Education: Mapping the discipline

Research Intelligence issue 149

This issue presents a variety of perspectives on the present and future of education as a discipline, responding in part to a newly published systematic scoping review that explores the structures and processes that have shaped educational research between 1990 and 2020 and lays the foundations for a wider investigation by BERA. In it:

• Christopher Boyle and colleagues survey our discipline’s recent past and identify important gaps in the literature
• Sally Power offers an account of the unique environment for educational research in Wales
• Ian Menter urges deeper investigation of the increasing divergence in teacher education between the four nations of the UK nations
• Emma Taylor and Claire Tyson make the case for recognising the diversity of research-engaged practitioners as a strength of our discipline.
• Judith Hanks and colleagues showcase current research on educator wellbeing in schools and higher education institutions
• Mark Murphy explores striking parallels between our current anxieties about academic freedom and those of Max Weber over a century ago
• Alis Oancea and colleagues preview new work that provides fascinating insights into the challenges, deficits and ways forward for the education discipline
• Vivienne Baumfield discusses BERA’s strategic priorities and role in the wider educational research landscape in the coming years.

Elsewhere in this issue, the BERA Blog celebrates its 1,000th post; Achala Gupta provides a brief induction into academic publishing for early career researchers; and BERA announces more than £40,000 in funding for research on race and ethnicity.