NW 14: Considering diversity in educational research exploring school-community relationships

Network
NW 14 Communities, Families, and Schooling in Educational Research

Title
Considering diversity in educational research exploring school-community relationships

Abstract
Respecting the conference theme, ’The Value of Diversity in Education and Educational Research’, ECER/EERA Network 14 invites contributions exploring how ‘diversity’ matters in strengthening school-community relationships in all locations, in particular those involving families and schools in the socio-educational development of the community. For example: What can be learned in/from these spaces to create a more inclusive community? How can diversity be promoted in curriculum or in other aspects of schooling to foster community engagement? How does rural educational research provide insights on the elaboration of inclusive educational policy measures? How do place and space interact with diversity?

The Call
This call unites the key concepts of ECER/EERA Network 14’s research mission: communities, families, schooling and place, with the conference theme: valuing diversity. It invites contributions on school-community relationships in all locations, examining ‘diversity’ as a driver and/or mediator for change.

Within this call and as per the conference call, the concept of ‘diversity’ is broad. Nevertheless, contributions are expected to explore where diversity matters (e.g., educational settings, place, space) and highlight how it challenges homogenous systems (cf. Biesta et al., 2022). They should provide a clear understanding of the complexity of the local context and the ways in which diversity is considered, evaluated and valued

This call continues the long-standing examination, by Network 14, of the theme of socio-educational development in wider contexts beyond the rural to regional, remote, urban, local, and even virtual places.

Network 14 welcomes contributions on (1) how cooperation or partnerships between schools and/or other organisations can be initiated and sustained to foster the development of a more inclusive community, and (2) how homogenous systems adversely affect the school-community relationships, and (3) how the promotion of ‘diversity’ may have a positive influence on these relationships.

Contributions might build on existing work, challenging commonsense understandings about binaries relating to place (Corbett & White, 2014; Cuervo, 2016), moving beyond deficit notions of particular groups to ensure more inclusive educational and community approaches (Gouwens & Henderson, 2021), problematizing notions of community, place and identity (Pini & Mayes, 2015; Tatebe, 2021), rethinking and rewriting curriculum (Hasnat & Greenwood, 2021; McPherson et al., 2017), and promoting opportunities for teaching and learning across communities (Hogarth, 2019).

It is expected that the contributions submitted as part of this call will be wide-ranging, representing a range of interrogations, which might address:

• What can be learned in/from these spaces to create a more inclusive community?
• How can diversity be promoted in curriculum to foster community engagement?
• How does rural educational research provide insights on the elaboration of inclusive educational policy measures?
• How do schools and organisations promote diversity in a community context?
• How might education be rewritten in order to work more productively with diversity?
• How have schools and/or organisations/groups overcome some of the challenges raised by diversity?
• How can schools and families work together in educating future citizens in a more inclusive community?
• How can schools overcome challenges raised by diversity through the curriculum and classroom activities?

Additional information: We are particularly interested in contributions giving insights about the link between diversity and school-community relationships in rural contexts. This includes works that address rural education directly, as well as urban-rural comparative studies. A selection of the contributions will be gathered in a special issue of the Australian and International Journal of Rural Education in Summer 2024.  

Contact Person(s)
Laurence Lasselle, University of St Andrews, UK, laurence.lasselle(at)st-andrews.ac.uk, link convener in ECER/EERA NW14.

References
Biesta, G., Wainwright, E. and Aldridge, D. (2022). Editorial: A case for diversity in educational research and educational practice. British Educational Research Journal, 48(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3777

M. Corbett, M. & White S. (2014). Doing educational research in rural settings: Methodological issues, international perspectives and practical solutions. London: Routledge.

Cuervo, H. (2016). Understanding social justice in rural education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Gouwens, J. A., & Henderson, R. (2021). Rethinking deficit discourses in education through rural education research and the concept of querencia. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 31(3), 1–14.

Hasnat, M. A., & Greenwood, J. (2021). Schools celebrating place and community: A study of two rural schools in Bangladesh and New Zealand. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 31(3), 81–95.

Hogarth, M. D. (2019). Racism, cultural taxation and the role of an Indigenous teacher in rural schools. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 29(1), 45–57.

McPherson, A., Roberts, P., & Downes, N. (2017). Rural-regional sustainability in the Murray Darling Basin: School/community difference and the politics of water in rural Australia. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 27(2), 93–107.

Pini, B., & Mayes, J. (2015). Australian rural education research: A geographical perspective. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 25(3), 26–35.

Tatebe, J. (2021). The “new” rural: Small and rural schools’ influence on regional urban developments. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 31(3), 15–28.