The politics of ‘scientifically-based’ teaching: Phonics for reading and grammar for writing

The teaching of reading and writing understandably attracts attention from researchers, teachers and policymakers because of the importance of literacy for children’s educational development....

Spotlight on language and literacy

This special issue of the BERA Blog places a spotlight on educational research in the field of language and literacy. Covering a range of topics from modern language learning to language as an...

School-level language policies: What are they and (why) do we need them?

Dimensions of language in schools Many educators will be familiar with the saying that ‘all teachers are language teachers’ and few would argue that language doesn’t play a crucial role in...

The change in science language as a result of transition from primary to secondary school

When students move from primary to secondary school, one of the numerous challenges that they encounter is language. The language of school academic activity is importantly different from the...

Language trends Northern Ireland 2021

Speaking an international language is crucial to understanding another culture and for long-term growth and prosperity (British Academy et al., 2020). So, no matter how many people around the...

Exploring gender representations in English language textbooks: A systematic review (2000 to 2022)

Research on English language teacher training, digital literacies and gender equality in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC) is a strategic priority according to UN Sustainable Development Goal...

Science and religious education teachers’ perspectives on the purpose of RE on the secondary school curriculum in England

It is important that secondary school teachers know about the other subjects that are taught in their schools in order to provide a coherent curriculum experience for students. Over the past...

Teacher agency in the reform of universal primary education in Uganda

Uganda launched universal primary education (UPE) in 1997 in line with Education for All’s reform programme for basic education (Penny et al., 2008). Introducing a system of universal,...

Design research: A ‘tomorrow’ approach that needs consideration ‘today’?

Design research (or design-based research) is a methodological framework that focuses on the ‘tomorrow’; that is, the design of education as it could or should be (Bakker, 2018). Informed by a...

If maths anxiety could talk: What do maths-anxious ex-pupils want to say to the teaching profession?

Having recently completed a small exploratory study (124 respondents) of the way that maths-anxious undergraduates in the UK make sense of their maths anxiety (MA), I was prompted to consider: had...

Diversifying our curriculum: Rediscovering the power of our narrative voices

BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant Research Reports

Funded by the 2021–2022 British Curriculum Forum Curriculum Investigation Grant, this project aimed to investigate the degree to which a secondary school in England included a multitude of...

Can a whole-school curriculum focus on celebrating diversity reduce the volume of racist incidents?

BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant Research Reports

This project, funded by the 2021–2022 British Curriculum Forum (BCF) Curriculum Investigation Grant, involved finding ways to celebrate diversity within a Welsh school and its school curriculum....