Conference Agenda

As Dominic Wyse pointed out in his BERA Blog (Wyse, 2020) educational research in Scotland, as in other parts of the UK, has been criticised as being relatively weak in comparison to research from other disciplines. He also notes that some of the criticisms for this ‘weakness’ is due to education not being seen as an academic discipline (Wyse, 2020). We would reject this criticism because for almost 50 years, the Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) has championed the need for high-quality educational research in Scotland. From its early days in the mid-1970s, the fundamental tenets of SERA have been to "(i)…disseminate research findings on as wide a basis as possible and (ii) to improve communication among those working in different areas of the research field" (Nisbet, 1984). Fifty years on, we are proud that these tenets, while slightly revised for the current age, continue to remain at the core of the present-day SERA and remain as part of our overall purpose: ‘Working for the improvement of education through promoting and sustaining high-quality educational research’.  We would argue that our reach and engagement as an association has grown considerably, with SERA enjoying strong partnerships with our sister associations in the UK and Ireland as well as being an established member of both the European Educational Research Association (EERA) and the World Educational Research Association (WERA).   

The principal vehicle of discussion and dissemination of our work has always been the annual SERA Conference, attracting a broad church of academic researchers, practitioners, policy makers and those in local and national government positions and encouraging them to contribute to and participate in high-quality discussions around education and educational research. Since the early days of the Association, SERA has evolved, moving from a one-day conference to a three-day event which attracts high numbers of delegates each year.   

The events of 2020 and the subsequent effects of the global pandemic did bring challenges to SERA, but also afforded opportunities, particularly through digital technology.  The value of technology, particularly in facilitating professional learning communities, had been noted well before the pandemic (see Blitz, 2013), however, until this time it was arguably a resource with untapped potential. The pandemic also gave room for the Executive to reflect upon the democratic nature of educational research and how best we, as an Association, seek to a) meet the aims of our association and b) foster an increased sense of community within educational research in Scotland and beyond. Central to these reflections and critical discussions have been the SERA Networks who actively and adeptly identify and capitalise on opportunities to influence policy and practice.    

Another contributor to this evolution is our SERA Networks, nine special interest groups with a range of foci on ‘hot topics’ in educational research nationally and internationally. Our Networks have always been strong proponents of the work of SERA and its charitable aims but truly came to the fore during the pandemic.

This symposium aims to highlight the current hot topics in Scottish education by sharing the work of three of our SERA Networks: Inclusive Education, Poverty and Early Years. These three papers will illustrate the ways in which our SERA colleagues are able to engage SERA members in deep and critical discussions but also look to influence policy and practice. The symposium is framed through the perspective of working together through partnerships and will also look to explore potential next steps which can be taken by SERA.  

One of the main aims of the Poverty and Education network is to highlight issues and new research in the impact of poverty on education.  The impact of poverty and deprivation on education is important in the context of Scotland as school education attempts to negotiate the challenges of educating children and young people who belong to low-income families and who can suffer the effects of limited financial resource and consequent detrimental effects on diet, housing, adequate fuel and restricted access to cultural capital. There are serious concerns about the educational progress of these children and young people and their future opportunities or destinations. Deeper research engagement with the impact of poverty on education is a matter of urgency.    During the pandemic, many school systems throughout the world adopted online, or hybrid models of learning and teaching during periods of restricted access to schools and during school closures. However, this served to highlight digital exclusion (or digital poverty). UNICEF reported that around 1.6 billion children worldwide were affected by school closures and had to continue their learning at home (UNICEF, 2020). The success of moves to online provision was determined by the (1) technology and the technological infrastructure and (2) the skill set of teachers and pupils required to support such a move. Children and young people living in poverty and deprivation in Scotland were most affected by the move to online learning and teaching because of the ‘digital gap’ (Audit Scotland, 2021). It is simplistic to conceive the digital gap as a binary distinction between digital inclusion and digital exclusion. The digital gap exists in different ways and to different degrees (Coleman, 2021). We have identified five key areas that characterise the digital gap in Scotland in relation to the learning of children and young people:   (1) access to devices;   (2) learning space;   (3) connectivity;   (4) digital literacy and   (5) parental engagement.  This presentation will discuss the implications of the digital gap in Scotland for current and future cohorts of children in Scottish schools. We will examine these five key areas that characterise the digital gap and we will also draw on ongoing research by the Network for Social and Educational Equity (NSEE) team at the Robert Owen Centre in the University of Glasgow. 

Audit Scotland (2021). Improving Outcomes for Young People through School Education. Available from:  https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2021/nr_210323_education_outcomes.pdf   Coleman, V. (2021). Digital Divide in UK education during Covid-19 pandemic: Literature Review, Cambridge Assessment. Available from:  https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/628843-digital-divide-in-uk-education-during-covid-19-pandemic-literature-review.pdf   UNICEF (2020) How Many children and Young People have internet access at home?  https://data.unicef.org/resources/children-and-young-people-internet-access-at-home-during-covid19/ 

