Developing a systems-based approach to research use in education

While it is not always easy to see the tectonic plates moving, a culture shift appears to be occurring in English schools towards widespread engagement with research (DfE, 2022). Yet, when we...

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,...

Exploring EAP through a complexity lens: A mixed methods study in North Iraq

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...

The research and teaching nexus in a post-pandemic world: Undoing inequalities and dysfunctions

The 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...

Collaborative learning within custodial education

The benefits of collaborative learning are clearly outlined in educational discourse, including: increased achievements, widening knowledge, improvement in teamwork skills and deeper critical...

Inequalities in the discipline of education in UK higher education

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...

Editorial: A new ecology of higher education: Disability, access, participation and belonging

A new ecology of higher education: Disability, access, participation and belonging

On 25 May 2022, Plymouth Institute of Education ran an international webinar, ‘Matters of “access” and “disability”: exploring and affecting systemic and cultural change in and for...

Disabled students’ allowance: Enabling through degrees?

A new ecology of higher education: Disability, access, participation and belonging

The disabled students’ allowance (DSA) is a grant designed to remove barriers and improve participation in higher education of students with disabilities. The objectives of the policy are...

A new ecology of higher education: Disability, access, participation and belonging

This special issue of the BERA Blog aims to push higher education towards a new ecology that embraces the values and voices of disabled students, and places inclusion and equity at the forefront...

Education: The State of the Discipline. Staff equality in UK higher education

An exploration of existing statistical data relating to staff equality in UK higher education

School location and distributed leadership in the United Kingdom

Distributed leadership has increased in popularity worldwide (Harris & Spillane, 2008). Research has been conducted across a diverse range of countries on distributed leadership and its...

Where are the teachers’ voices in the reform of early career teacher induction?

England continues to have a long-standing problem with recruiting and retaining teachers. Despite high-profile policy discourses such as those in the 2022 initial teacher training (ITT) market...