Centre for Education Research, Innovation and Equity

Current projects

Student-led Interventions as An Approximation of Practice

This project explores the ways in which student teachers develop as professionals through student-led interventions as part of their teaching practice.

The study, led by Dr Glenn Stone and Dr Susannah Smith, is discovering that such interventions could be viewed as an approximation of practice that develops specific knowledge and skills for student teachers, who subsequently apply newly-developed knowledge and skills to whole-class teaching.

Social Prescribing to Improve Health, Wellbeing and Resilience in Education Studies Students

This research project, led by Dr Linda Cooper and Dr Susannah Smith, explores the effectiveness of a ‘social prescribing approach’ in enhancing mental health, wellbeing and resilience for Education students.

Combining the themes of resilience, agency and empowerment, it responds to the changing mental health needs within the university community itself.

Previous projects

Early Education in Crisis Settings

Translational research at the University of Chichester has explored how insights from educational research can empower volunteer educators.

Our researchers have worked collaboratively through the international MESH (Mapping Educational Specialist KnowHow) initiative to develop a novel system for communicating research to such practitioners.

This system was used to create the Early Childhood Education in Emergencies Guide, booklets and resources, which have been used effectively by the charity VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) to inform their provision of play-based learning with young Rohingya refugees in the Jamolti camp, within the world’s largest refugee settlement, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Competencies in Bilingual Education

Research by the University of Chichester, in collaboration with the University of Cordoba (UCO, Spain), led to the identification of a set of 42 professional competencies required by teachers working in Bilingual Education (BE) in the European Union, which consequently shaped the creation of two international continued professional development (ICPD) programmes to support the implementation of BE policy in Spain.

Members of the Centre have produced a wide range of academic and professional publications, reports and resources that have been used in many different contexts.

An indicative list of these, and other outputs, can be found on our ChiPrints website.

How we’re helping create change

Our research has had significant impacts on communities of learners at an international level.

Through a sustained process of communication, training and dissemination, our research with the international MESH initiative (Mapping Educational Specialist KnowHow) helped to promote quality early years practice to international, national and community volunteers, raising the quality of early education provision for more than 1,500 refugee children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – the world’s largest refugee settlement.

These impacts were captured in a range of testimonial statements, and underpinned an impact case study in REF 2021. The testimonials bear out the changes the project made to safety standards, the provision of safe spaces in which to play and learn, and the emotional transformation these changes brought about in the children who benefitted.

Our work on bilingual competencies in the European Union has had a significant impact on teachers’ professional practice, preparing them for their home teaching context. It has also led to the creation of international collaboration networks for Bilingual Education teachers.

Monthly Research Cafés in Education, Innovation and Equity

The research café is a friendly and supportive space to share research, regardless of whether you are at the beginning of your research journey or a seasoned traveller. This year, we are running our research cafés in conjunction with the Centre of Excellence for Childhood, Inclusion and Society (CECIS).

The café is open once a month (Monday from 4pm to 5pm) and is accessible both face-to-face on the University’s Bishop Otter Campus and online.

If you would like more information about the research cafes please contact Susannah Smith via education@chi.ac.uk

For more information, or if you wish to work or study with the Centre, please contact us at education@chi.ac.uk.