Past event
Since 2020, BERA has been running a large-scale initiative that aims to provide a clear, comprehensive account of the state of education as an academic discipline in universities; as a field of practice; and as a significant and central element of social and political policy in the four nations of the UK. Our hope is that we can equip the discipline as a whole with the most objective and powerful information on which to base their advocacy for, and their efforts to grow the size, influence and impact of, education.
This high-level invitation-only event brought together the outcomes of our commissioned research and analysis and allowed senior leaders from across the discipline to discuss the findings, the wider issues raised and debate how educational research should respond.
At this conference we heard from the research teams behind two of the most critical elements of this initiative:
We also discussed the outcomes of a quantitative assessment of the progress of education as an academic discipline in UK universities through the analysis of REF data, comparing the 2021 outcomes to both the 2014 REF and other disciplines.
| 09:30 | Registration, tea and coffee |
| 10:00 | Welcome and Introduction Professor Dominic Wyse and Professor Vivienne Baumfield |
| 10:15 | Structural inequalities in the Employment of Academic Staff in the UK Discipline of Education: In what ways can our research serve to address exclusion, marginalization and disadvantage? Dr Dina Zoe Belluigi, Queen’s University Belfast; Prof Jason Arday, Cambridge University and Dr Joanne O’Keeffe, Queen’s University Belfast |
| 11:15 | Education research in the UK: mapping the experiences and perspectives of those working in the discipline Tom Perry, Rebecca Morris, Emma Smith and Jess Pilgrim-Brown, University of Warwick |
| 12:30 | Lunch and networking |
| 13:30 |
The Progress of Education: An Analysis of Data from the Research Excellence Framework (REF) |
| 14:00 | Breakout Sessions – Reflections on the draft BERA response and next steps for UK universities Led by Professor Dominic Wyse and Professor Vivienne Baumfield |
| 15:00 | Tea and Coffee |
| 15:30 | Concluding Plenary – BERA next steps Led by Professor Dominic Wyse and Professor Vivienne Baumfield |
| 16:00 | Event Close |
Professor of Early Childhood & Primary Education at University College London
Dominic has made a leading contribution to research on curriculum and pedagogy, including national curricula, for more than 25 years. He has led multiple research projects and has published many books and research papers. Dominic’s main...
Professor Emerita at University of Exeter
Vivienne Baumfield is Professor of Professional Learning in the Graduate School of Education and co-leader of the Centre for Research in Professional Learning. She is interested in the interaction of research, policy and practice when...
Professor at Queen's University Belfast
Dina researches and teaches critical Higher Education Studies. A primary interest in her work are the conditions for the development of critical consciousness in those who represent and commemorate knowledge and knowing, particularly academics...
Professor of Sociology of Education at Glasgow University
Jason Arday, PhD is Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Glasgow, School of Education, College of Social Sciences. Previously, Professor Arday was Associate Professor in Sociology at Durham University in the Department of...
Researcher at Queen's University Belfast
Dr Joanne O’Keeffe is a Researcher in the School of Social Sciences Education and Social Work at Queen’s University Belfast. Joanne’s work is driven by her interest in addressing discrepancies and gaps in education in relation to mental...
Associate Professor at University of Warwick
Thomas Perry’s research and teaching focus on research- and evidence-informed education policy and practice. He has specialist methodological expertise relating to systematic review and evidence synthesis; quantitative methods and secondary...
Associate Professor at University of Warwick
Rebecca Morris is an associate professor in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Warwick. Her research interests include education and social policy; teachers and teaching (in both schools and higher education); social justice...
Professor at University of Warwick
Emma Smith is a professor of education at the University of Warwick. Her research interests are in the field of sociology of education, specifically exploring issues of social justice, inequality and policy as they apply to access and engagement...
Research Associate at University of Bristol
Jess Pilgrim-Brown is a research associate at the University of Bristol and a current EdD student at Oxford Brookes University. Her thesis research focuses on social class and organisational culture in higher education through the experiences of...
Lecturer at University College London
Bernardita Munoz-Chereau is a lecturer at the Centre of Educational Leadership, Department of Learning and Leadership, Institute of Education, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society; she is also an educational psychologist. The main focus of...
This project aims to provide a clear, comprehensive account of the state of education as an academic discipline in universities; as a field of practice; and as a significant and central element of...
Chair: Dominic Wyse IN THIS SESSION Education is in a State: Exploration of In/Equalities Shown in Statistical Data of Academic Staffing in UK Higher Education Dr Dina Zoe Belluigi1, Prof...
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...
An exploration of existing statistical data relating to staff equality in UK higher education
An exploration of existing statistical data relating to staff equality in UK higher education Commissioned by BERA, we undertook a study for the purpose of providing an evidence-base about the...
A survey of education researchers’ work, experiences and identities The strength of education research is necessarily dependent on the strength of its workforce. Recent research has highlighted...
A quantitative assessment of the progress of education as an academic discipline in UK universities through analysis of REF data This presentation previews the final report to be published as...
Research Intelligence issue 154: Education: The State of the Discipline
