Curee/TLRP Research Tasters
This part of the CUREE website hosts a number of ‘research tasters’, which are short articles encouraging practitioners to engage in evidence-based enquiry in their own educational setting through collecting evidence available to them and using it to reflect upon, inform and enhance their own practice. Here, a variety of materials have been produced by TLRP in collaboration with CUREE, in order for the findings of the TLRP and other relevant research to be disseminated to those with an inter
Optimising Challenge to Young Children: Action Research in a Nursery School
This resource is from NFER's Topic (now PRE) online journal. The focus of the resource explores the use of action research to improve the learning for young children in a West Sussex nursery school. The study reported on had its origins in the results of an Ofsted visit to the school. The resource outlines the procedures undertaken by the school to collect and analyse data, in order to continue the success experienced at the school, to engage children in scaffolding their own learning, and to pl
Harnessing knowledge to practice: accessing and using evidence from research
This is a report produced by the Innovation Unit at the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE). The report considers the barriers which exist between education research and educational practice, along with a description of solutions which are currently offered by various agencies to bring these two closer together. The final part of the report raises a number of issues relating to the future of evidence-based education research, including the possibilities of raising th
Challenge and change in further education: A Commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Progra
This is a commentary focusing on a variety of research projects carried out within the Further Education (FE) sector. It is based on eighteen Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) investments in FE, and on the wide-ranging expertise of many well known practitioners and researchers.
TDA Standards case study: PMFL Pathway for Undergraduate Trainees
A case study charting the experiences of trainees on a primary undergraduate programme, including the ways in which the provider tailored provision to prepare trainees to deliver a modern foreign language.
Towards Expansive Apprenticeships, a commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme
This commentary is a contribution to the public debate on apprenticeships and on the government’s plans for the continued improvement of apprenticeship provision.
The Impact of Research on Policy
This is a publication from the British Educational Research Association (BERA) compiled by scholars based in three universities working within the education research sector, with a particular focus on Early Childhood studies. It assesses the impact of significant and contemporary education research on government policy.
A Systematic Review of the Research Literature on the Use of Phonics in the Teaching of Reading and
This is a systematic review of experimental research on the use of phonics instruction in the teaching of reading and spelling commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills. It is based on evidence from randomised control trials, only one of which was UK based. The children studied were mostly between five and seven years of age and all studies were concerned with the initial teaching of reading and in some cases, spelling.
The Death of Mixed Methods: Research Labels and their Casualties
This paper was presented at the British Educational Research Association conference in 2008. It examines the labels attached to particular research paradigms, and examines the historical development, construct and concept validity and potential tendency towards bias of ‘mixed method’ research.
Taking control: how teachers use research
This 2004 PRE-Online article draws on the findings of a National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report, to identify the barriers preventing teachers from using research to inform their practice, as well as to highlight some of the ways Local Authorities have helped to remove these. The project also examined the barriers to accessing, engaging with, carrying out and sharing research, as well as evincing why teachers should be interested in using it.
Becoming a research engaged school
This 2006 PRE-Online article, written by Caroline Sharp from NFER, is an account concerning the ways in which schools can become research-engaged. It emerges from a study based in 15 schools which had begun research projects in 2003. The article outlines insights gained, as well as some of the research findings from three of the schools. All the research projects reported in this article are concerned with the use of whiteboards and ICT.
Assessing Quality in Applied and Practice-based Educational Research
This ‘Framework for Discussion’ originated from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project whose remit was to examine in a critical and informed fashion the different definitions of and approaches to applied and practice-based research. The authors seek to clarify the concepts and models currently employed in order to enable a review of recent governmental and other initiatives which recognise the value of applied and practice based research. The primary motivation is to a
ICT and attainment: A review of the research literature
The resource is a pdf document, available from Becta’s archives. It is the result of a DfES and Becta funded project to produce a summary of the literature available on ICT and attainment, nationally and internationally, both in primary and secondary schools. The resource was published in 2003. It is one of a pair, undertaken by the same team at King’s college, London and is number 17 in the DfES series of reports ‘ICT in Schools Research and Evaluation Series’.
Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP): Impact and significance
These resources, including four research briefings, are published by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) as it draws close to its conclusion in September 2009, and are entitled: ‘Impact and significance’, '‘Evidence based policy’: What evidence? What basis? Whose policy?', ‘Assessment of significant learning outcomes’, ‘Making a difference: Collaborating with users to develop educational research’ and ‘Transparency in planning, warranting and interpreting resear
Tool-kit 1: planning your research project
This 2005 Topic (now PRE-Online) article focuses on planning research projects in schools. It is the first in a series of articles published by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) designed to equip the reader in primary or secondary education with the tools to conduct their own research project.
Customer Voice Research - Play
The resource is a brief paper by Sherbert Research reporting key findings on what children and parents think about play and play provision.
Education Outside the Classroom: Research to Identify What Training is Offered by Initial Teacher Tr
This is a DfES commissioned report from NFER of a survey of the provision and type of training in Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) in both primary and secondary ITT in England in 2006. The report covers respondents’ views of EOtC, its provision, coordination, timing and quality of EOtC, challenges and facilitators, and possible future developments. Analysis of respondents’ comments identified three issues: the variability in provision; possible inadequate preparation for EOtC for some
Winners of BERA/SAGE Practitioner Research Awards 2009 Announced
'Guidelines for new lecturers in Teacher Education' and 'A Virtual Learning Environment for Supporting Reading and Poetry' are the winning entries in the 2009 BERA/SAGE Practitioner Research Awards, which were announced at the annual British Educational Research Association (BERA) conference in Manchester on 5th September 2009. The awards recognise practitioners who have demonstrated excellence in the application of research in practice, both in a school setting and in a 16+ learning environment
The Educational Attainment of Looked After Children – Local Authority Pilot Projects: Final Resear
This resource is a full research report that was commissioned on behalf of the Care and Justice Division by the Education Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government. The research which was conducted between September 2006 and June 2008,was commissioned due to the “significant degree of concern” in Scotland about the low achievement in education of Looked After Children and young people and the subsequent lack of engagement in education, employment and training by the age of 21.
New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) national surveys
This report looks at the findings the latest cycle of New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) which periodically surveys primary and secondary schools in order to assess the impact of recent educational reforms.
