Schlesier's research is dedicated to the social, emotional and motivational experiences of pupils - particularly at primary school age and at key transitions in the education system, such as from elementary to primary school or from primary to secondary school. The focus here is on social relationships, emotions and emotion regulation, well-being and stress as well as individual and contextual factors influencing school learning environments. She also specialises in the development and empirical research of innovative teaching concepts and school development processes.

A central concern of her work is also the professionalisation of prospective teachers. Juliane Schlesier researches how theory-practice integration, the transfer of academic findings into school practice and personal development can succeed in teacher training programmes. In doing so, she makes an important contribution to the further development of teacher training and the quality of school education.

Her work has appeared in numerous national and international journals, including the Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, Teaching and Teacher Education, the British Journal of Educational Psychology and Child Indicators Research. The 40-year-old is also the editor of several thematic focus areas and book projects and is currently leading third-party funded research and transfer projects, including on the "Primary School of the Future".