Book launch: Educational Research for Social Justice: Evidence and Practice Global Diversities and Inequalities Research Centre

13 October 2021

Written by a team that was predominantly based at London Metropolitan University, the chapters present a series of analyses of educational policies – largely in the UK, but some also in Europe – researched by a team of social scientists who share a commitment to social justice and equity in education. Authors explore what social justice means, in educational policy and practice, and how it impacts on the understanding of both ‘educational science’ and ‘the public good’. Using a social constructivist approach, authors argue that social justice requires a particular and critical analysis of the meaning of meritocracy, and of the way this term turns educational policies towards treating learning as a competition, in which many young people are constructed as ‘losers’.

This volume :

• Uses intersectionality as a running theme between chapters and topics
• Draws from a range of educational policy settings, from early years to higher education, in the UK and continental Europe
• Argues that a good society is one in which social rewards are broadly distributed between all social groups.

Authors consider the responsibilities of educational researchers to acknowledge these issues, and offer examples of researching with such a commitment. They conclude by considering how educational policy might contribute to a socially just, equitable and inclusive public good.

Speakers:

Professor Alistair Ross (editor of the book) is Senior Professor in Politics and Education at London Metropolitan University (part-time). He has a PhD in Politics from the University of London, a DLitt from London Metropolitan, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Professor Mustafa Yunus Eryaman (series editor of 'Education Science, Evidence, and the Public Good') is the current President of the World Education Research Association, and a Professor at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey. He has worked as a DAAD-TUBITAK Professor at the Institute for International Comparative and Intercultural Education in the University of Hamburg for two years. He was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Education at London Metropolitan University in 2011. He currently serves as the series editor of the Springer Book series 'Education Science, Evidence, and the Public Good', the first volume of which will be launched during the event. He is also the regional editor of Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies (Bloomsbury Publishing).

Professor Jan Bamford is a Professor of International Higher Education, co-director of the Higher Education Research Group, and Head of Student Experience and Academic Outcomes in the University’s Guildhall School of Business and Law. She co-authored 'Cultural Journeys in Higher Education: Student Voices and Narratives' (Emerald, 2019) and authored 'Joint Degrees and International Transitions in Higher Education: The Self, Pedagogy and Culture' (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020). Her book on improving student experience and the role of third space professionals will be published by Routledge in 2022. Jan is a founding member of the Advance HE Connect International Interdisciplinary Research in Assessment Practice (INRAP).

Professor Digby Warren is Head of the Centre for Professional and Educational Development and co-director of the Higher Education Research Group at London Metropolitan University. He has practice-based and research-informed expertise in teaching, learning and curriculum development and staff professional development, focusing on education for social justice and transformational approaches to teaching in the context of student diversity. He took a lead role in EU-funded international projects (2011-2018) to modernise HE, using curriculum and teaching development as a driver for innovation. He is also th co-editor and co-author of 'Enhancing Teaching Practice in Higher Education' (2nd edition) (Sage, 2021).

Dr. Paul Downes is Associate Professor of Psychology of Education and Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre at Dublin City University, Ireland. He is a member of various expert advisory groups with the European Commission, and has an inclusion and citizenship brief for the European Education and Training Expert Panel that supports the EU’s post-2020 Strategic Cooperation Framework for Education and Training. Recent books include 'Concentric Space as a Life Principle Beyond Schopenhauer' (2019) and 'Reconstructing agency in developmental and educational psychology' (2020; both Routledge). He is an Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta, with visiting Research Fellowships at the University of British Columbia and the University of Cambridge.