Short CV
1963: born in Linz (Austria)
1984-1996: Diploma and doctoral studies (with distinction), and habilitation in Educational Science
1997-: Ao.Univ.-Prof. (beamtet: BDG 1979, equal to tenured associate professor)
1999: Appointment full professorship (C3, Technical University Dresden)
2002: Appointment full professorship (C4, University of Erfurt)

Research priorities and current projects
[] Personality development: Critical thinking, affective education
[] Social research methods: Theory building, intervention research
[] Digital learning: Social media, artificial intelligence, and learning
[] EDUCATIONAL THEORY BUILDING LAB
[] REGRESSION IN EDUCATION

Some publications
[] Astleitner, H. (2026). Can artificial intelligence be controlled? A social science perspective. In G. Ottmann & C. Noble (Eds.), AI and the disruption of the social. Routledge. …  Coming soon … 
[] Astleitner, H. (2025).  Kritisches Denken 2.0. Waxmann. … A (german) book on critical thinking, artificial intelligence, and regression in education. [“… ein fundiertes und substanzielles, wegweisendes Buch zum kritischen Denken im Zeitalter von KI …” ( Dirk Jahn)]
[] Astleitner, H., & Schlick, S. (2025). The social media use of college students: Exploring identity development, learning support, and parallel use. Active Learning in Higher Education, 26(1), 231-254. https://doi.org/10.1177/14697874241233605
[] Astleitner, H. (2024). We have big data, but do we need big theory? Some review-based remarks on an emerging problem in the social sciences. Philosophy of Social Sciences, 54(1), 69-92.  https://doi.org/10.1177/00483931231188825
[] Astleitner, H., & Zumbach, J. (2023). What makes a collegial higher education student? How personality and goal orientations contribute to social behavior. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(8), 1840-1854. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2209515
[] Astleitner, H., Bains, A., & Hörmann, S. (2023). The effects of personality and social media experiences on mental health: Examining the mediating role of fear of missing out, ghosting, and vaguebooking. Computers in Human Behavior, 138, 107436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107436