Research in the School of Education
There are over 50 academic staff in the School with a range of research interests across the phases and sectors of education, and in professional learning in a range of public and private sector organisations.
We use both quantitative and qualitative methods, including:
- participative methodologies such as participatory action research
- mixed methodologies
- creative ways of working with vulnerable groups and the practitioners who serve them
- arts-informed approaches to research.
Teacher Education, including subject pedagogy
- research Impact: school-based teacher-educators
- Teacher Action Research
- the impact of the Rural Dimension in specialist schools (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust)
- learning together through international collaboration in teacher education in Malaysia
- professional development needs of new teachers
- a coaching toolkit across the curriculum
- children's writing.
Educational leadership
- Centre for Educational Leadership
- European Arts-Based Development of Distributed Leadership and Innovation in Schools (ENABLES)
- European Methodological Framework for Facilitating Professional Collaboration among Teachers (EFFeCT)
- European Policy Network on School Leadership (a 4 year study of school leadership and implications for policy)
- investigating leadership for social justice
- Developing Collaborative School Leadership.
- Aesthetic and Embodied Learning for Nurturing Democracy (AECED)
Science Education
- Research Impact: science learning, teaching and leadership in primary school
- Evaluation of the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) 2013-15
- Evaluation of the Royal Society of Chemistry bursary-funded Primary Science Quality Mark.
- Teaching Schools perceptions of the Science Learning Centre, East of England.
- Questions of Leadership: Science Leadership Centre, East of England.
Higher Education, including transnational education
- exploring higher education ‘buzzwords’ through corpus-based methods
- the impact of higher education research and researchers on national higher education policy development
- meanings of partnership in higher education publicity, policy and practice
- feedback for Learning in Higher Education
- developing a research-based resource to support the development of partnership learning communities
- enhancing students' employability skills through student-staff collaboration
- UKIERI Project on Diversity, Isolation and Integration in Higher Education.
and our evaluations include:
- identifying the uniqueness of TRACKS, an early years autism centre
- puppet-making in primary schools
- pilot roll-out of Five Ways Group Engagement and Brief Intervention Products and Training for Buckinghamshire County Council
- Thriving [Troubled Families] - Evaluation for Hertfordshire County Council
- impact of the Buckinghamshire UK Resilience programme
- The Choices and Consequences programme - Hertfordshire Constabulary
- Welwyn Foyer: Small Steps [Housing]
International collaboration in teacher education
Learn about our project on learning together through international collaboration in teacher education.
Read about our work with Malaysia
Research through practice
Practice-based research (PBR) is a distinctive feature of the culture in the School of Education, combining advancement of academic knowledge and development of practice.
Research degrees
While many practitioners choose to develop their doctoral study through an EdD, some prefer the more individualised route of a PhD, which can be studied as a part-time or as a full-time student.
As a practitioner, you can engage in our thriving research community through joining a Doctoral Programme:
These complement our postgraduate courses for practitioners in schools and other education contexts.
Get in touch
For general enquiries and more information on the PhD, please contact Dr Jed Hopkins, Research Tutor, School of Education.
For more about the EdD, please contact Dr Karen Smith, EdD Programme Director.