BERA is a membership association and learned society committed to advancing research quality, building research capacity and fostering research engagement. BERA aims to inform the development of policy and practice by promoting the best quality evidence produced by educational research.
Since our inception in 1974, BERA has expanded into an internationally renowned association with UK and non-UK based members. We strive to be inclusive of the diversity of educational research and scholarship and welcomes members from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, theoretical orientations, methodological approaches, sectoral interests and institutional affiliations. We encourage the development of productive relationships with other associations within and beyond the UK. Aspiring to be the home of all educational researchers in the UK, BERA provides opportunities for everyone active in this field to contribute through its portfolio of distinguished publications, its world-class conference and other events, and its active peer community, organised around 30 Special Interest Groups. We also recognise excellence in educational research through our range of awards. In addition to our member-focused activity, we aim to inform the development of policy and practice by promoting the best quality evidence produced by educational research. As an organisation we are committed to principles of openness, integrity and transparency and seek to uphold ethical values in all our activities and processes.
Why we must listen to migrant children: School belonging in a hostile environment
Across Europe, migration is increasingly politicised, creating challenging environments for migrants and their families. Thi Bogossian’s ethnographic research in a diverse English primary school reveals how education can act as an “oasis” of belonging for migrant children amid exclusionary politics.
Challenging the rise of transactional language in educational policy
Education reform deserves language that reflects its complexity. When policy borrows the vocabulary of markets and business, we risk reducing teaching to a transaction rather than a deeply human, transformative process.
COVID-19 pandemic and the mental health and well-being of secondary school children
Research into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of school children in England suggests that a holistic response is needed.
Silent heroes – Celebrating Peru’s Early Childhood Educators in times of crisis
During the COVID-19 lockdown in Peru, the development of positive interactions of teachers with parents was critical, as was the fostering of supportive relationships with peers
The importance of diversity training for educators in predominately white places
There is often a misconception that only schools with high ethnic minority populations or those situated in multicultural places need multicultural awareness. These topics are equally important in predominantly White places in Britain, and school curriculum and atmosphere need to offer race-sensitive multicultural reflection, while practitioners need training and preparedness to equip them with relevant knowledge, skills, and confidence.
The UK Sustainability and Climate Change policy paper – An analysis
In April 2022, the UK Department for Education (DfE) published a policy paper laying out a strategy for the education and children's services systems on the topic of sustainability and climate change. Dr Athanasia Chatzifotiou, Senior Lecturer at the University of...
Procrastination, teachers, and posthuman theories – when social media and educational research collide
Social media offers accessible ways for teachers (and researchers) to swiftly operationalise digital doings that provide hopeful, bite-size and accessible storytelling.
Similar but Different: Small Rural Schools in Northern Ireland
As children returned to school after the summer break in 2021, five small rural schools in Northern Ireland didn’t reopen their doors. What that means for the former pupils and their communities has barely been given any attention. What is a 'Rural School'?Many small...
Managing Digital Learning during COVID-19 and Beyond
It is undisputed that Covid has had a massive impact on education and the way it is delivered, both in the UK and internationally. Whilst there have been a number of papers on the ways in which teachers have innovated during this time, and the impact this has had on...
Making Connections in Higher Education
Relational PedagogiesWhat does it mean to teach and learn in higher education today? And more importantly, what should, and could, it mean? These are fundamental questions that speak to the values that underpin our practice, and that shape the cultures we foster and...