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Current Research in the Department of Educational Research

The Department of Educational Research received a top-rated grade 5 in the 1992 Research Assessment Exercise, and maintained this standard in the 1996 RAE and the University is ranked 9th out of all UK universities. Research in the department has been funded in recent years by:

  • Economic and Social Research Council
  • European Union
  • British Council
  • Further Education Unit
  • Leverhulme Trust
  • Local education authorities
  • Schools Technology Project
  • Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Units
  • Joint Matriculation Board
  • Joseph Rowntree Foundation

The Department has special expertise in qualitative methodologies in research and evaluation. The main areas of research covered by the department are:

  • Post-compulsory education and training (focusing on higher education; education and work; workplace learning; policy analysis; informal learning and literacy)
  • Psychology of learning and development (especially motivational processes; self-concept; gender; developmental representations of knowledge and reasoning; early childhood and adolescent development in family and school contexts)
  • Advanced learning technology (with a strong emphasis on collaborative and team-learning, design methodologies and the co-construction of 'working knowledge').

The department has close links with three research centres. Academic staff from the centres supervise research students and teach at postgraduate and undergraduate levels.

CSET - The Centre for the Study of Education and Training specialises in research and evaluation in four main areas: upper secondary and 16-18 education and training; training and learning in the workplace; adult learning and higher education.

CSALT - The Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technology specialises in research on advanced learning technologies such as multimedia, the Web and computer conferencing. Research includes work on the design, development evaluation and use of ALT systems, drawing on perspectives from education, psychology, sociology, management, artificial intelligence and computer science.

REAP - Researching Equity, Access and Participation. We are a group of researchers, educational practitioners and community development workers who explore widening access to learning amongst excluded groups of learners of all ages (e.g. minority ethnic, disabled and working-class).

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