Education research
Education research at Nottingham Trent University, offers a powerful blend of practice and enquiry expertise. It is this blend, which develops meaningful research evidence for those of us interested in the phenomenon we call education.
Overview
Research Contact: Dr Andrew Clapham
A wide range of Nottingham Trent University academics conduct education focussed research. This research encompasses multidisciplinary and subject-specific activity and employs qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods data generation and analysis approaches. As well as this university-wide research, there is internationally recognised education research expertise located in the Nottingham Institute of Education, which is organised through the Education Policy and Practice research group. Our research and research group reflect both the School of Social Science research themes, as well as maps across all the University’s strategic themes. Education research is centrally motivated by wanting to make a difference to education for a variety of stakeholders - from policy makers to end users. We explore the intersection between research and practice to understand what is happening on the ‘shop floor’ of education settings. Our research explores critical issues of inclusion and equity, including questions of gender, ethnicity, social class and sexual orientation. We focus upon education in its widest sense and we strongly believe that education research is about making our world - both for the individual and for society - emotionally and intellectually richer and fuller.
Our education researchers employ an extensive range of methods and an equally wide range of traditions – from auto-ethnography to statistical analysis of large regional, national and international data sets. Crucially, we work with a varied range of partners from settings as diverse as early years settings, further education colleges, botanic gardens, mainstream schools and prisons at the local, national and international scales. We have a successful track record of supporting Post Graduate Research and welcome applications for our Professional and PhD Doctorate routes. Our research is aimed at knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and research with impact. We offer bespoke consultancy teams consisting of expert practitioners and researchers who have successful track records of undertaking a raft of education research activities.
Groups and case studies
The research activity conducted in the subject area is underpinned by the Education, Policy and Practice research group (Group Lead Dr Sue Dymoke).
Case Studies
Explore some examples of the EPP group members’ current and previous research:
- LearnToEngage, is a suite of professional development modules for botanic garden staff and museum educators in Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom. LearnToEngage is funded through the European Commission’s Erasmus + programme and provides an interactive, co-operative experience with both online and on-site provision. Andrew led the research element of the project to explore educators in informal learning settings such as gardens and museums used evaluation and research to inform their practice.
- The Outstanding Teaching, Learning and Assessment programme, is an Education and Training Foundation programme which aims to promote and enhance the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in post-16 education and training. Andrew led a team of NIoE academics who undertook two phases of research exploring students, staff and employers’ experiences of designing, employing and completing innovative approaches to pedagogy and assessment.
- Young Poets' Stories is two year research project, funded by the Foyle Foundation. Led Sue Dymoke, working with co-investigator Anthony Wilson from the University of Exeter, it focuses on a rarely explored aspect of poetry writing development: the potential impact of mentoring opportunities on young poets (aged 11 – 30) who were award-winning and/or highly commended entrants in The Foyle Young Poets of the Year 2012-2019. The research will result in a series of case studies and resources which will add to what is known about poetry writing theory and the creative mentoring practices. It is hoped that these new understandings will directly benefit many young writers who may be unaware of the writing development opportunities that are open to them.
Collaborations, consultancy knowledge exchange
Our research has attracted external funding from local, national and international sources including Erasmus+ and the Society for Research into Higher Education. We draw upon and develop the close working relationships between group members and a wide range of education partners which include:
- Botanic gardens
- Colleges
- Higher Education Settings
- Informal learning settings
- Museums
- Nurseries and Early Years settings
- Prisons
- Schools
- Zoos
These relationships underpin our ambitions to reach out beyond the university sector, and to conduct research that is socially innovative, exciting, relevant and valuable.
Potential Doctoral Supervisors
Contact or find out more about our Doctoral Supervisors:
- Alison Hardy
- Andrew Clapham
- Anne O'Grady
- Belinda Ferguson
- Carrie Paechter
- Chris Rolph
- Gaye Tyler-Merrick
- Iryna Kushnir
- John Carroll
- Karen Chantrey Wood
- Katherine Friend
- Krishan Sood
- Lauren Doak
- Marcellus Mbah
- Natasha Serret
- Pavlina Nikita
- Rebekah Smith McGloin
- Robin Kearsley Bullen
- Ruth Richards
- Sue Dymoke
- Verity Aiken
PhD projects
- The role of poetry writing and engagement with poetry, in both established and emerging forms, in supporting the mental health and well-being of young people
- Exploring the usage of pictorial symbols as a literacy support for students with learning disabilities
- Neoliberalism and a social justice agenda: The integration of displaced Ukrainian students in the English higher education sector
- Professional development and support of middle and senior leadership roles for non-teachers in educational settings
- An investigation into enabling assessment and pedagogic continuity across the primary and secondary transition border: Breaking down the barriers to transition readiness
- No place like home: exploring the student residential experience in the context of a rapidly changing student accommodation sector