalaureate (university entrance qualification) with the specialized subject biology and chemistry at the Gymnasium in Interlaken |
Career to Date
| Since June 2025 | Postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Vocational and Continuing Education, Institute of Educational Science, University of Zurich |
| Feb. 2022 - Mai 2025 | Doctoral Student und research assistant in the research project “Governance: Cohesion and Context (GoCC)”, a subproject of the Innosuisse flagship project “Swiss Circular Economies of Skills and Competences (SCESC)” at the University of Zurich |
| Oct. 2021 - Jan. 2022 | Research assistant at the Institute for Special Needs Education at the University of Teacher Education Bern |
| Aug. 2021 - Jan. 2022 | Assistant in data collection in the research project «Settings for the Development of Graphomotor-Skills» of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) at the University of Teacher Education Bern |
| Aug. 2020 - July 2021 | Teacher for special needs education in Köniz (BE) |
| Aug. 2019 - July 2020 | Practical training and substitute teacher for special needs education at various Swiss schools |
| Aug. 2016 - July 2019 | Primary school teacher at the primary school in Mühlefeld, Biel (BE) |
Research interests
Employment biographies, employment-related education, participation in further education, educational decisions, transitions, subjectivation processes, disability, disability studies in education, inclusion research, educational governance
Presentations/Conference Contributions
- Wenger, N. (2025, September 26). Participation in Employment-Related Education on the Condition of Disability in Switzerland, Presentation by invitation, Conference on Vocational Education for People with Disabilities, Kiel.
- Wenger, N. (2025, September 22). The Role of Key Persons at the Transition from School Education to Employment-Related Education, Single contribution. 60th Annual Conference of the GERA Division for Special Education on the topic: “Transitions in Educational Progression”, Heidelberg.
- Wenger, N. (2025, September 16). Participating in Employment-Related Education and Occupation on Condition of Disability – A Question of „Luck“ and „Coincidence“, Poster session. Annual Conference of the GERA Division for Adult Education on the topic “PLAYspaces. Areas of Adult Education between Freedom and Restriction”, Koblenz.
- “Participation through ‘Luck’ and ‘Chance?’ A Contribution to the Participation of People with Disabilities in Employment-Related Further Education”, annual conference of the GERA (German Educational Research Association) vocational education division on the topic “Sharing in through Participation? Adult Education and Continuing Education between Participation and Exclusion”), Essen, September 27, 2024
- “Employment-Related Education and Employment of People with Disabilities. An Interdisciplinary Contribution at the Intersection of Continuing Education and Inclusion Research”, annual conference of the GERA (German Educational Research Association) special education division on the topic “Special Education – Intra- and Interdisciplinary!?”), Dortmund, September 25, 2024.
- “Employment-Related Education and Decisions in Employment Biographies of People with Disabilities in the Context of Social Changes”, annual congress of the SGBF (Swiss Society for Research and Education) on the topic “Transversal Competences in Education and Training: From Discourse to Practice”), Locarno, June 27, 2024.
- “Employment Biographies of People with Disabilities in the Context of Changes in Employment-Related Education and the Work Environment”), 37th annual conference of inclusion researchers on the topic “Inclusion. Resilience. Learning Systems”), Graz, February 28, 2024.
- “How Do People with a Disability Shape Their Employment Biography?) (Poster contribution), Annual conference of the GERA (German Educational Research Association) adult education division on the topic “Adult Education and Sustainability”), Munich, September 09, 2023.
- “On the Investigation of Disability Processes in Employment Biographies of People with Disabilities in the Context of Changes in Employment-Related Education and the Work Environment.”), Annual congress of the SGBF (Swiss Society for Research and Education), the SGL (i.e. Swiss Society for Teacher Education), and the PHZH (Zurich University of Teacher Education) on the topic “Times of Upheaval? Education between Persistence and Change”), Zurich, June 29, 2023.