Education Studies » Education Studies News and Events

International recognition of the University’s support for Ukraine

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:00:00 GMT

We’re proud to announce that the University of Warwick has been honoured with the Order of St Panteleimon’s Award for Professionalism and Mercy, recognising our community’s “unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the defence of freedom and human dignity.”

Professor Gwen van der Velden (Education Studies) accepted the award on the University’s behalf, alongside Dr Dmytro Chumachenko (Institute of Advanced Study), at a ceremony held at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile in London.

As a University of Sanctuary, Warwick remains committed to supporting those academics and students affected by conflict and displacement . We are honoured to receive this recognition, and we continue to stand with Ukraine.

Read more here international-recognition-of

Education Studies alumni recognised in King’s New Year Honours 2026

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:25:00 GMT

The Department of Education Studies is delighted to celebrate the achievements of two of our alumni who have been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours 2026 for their exceptional contributions to education and public service.

Professor Jacquelyn Bridget Dunne, who completed her MA in Education and Industry with the former Institute of Education, has been awarded an MBE for services to Higher Education. Now Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham Newman University, Professor Dunne has built a distinguished career championing access, opportunity, and innovation in the sector.

Ian Todd, a graduate of the PG Diploma in Educational Assessment, has been awarded an OBE for Parliamentary and Public Service. As Chief Secretary and Head of the Public Service for the St Helena Government, he has played a central role in public sector leadership and governance.

We are immensely proud to see that two of our education alumni have had their contributions recognised nationally. Their honours highlight the impact of education professionals whose careers have been shaped, in part, by their time at Warwick.

We warmly congratulate Professor Dunne and Ian Todd on their achievements.

More details are available here: https://warwick.ac.uk/alumni/alumni-news/news/new_years_honours_2026/

Warwick Researchers Shine at BERA Conference 2025

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 15:15:01 GMT

We’re proud to share that Dr Katie Compton and Dr Tom Perry have both received Best Presentation Awards at the prestigious BERA Conference 2025, recognised by Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for their outstanding contributions to educational research.

Dr Katie Compton was honoured for her presentation: “Improving Prosocial Behaviour in the Primary Classroom Through a School-Based Mindfulness Programme”

Dr Tom Perry, alongside collaborators Clara Jorgenson and Laurence Lessard-Phillips from the University of Birmingham, received the award for:
“Pupil School Mobility – preliminary findings from a mixed-methods study into mobility types, pathways and implications for education”

These awards highlight the impactful and innovative work being carried out by Warwick academics in shaping the future of education.

Learn more about the awards: BERA SIG Best Presentation Awards 2025

Dr. Abdullah Sahin Honoured with Research Excellence Award at International Conference

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:00:00 GMT

Dr. Abdullah Sahin, from the Department of Education Studies, delivered a keynote paper titled “How to Facilitate Research-Informed Transformative Change within the Pedagogical Culture of Modern Islamic Schools? A Perspective from Warwick” at the 4th International Conference of the Global Association of Islamic Schools (GAIS), held in Colombo, Sri Lanka (4–8 October 2025).

The event brought together around 400 delegates from 28 countries to explore innovation and collaboration in faith-based education. During the conference, Dr. Sahin was presented with GAIS’s Research Excellence Award, recognising his publications for their “theoretical creativity and empirical rigour in advancing the study of faith-ethos schooling in the modern world.”

This achievement highlights the international impact of Dr. Sahin’s research and the Department’s commitment to advancing educational practice through scholarly excellence.

New Research published to explore father involvement in raising children with learning and developmental disabilities

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:22:00 GMT

A new paper by Assistant Professor Emma Langley has been published in the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.

Titled "Father Involvement in the Lives of Their Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the UK", the article examines the roles fathers play at different stages of their children's lives.

The article is one of the outputs from Dr Langley's study which explored the role of fathers raising children with IDD at different life stages (funded by the Research Development Fund 2021/22).

Read the full article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jar.70091

Publication of new student research

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:10:00 GMT

We’re delighted to share that new research by Education Studies PhD student Cat Jones has been published in the Educational Review, a leading journal. The study explores how well teachers in England are prepared to support parental engagement in children’s learning. Based on a national survey of 1,782 teachers, the research reveals significant gaps in training and highlights the need for improved support to help teachers effectively engage parents. The paper is co-authored by Warwick Professor Olympia Palikara and Dr Vassilis Sideropoulos from UCL IoE.

Cat also recently published a related paper in the British Educational Research Journal, alongside Warwick PGR student Luke Jackson and University of Cambridge academic Pallavi Banerjee. This second paper examines gaps in parental engagement policy in England.

The findings from both have important implications for teacher education, school leadership, and policy, offering clear guidance on how to enhance parental engagement and ultimately improve educational outcomes for children.

Read the full open access articles here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2025.2506802

https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.4175

Publication of new research in the British Educational Research Journal

Tue, 20 May 2025 08:12:00 GMT

A new research paper, led by Professor Emma Smith has recently been published. The study compares findings from two national surveys of education researchers - one from 2002 and another from 2022, that was led by colleagues in Education Studies. It examines how the types of research methods used have shifted over the past two decades and places these trends within broader debates about purpose, quality, and methodology in the field.

The study reveals that education researchers today report using fewer research methods than their counterparts twenty years ago. It also highlights an increasing divide between those who use numeric approaches and those who rely on non-numeric methods.

Read the full article below

Smith, E., Gorard, S., Morris, R., Perry, T., & Pilgrim‐Brown, J. (2025). Then and now: Twenty years of Education research methods use in the United Kingdom - Smith - British Educational Research Journal - Wiley Online Library

Keynote Success for Abdullah Sahin at International Conference

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We are proud to share that Abdullah recently delivered a keynote paper at the biennial international conference of the Global Association of Western Muslim School Directors, held in the Netherlands from 18–20 April.

Abdullah’s keynote paper, “Rethinking the Civic Ethos of Faith-Embedded School Leadership in an Increasingly Polarized, Uncertain Post-Secular Western World”, was warmly received by over 100 delegates from diverse educational contexts within the Western Muslim diaspora.

In recognition of his contribution, Abdullah was elected to lead and coordinate the post-conference research agenda developed by the delegates, helping to shape future scholarship in this important field.

Celebrating Excellence: Professor Olympia Palikara Wins Supervision Award

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 15:21:00 GMT

We’re thrilled to share that Professor Olympia Palikara, has been awarded the Excellent Supervision Award for Social Sciences at the Warwick Research Celebration 2025.

Professor Palikara’s mentorship blends professional excellence with unwavering personal support. She has guided her students to co-author peer-reviewed publications, present at international conferences and influence policy and practice. Her dedication to growth, resilience and integrity has profoundly shaped her students' academic journeys. Her impact extends beyond academia, inspiring her students to thrive both professionally and personally.

Congratulations, Professor Palikara!

New open-access research article published by Dr Katie Crompton

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 09:45:00 GMT

We’re excited to share a newly published, peer-reviewed article co-authored by Dr Katie Crompton.

This study explores the child’s perspective on the school-based mindfulness programme Paws b. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Crompton, K., Fasulo, A., Kaklamanou, D., & Somogyi, E. (2025). Advance online publication. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-025-03047-6