Our Research and Teaching Groups are informal collegial communities, characterised by engagement with particular topic, issue or approach. They also foster interdisciplinarity and serve as vehicles for building relationships with colleagues in other Schools and Universities, such as the partnership our Criticality and Sustainability in Education Policy and Practice group has established with the POISED (Political and Sociological Philosophies of Education) group at Tampere University, Finland.
Criticality and Sustainability in Education Policy and Practice
The Criticality and Sustainability in Education Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Group explores 'big ideas' in education, particularly around power, ideology, social justice, environmental protection, and economic viability. We are particularly interested in which ideas gain prominence in policy and practice, how discourses develop, how educational professionals enact policy and work with these 'big ideas' in their own practice. Our group has a wide range of methodological approaches and substantive interests within education and meets regularly to share ideas, collaborate on papers and conference contributions and review each other's work.
Learning, Pedagogy and Professional Practice
The Learning, Pedagogy and Professional Practice Research and Teaching Group investigates how teachers learn, grow, and enact their values across diverse educational settings. Our work is grounded in a commitment to inclusion and equity, shaped by a deep interest in the lived and embodied experiences of practitioners, and energised by innovation in digital pedagogy and emerging technologies. We bring together expertise in early years, playful learning, digital learning, professional development, and ethical practice to understand and improve the conditions in which teaching and learning happen. Through internal and external collaborations, we investigate how educators develop, how they navigate complex environments, and how pedagogical practices evolve in response to social, technological, and cultural change.
Mental Health, Counselling and Human Development
The Mental Health, Counselling and Human Development Research Group is dedicated to transforming how education nurtures wellbeing. Uniting researchers from the School of Education, Mental Health and Counselling, the group explores how compassionate, evidence‑based practice can empower teachers, enrich learning, and support every learner to flourish. Its current projects strengthen the Centre for Teaching Excellence through research‑led materials that build counselling capability and promote mental health across school communities. The group’s wider research spans a range of mental health and therapeutic approaches, embedded support for teachers, inclusive and neurodiverse pedagogies, trauma‑informed educational practice, and the ongoing development of Scotland’s Health and Wellbeing Curriculum - advancing a vision of education where wellbeing is central to human development and school community flourishing.