Society
Our work adopts the perspective that education is lifelong and society wide with focal points within and beyond formal institutions including family, community, workplace and refugee centres. We are dedicated to using our research to empower people, and to create pathways for impact and engagement in local as well as international contexts in all forms of education – from school to further and higher education - and with a particular focus in the impact of social and economic inequalities in the education process.
Here are some examples of recent or current research projects from the Society research strand:
The Educational Needs of Young Refugees
This project supports young refugees who attend the Coventry based Positive Youth Foundation. We have developed an assessment tool for identifying the educational needs of young refugees aged between 12 and 21, to understand what services they need to support their formal education and resettlement and to track the progress of small groups of newly arrived young refugees as they access school and further education.
Fathers and home-learning
In the summer of 2020, during the first national lockdown and school closures due to Covid-19, we developed a research project to understand fathers’ involvement in their children’s home-learning. The research sought to explore how families organised the time and responsibilities for their children's learning, and was unique in its focus on fathers' views and experiences.
A Future Perfect for Education
Researchers from the Department have been supporting an independent body of leading education practitioners who, as part of an Education Commission, have helped shape a new vision for a Future Perfect Education system. The Commission’s work proposes a rethink of our education system which will enable today’s children to flourish as full citizens of the future.
Gendered Pathways to Educational Success in Haryana India
Haryana experiences significant gender-based practices that affect the ability of young people to access and remain within the education system, and to progress into higher education. The project focusses gendered differences in choices, obstacles and opportunities for young people as they progress through the education system.