Conference Agenda

ERC Opening Ceremony

Educational research is characterized by its embrace of diverse theories, methodological approaches, and data analysis techniques, enabling researchers to investigate a wide range of phenomena related to learning, teaching, and schooling. Large-scale surveys in education have been around since the early 20^th century, providing data about students’ academic achievement and background characteristics, along with relevant information in different contexts (e.g., family, instructional, institutional) and levels of the educational system. As data became more complex and abundant due to the emergence of computer-based tools and technologies, such as computerized assessments, virtual learning environments, and learning management systems, new approaches have been developed to extract meaningful interpretations from the evidence gathered, for instance, Learning Analytics.

Learning Analytics research aims to enhance learning by processing information about students and their contexts within the learning environment. It typically involves gathering data on factors such as login frequency and time spent on online platforms to analyze student engagement, habits, and online social interactions. Statistical techniques such as clustering and prediction are then applied to derive insights from this data. Research with large-scale assessment and survey data often focuses on testing theoretical hypotheses regarding factors associated with academic achievement or on evaluating the effectiveness of educational policies through statistical modeling techniques such as structural equation and multilevel modelling. Additionally, it addresses measurement and methodological inquiries, such as investigating the properties of survey instruments or exploring the patterns of student responses to various question types.

While opportunities to gain deeper insights into student learning have increased with the accumulation of vast amounts of information over time, concerns about privacy and ethics have also arisen. For instance, statistical algorithms applied to make predictions are biased and serve to perpetuate already existing inequalities.

In this interactive session, two researchers based in Cyprus, Michalis Michaelides and Ioulia Televantou, discuss the potential of large-scale assessment surveys and learning analytics to inform educational research and practice. They draw on real-world examples from existing studies showcasing both the strengths and limitations of the two approaches in an empirical manner. With their presentation, they aspire to spur a discussion in the audience on the extent to which these methodological frameworks can be of use for the scope of their research.

EERA and the Local Organizers of ECER 2024 would like to formally welcome you to ECER 2024, Nicosia “Education in an Age of Uncertainty: memory and hope for the future”.

This year's ECER is a joint collaboration, organised by the University of Cyprus and EERA.

Policy change is an increasingly elusive research object. Traditional notions of policy change, such as those that treat it as distinct outcomes resulting from well-defined reforms, are being challenged in the contemporary education policyscape. In a context marked by intense policy movement and rapid policy growth, governments rely on an expanding array of instruments, which accumulate in a growing 'policy stock'. Educational reforms, influenced by this environment, adopt a piecemeal approach, resulting in numerous policies, some lacking sufficient resources while others exerting influence in ways beyond governmental control.

This presentation delves into the entangled processes of policy formulation and enactment, revealing both the subtleties and unpredictability of contemporary patterns of policy change. It explores the interactions between newly adopted policy instruments and existing ones, and how these configure intricate and dynamic 'policy mixes' with unforeseen combined effects. Moreover, it examines how 'instrument constituencies' shape policy trajectories beyond initial intentions, leading to transformed and expanded instrument use. The micro-foundations of policy change come into focus as filtering and enactment processes gain significance, bringing about far-reaching changes stemming from recurrent feedback and seemingly minor technical adjustments. The landscape is further complicated with contextual shifts, both within and beyond the educational realm, imparting new meanings to existing instruments or altering their capacities while formally remaining unchanged.

Drawing on examples from research on privatization and new public management reforms in education, this presentation navigates the challenges posed by the evolving nature of policy formation and deployment. Its objective is to deepen our understanding of the micro-foundations of policy change and provide insights for future educational research.

This talk addresses the thorny issue of complicity in recent global reckonings of political violence (structural racism; histories of colonialism, slavery and genocide; populism; extremism etc.) and asks: What does it mean to educate students for anti-complicity and resistance, when they are embedded in institutions and practices that engage in political violence, as perpetrators, collaborators or bystanders? What are the risks of a pedagogy and politics that cultivate affective practices of anti-complicity in the classroom? Drawing on recent insights from affect theory and political thought, this talk focuses on affect and its role in facilitating critical and political engagement of students and educators with violence. In particular, it interrogates how thinking about complicity through an affective and political lens can help address past and present instances, practices and structures of political violence. It is argued that the development of an anti-complicity pedagogy and politics provides a nuanced way to teach and learn about political violence and its entanglement with histories of suffering and injustice.