The SERA Inclusive Education Network is an active network that supports SERA’s work, influencing policy and practice, contributing to current debates in Scotland and internationally. We view inclusive education as an approach aiming to ensure that all learners, regardless of background or characteristics, can access and participate fully in quality education. Since 1978, when the Warnock report was published, Scotland has tried to implement legislation and policy that supports young learners. Our understanding about concepts of learning, teaching and inclusion has evolved over the years and this is illustrated in policy too. A raft of legislation, policy and guidance including the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (amended in 2009 and 2017) and the National Framework for Inclusion (SUIG 2022) promote inclusive education and position Scotland at the forefront of the development of inclusive practice internationally.   The SERA Inclusive Education network provides a forum to support the development of inclusive practice by informing and influencing debates on current issues in Scotland such as the presumption of mainstreaming, gender identity, race. This network aims to develop wider awareness of inclusive education informing and influencing academic, professional and public debates. It provides opportunities to meet and engage with a wide range of stakeholders including academics, students and practitioners. Additionally, the Inclusive Education network look to pursue partnerships with other national groups, including the Scottish Universities Inclusion Group (SUIG). A central theme from the network’s academic conversations with SUIG is the National Framework for Inclusion (SUIG 2022) which is internationally unique as it recognizes teachers as autonomous and creative professionals who have the capacity to critically reflect on their pedagogical decisions and identify approaches to promote children’s inclusion.

Scottish Universities Inclusion Group (SUIG). 2022. National Framework for Inclusion 3rd edn. Aberdeen, The Scottish Universities Inclusion Group. https://www.gtcs.org.uk/professional-standards/national-framework-for-inclusion/  

The SERA Early Years Network provides room for discussion and reflection at the interface between research, policy and practice; a home for practitioners to critically engage with the latest findings. broadly defined in the Scottish context, early years, as includes early learning and childcare (ELC), the first years of school, childcare for school-aged children and specialist or community-based provision. The network adopts an inclusive approach which fosters an ongoing sector-wide conversation that draws on evidence-based perspectives from within settings and local organisations, as well as national and internationally recognised voices. The use of an online format for Network seminars over the last 3 years has facilitated access of a wider range of members to these emerging research findings and new approaches. The Network opened discussions regarding early years workforce experiences of key-working through the pandemic, with international researchers reflecting on the varied experiences in each country.  Comparison of these varied national responses highlighted that the lockdown period occurred in the middle of what was already a tumultuous time for the ELC sector in Scotland, with the doubling of government funded ELC hours for all children aged 3-5 years (Scottish Government, 2022).  The notion of ‘school readiness’ is pressing issue for the early years sector, particularly given recent Scottish Government commitments to raising the school starting age. In the Scottish EY context, research around the importance of well-managed and supported transitions (Burns, 2022; Dunlop, Barnes and McRobbie, 2023) underpins the practice guidance ‘Realising the ambition: Being me’ (Education Scotland, 2020) and is turning the narrative of ‘school-readiness’ around so that all children are included and supported effectively by ‘ready-schools’.  This connects to work translating the international body of research on play to identify play pedagogies relevant to both Scottish childcare and school settings ( Black, 2023; Dunlop, Burns and McNair, 2023) as well as some lively debates about the place of play within the school day (Ardelean et al, 2021; Knight, 2023) in Network meetings, which in turn leads back to considering the role of practitioners in supporting children’s development and wellbeing.  With a continuously expanding membership, the Network is well positioned to bring together practitioners, and local, national and international researchers, giving recognition to the value of insights from practitioner research and work-based projects as well as external perspectives.  Looking forward, we are keen to keep unpacking ideas and making new connections. 

Ardelean, A., Smith, K. and Russell, W. (2021) The case for play in schools: A review of the literature, Bristol: Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) CIC.   Black, E. (2023) ‘Playful pedagogy’, in M. Carroll and M. Wingrave (eds), Childhood Practice: A reflective and evidence-based approach. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 165 - 178.   Burns, M. (2022). ‘Ready or Not to Adopt a Pedagogy of Play for Children Starting School in Scottish Primary Schools - Is this a Major Transition for Teachers?’ International Journal of Educational and Life Transitions, 1(1): 5, pp. 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ijelt.28.  Dunlop, A-W, Barnes, L. and McRobbie, M. (2023). Transitions in Early Childhood Education and Care: Across Time and Day-to-Day, in Nutbrown, C. (Ed.) Early Childhood Education- Current realities and future priorities, 71-82. London: SAGE publications Ltd.  Dunlop, A-W, Burns, M. and McNair, L.J. (2023). Play Pedagogies. Early Education Journal, Centenary Issue 1, April 2023.  Education Scotland (2020) Realising the ambition: Being me @ https://education.gov.scot/media/3bjpr3wa/realisingtheambition.pdf (accessed 10/3/23).  Knight, S. (2023) The case for play in schools, SERA Early Years Network presentation, February 2023.  Scottish Government (2022) Early learning and childcare expansion programme: Evaluation strategy @ https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/research-and-analysis/2022/10/early-learning-childcare-expansion-programme-evaluation-strategy/documents/early-learning-childcare-expansion-programme-evaluation-strategy-scottish-government-children-families-analysis/early-learning-childcare-expansion-programme-evaluation-strategy-scottish-government-children-families-analysis/govscot%3Adocument/early-learning-childcare-expansion-programme-evaluation-strategy-scottish-government-children-families-analysis.pdf  (accessed 10/3/23).