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RESEARCHINTELLIGENCE REsEARCH INTELLIGENCE Number 76 July 2001 2001 BERA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: recent business: London 14 June BERA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: recent business' London14 June Margaret Kirkwood (President of SERA) was welcomed as a representative representative of Scottish research. (John Furlong represents Wales and John Gardner Gardner Northern Ireland). These memberships reflect reflect the strong need for for research to inform inform policy in all four countries countries of the UK. Later in the meeting John Furlong presented a report 'Review on Educational Research in Wales' showing, amongother among other points, points, that there is no specific budget budget for educational research in Wales and only 4 of of the 10 higher education institutions receive RAE funding. Council voted a contribution towards the costs of publishing this review. review. The research fellowship scheme for five educational practitioners to take part-time part-time PhDs has now been agreed agreed by the DfES DfES and is being administered by the ESRC- ESRC - withBERA withBERA involvement. Although complicated in administration and limited to the ESRC'sTeaching ESRCs Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Programme. it was seen as national recognition that there will soon be a fall in the numbers of educational educational researchers (due (due to to anno anna domini) and that recruitment professionals professionals is urgent. of experienced Colin Rogers Rogers (chair (chair of Conferences Conferences Standing Committee) Committee) reported reported that that In-Conference In-Conference had had taken taken on the the mantle of organisation organisation very very competently competently and that the Leeds conference conference has has a stimulating programme in preparation. preparation. BERA SIGs are beginning to take a stronger role in Conference Conference planning. planning. Maggie Maggie MacLure MacLure (chair (chair of Publications Publications Committee) outlined outlined her plans for aa inviting BERA members to join the the Committee who who have 'a lively interest in generating dialogue and debate through publication'. publication'. She aims to generate 'an alternative voice, movingaway moving away from the authoritative and towards the questioning voice'. Council agreed agreed aa budget of £5000. The website website is is in the process of being developed. It is now serviced by CEDATL CEDATL at the the University of Birmingham. Online Online conferences conferences are to be set up immediately immediately after the two keynote addresses at Leeds (Anne (Anne Edwards - new president's address - and David David Hargreaves Hargreaves - Nuttall/Carfax lecturer) Carol Boulter reported on on the success of the advanced training event in April and that the July event is now fully booked. Mo Griffiths initiated a discussion of ways of increasing tncrecstnq the membership: members may be asked to act as institutional representatives. Elaine Freedman reported that that the Contract Researchers' Charter had been printed and distributed to 83 83 university universttv heads of department. Felicity Wikeley led a discussion discussion on the ESRC'sproposed ESRC's proposed new programme on The Future Future of Education' Education' and undertook to prepare a submission on behalf of BERA. SERA. In terms of the Green Paper "Schools: Building on Success' Council saw a need for government educational initiatives to have some form of research 'shadowing'. 'shadowing'. This would would be part of our agenda for the hoped-for next meeting meeting with government government ministers. 12
BRITISH EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONALREsEARCHASSOCIATION RESEARCH ASSOCIA TION NEWSLETTER NATIONAL NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH FORUM CONSULTATION _- -----_ -- -__ Alex Watson, Programme Director, National Notional Educational Research Forum This is the summary of the 10 page report analysing analysingresponses responses to the consultation consultation on 'Research 'Research and Development Development for Education: Education: A national national strategy strategy report is on the NERF website (www.nerf-uk.org) (www.nerf~ukorg) consultation consultation paper'. The full The consultation produced 112 112responses responses from researchers, research organisations, university departments of education, vice chancellors, teacher organisations, LEAs, LEAs,government government departments, parent organisations and others. Over half the responses came from organisations and individuals individualsfrom from the research community. All responses were supportive about the need for greater dialogue and to build on current initiatives but beyond this differences emerged between the research community communityand and the other respondents. Much of the research community communityfelt felt that the proposals are centralised, government-driven government·driven and a threat to academic freedom and diversity. Specifically, the proposed priorities group and funders' group were interpreted as means for government-driven decisions about identifying priorities and allocating funding and not about trying to improve the processes through which these occur. There was a widespread concern that the emphasis was on short-term policy evaluation at the expense of blue skies research. Hence, constructive suggestions made by respondents on priorities and funding were about widening wideningparticipation participation to ensure a greater range of stakeholders can contribute to these processes. Models for involving involvingpeople people at local localand and regional levels as well as nationally were proposed in order to democratise the process. In general, there was more support,(with the exception of the vice chancellors) for a funders' group than for a priorities group. Education foresight was generally supported with differences of opinion opinionabout about whether this should be achieved through a dedicated unit or a network of collaborators. There waS was support for the process involving involvingmultidisciplinary multidisciplinary input. The proposals relating to quality criteria were unpopular with the research community. community.Other Other respondents, who wanted guidance on how howto to judge the efficacy of research outputs autputs saw them as helpful. Drawing Drawingon on current practice to establish principles rather than attempting to reach consensus on criteria was seen Seen as more feasible. fecstble. There was general agreement with a review of af research training that distinguishes between training for researchers and training for teachers. Various suggestions are made about who should be involved involved(in (in particular ESRC ESRCand and GTCE GTCEare are suggested) but there is widespread agreement that the DfEE and Ofsted, Ofsted. and to a lesser extent TTA TTAand and QCA QCAshould should not be involved. involved. . 13
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