Educational Research at Brunel: Making a difference in research, policy and practice
The academic members of staff in the Department of Education conduct research on a range of topics covering school education, vocational, professional and higher education, and adult education and lifelong learning. Informed by a range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, including philosophy, sociology, human geography and education, the research contributes to national and international discussions and developments in educational research, and makes a significant impact on education policy and practice, in the UK and further afield. The department has particular strengths Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, social identities and inequalities in education; teacher education and professional practice; educational policy; media, arts & literature in education; higher education studies; childhood, parenting and family studies and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
In recent years, our research has been funded by UK research councils, major charities, and other organisations, including:-
- British Academy
- EARLI (the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- ESREA (the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults)
- European Commission
- HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England)
- Higher Education Association
- The Money Advice Service
- Open Society Foundation
- SRHE (the Society for Research in Higher Education)
- Froebel Trust
- The Della Fish Foundation
- Forces in Mind Trust
- Leisure Studies Association
- City of London Corporation
We publish our research in international academic outlets, and through regular contributions to radio, newspapers and TV. Many colleagues present regularly at national and international academic and professional conferences, and give seminars and lectures at universities, colleges and schools in the UK and abroad. We regular host academic visitors from across the world. We work pro-actively with educational institutions, professionals and policymakers, locally, nationally and internationally, and contribute to evidence-informed policy making. Several colleagues are (associate) editors and editorial board members of leading journals, and academic book-series. Many of our staff sit on the peer-review college of major research funders such as ESRC, British Council, and European Commission.
We have approximately 80 part-time and full-time doctoral research students currently enrolled on our PhD and EdD programmes. They come from many different countries and pursue important research projects, closely aligned to their professional and intellectual interests and our own research expertise and ambitions.