Twenty-five EdD Candidates and their teaching team gathered at the 2024 EdD Conference “Research in Practice”.
Twenty-five EdD Candidates and their teaching team gathered at the 2024 EdD Conference “Research in Practice”.
The event was held in person in Portsmouth, with an online add-on to facilitate the involvement of candidates who are based throughout the country. Key themes emerged from the presentations, reflecting the challenges and opportunities of educational research.
Philosophy grounded our research in that it shapes and organises our representation of the world, considering the nature of what we are studying (e.g. to what extent can we objectively apprehend attitudes?). Philosophy also helped conceptualising power relationships and influences in the educational domain.
Politics is a critical theme shaping the current UK educational context and accountability system. Using a critical discourse analysis of policy documents, Laura Hogben discussed what an “Outstanding” apprenticeship review looks like. Katie Osborne examined favoured approached for assessing teaching quality in Further Education while safeguarding the well-being of educators. Gary Lewis, who has recently submitted his thesis, unpacked processes behind governing, governance and government, by investigating the role of Chairs of Multi-Academy Trusts at a time of change and complexity in the English school system.
Gary Lewis presenting at the conference.
We reflected on our own identity and how it evolves (more or less fluently) as we navigate our roles as academics, teachers, parents, and community members. Dr Matthew Round, former EdD candidate and current module leader on the programme, discussed the status of “pracademic”, critically questioning the dichotomy between theory and practice. Further developing the theme of identities, Stuart Garner explored the role that faith might have in research theories and methods.
A collective reflection on positionality considered how we, in our role as researchers, shape our behaviour and attitudes towards our participants. These participants might, in turn, respond differently based on the previous relationships they had with us, and the expectations they have of our projects. Melanie Dell, Physical Education (PE) teacher, presented her project on the influence of female Physical Education teachers on adolescent girls' participation in PE.
An ethics of co-production transpired throughout the conference: How we can do research with, and not on, educators, leaders, students, children, and members of the community. Our Associate Head Research and Innovation and module leader on the EdD, Dr Nikki Fairchild, presented a new project funded by the HDRC and co-led with Portsmouth City Council to develop research projects with community members on issues that matter to them. Dr Jessica Massonnie, course leader of the EdD, shared the process of leading consultations with school leaders, and of designing interviews to elicit children’s views on their sensory needs. The day culminated with the presentation of Christopher Ricketts, who is entering is third year on the programme and led a workshop on co-constructing the curriculum with students.
The EdD is tailored for professionals who work in education and desire to undertake a programme of research at doctoral level. It offers training and support through four modules, covering dimensions such as positionality, philosophy and practice of educational research, writing and presentations skills. The taught phase, organised during the first two years of the programme, culminates with the finalisation of a research proposal. This proposal acts as a map and plan that candidates develop during the following independent research phase, with the support of their supervisors.
Christopher Ricketts presenting at the conference.
The EdD is tailored for professionals who work in education and desire to undertake a programme of research at doctoral level. It offers training and support through four modules, covering dimensions such as positionality, philosophy and practice of educational research, writing and presentations skills. The taught phase, organised during the first two years of the programme, culminates with the finalisation of a research proposal. This proposal acts as a map and plan that candidates develop during the following independent research phase, with the support of their supervisors.
