Special Interest Group
The transition from elite to mass higher education systems is a significant global development that forms the broader context for educational research that seeks to understand the experiences of Higher Education students, academics, teaching teams, change agents, leaders, departments, subject disciplines, professional fields, and institutions. There is a need for perspectives and analyses that not only critique but also challenge current policy frameworks and evolving practices within and across Higher Education. Within the universalising tendencies of the neoliberal regime, contradictions exist within – and between – the increasing dominance of managerialist principles, the standardisation of learning and practice (under the banner of ‘quality assurance’), consumer-based practices and expectations. The aim of the Higher Education special interest group is to contribute towards and enhance critical debates and perspectives on higher education policy, pedagogy and practice. This is a broad remit that embraces interdisciplinary research with critical research methodologies, theories and philosophies.
Recent research papers and symposia presented by SIG members have included the following themes:
The SIG aims to create a supportive network of educational researchers through building symposia for the main conference, through smaller scale activity during the year, by supporting new and early career researchers, and by building links with other higher education research networks.
Research Fellow at Birmingham City University
Dr Julia Everitt is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Birmingham City University (BCU) and has worked in higher education as a researcher since 2014. Julia was awarded her doctorate in 2018 and as a researcher has been involved in over 30 research...
Principal Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University
Dr Kate Mawson is Associate Professor at Warwick University; prior to moving to Warwick in 2014, Kate taught in secondary education for 14 years. Kate teaches on Warwick's postgraduate ITE programme, being module lead for Professional Enquiry as...
Abstract Submission Deadline is 31 January 2023
Would you be willing to act as a reviewer for abstracts submitted to the BERA Annual Conference 2023? To be involved, you will need to: be a BERA Member be available to referee abstracts...
Streaming in EAP (English for Academic Purposes) classrooms is not such a common practice, particularly in North Iraq. Having worked in the region for four years, I investigated streaming in EAP...
Continue reading blog postThe pandemic exposed the vulnerability of a highly marketised English higher education system. With little government support, the fears around lost income resulted in yet more competition between...
Continue reading blog postInvitation to write an article for a special section of Research Intelligence (issue 155 – summer 23) BERA’s Higher Education (HE) and Practitioner Research special interest groups (SIGs)...
Across the globe, quantitative measures in higher education (HE) are drawn upon to identify, monitor and address structural inequalities. Countries differ in their conceptions of in/equality. The...
Continue reading blog postMany individuals who have a disability, chronic illness and/or neurodivergence can decide what they disclose, be that whether or not they share that information or how much detail they provide...
Continue reading blog postWidening participation (WP) has been a dominant discourse in education policy for more than 20 years. Its original and continued core aim has been to improve higher education (HE) participation of...
Continue reading blog post
