Research Further Articles
The Research Further initiative was established collaboratively by Association of Colleges and NCFE to support, drive and encourage college-centred research that can help influence policy and practice.
Research Further supports practitioners in FE to carry out Masters or doctorate level study in key areas of interest – including embedding EDI, digital and AI, what works in specific subjects or with specific cohorts, teaching and learning, adult education, and tackling inequalities.
The programme offers tuition fee support of up to £4,000 a year to a total of £12,000, and qualifications can be pursued at a university of the scholars’ choosing. Researchers already enrolled on a Masters or doctorate programme will be considered – as will applicants not yet decided on where to carry out their studies.
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To truly advance the cause of equity and equal opportunity, I believe that our institutions need to reframe their policies and objectives. Rather than solely focusing on the concept of “social mobility”, which can perpetuate individualistic, competitive approaches and feelings of failure, we should prioritise a broader vision of equity in educational and economic opportunities. By doing so, colleges can actively address the systemic barriers that hinder the progress of marginalised communities, including issues related to access, representation, and resource allocation.
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'It’s impossible for the diversity of our society to belong in these culturally confined spaces, yet all too often we seek to measure belongingness by assimilation. By doing so, we place the responsibility on marginalised people to conform to unspoken expectations and negate our responsibility to value equally the contributions their own knowledge systems can bring. Not only do we inhibit the ability of people to contribute, we miss valuable opportunities for learning and connection. When our energy is consumed by masking our behaviours, adapting our accents or reconstructing our experiences, we’re stifled and drained.'
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'Engaging in research within the further education sector continues to feel like an important act of resistance. It is disheartening to witness the damaging neglect that plagues the educational research landscape when it comes to further education, and so I have been inspired to actively involve as many colleagues as possible. I have launched a Research Development Group in my current workplace; inviting guest speakers from the network mentioned above, with the singular aim of enabling colleagues to utilise the shared knowledge to explore innovative teaching methods and reflect on their practices. By fostering a culture of research and inquiry, we regain power over the education that we provide and recognise further education teachers as valuable professionals.'
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'...instability and (a) complex infrastructure has contributed to public mistrust and a lingering, harmful view by some of low-quality vocational or remedial learning pathways (Hyland, 2002). Inevitably, public disregard for the value of the sector leads to more reactive reform, which in turn compounds confusion and distrust from employers (DfE, 2020). The perpetual cycle and resulting attitudes can pose further education as a secondary option and a pathway for “other peoples” children’ (Richardson, 2007). Perhaps understandably then, many underserved people of all ages, who have found themselves othered and marginalised at varying stages of their educational journeys, find their way through the doors of their local further education colleges seeking a safe community within which they can belong.'
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'The idyllic community of childhood that I conjure in memory returns to comfort me even now in my dreams during times of high stress. Similarly, my mum, who bore the brunt of the situational poverty that shaped our conjoined experience often speaks about a longing to return to our home and the community that surrounded it. I am not naive enough to consider the stories we have crafted for ourselves authentic retellings of the decade we spent here, and therefore the working class identity that has informed my experience since (Smith, S and Watson, J. 2010). Yet there is undoubtedly truths to the stories and identities we have woven. As an adult I continue to seek the woods and the burns. Only the outsiders’ perception has altered; from toe-rag to ambler with every salary increment.'