The World Education Research Association (WERA) has announced the launch of four new and four extended International Research Networks (IRNs). The WERA IRN initiative brings together global teams of researchers through virtual communication and other channels to collaborate in specific areas of international importance. These IRNs, along with the current IRNs, contribute to WERA’s vision. The purpose of IRNs is to synthesize knowledge, examine the state of research, and stimulate collaborations or otherwise identify promising directions in research areas of worldwide significance. IRNs are expected to produce substantive reports that integrate the state of knowledge worldwide and set forth promising research directions.
The four new IRNs will prove to be valuable additions to WERA’s growing body of international research networks, with the extended IRNs continuing their flagship work. WERA is excited to see these newly formed and continuing IRNs enrich the field of education research and lead to worthwhile collaborations among scholars with shared research interests all over the world. International collaboration in education research brings much added value to the field. WERA looks forward to these networks connecting scholars on issues of international significance, while also serving as an important model for international research collaboration.
The four new IRNs include:
Title: Rapid-Cycle Evaluation of Play-Based Group Work in Early Grades
Convener/Co-Convener: Martin Chukwudi Ekeh, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nigeria; Susan Thuketana, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Nkeoma Akueshi, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, Owerri, Nigeria
Title: Actionable Formative Assessment: A Cross-country Detection of the Interplay Between Educational Policy, Research, Practice (FABER)
Convener/Co-Convener: Serafina Pastore, University of Bari, Italy; Paulo Sergio Garcia, University of São Caetano do Sul – USCS, Brazil
Title: HORIZONS Human mobility and opportunities through lifelong learning and skills development in the Mediterranean area and beyond
Convener/Co-Convener: Roberta Ricucci, University of Turin, Italy; Dolly Eliyahu-Levi, Levinsky-Wingate Academic College, Israel; Viviana Premazzi, University of Malta & Global Mindset Malta, Malta
Title: Inclusive Higher Education: Cultures, Policies, and Practices (INCLU-HE)
Convener/Co-Convener: Katja Saxer, Bern University of Teacher Education, Switzerland; Karolina Urton, University of Münster, Germany; Marta Sandoval Mena, Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain; Tim Loreman, Concordia University of Edmonton, Canada
The four extended IRNs include:
Title: Educational Leadership for an Equitable, Resilient, and Sustainable Future
Convener/Co-Convener: Joanna Madalinska-Michalak, University of Warsaw, Poland; Linyuan Guo-Brennan, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada; Khalid Arar, Texas State University, United States; Meng Tian, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Title: Teachers’ Linguistic and Literacy Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Across Diverse Classrooms and Orthographic Characteristics
Convener/Co-Convener: Geraldine Mongillo, William Paterson University, United States; Vered Vaknin-Nusbaum, Tel-Hai Academic College, Israel
Title: Basic and Language Education for Adults with Low Literacy Skills
Convener/Co-Convener: Irit Bar-Kochva, German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) – Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning, Bonn, Germany; Daphne Greenberg, Georgia State University, United States
Title: Student Voice for Promoting Equity and Inclusion in Schools
Convener/Co-Convener: Kyriaki Messiou, University of Southampton, England, United Kingdom, and Elizabeth B. Kozleski, Stanford University, United States.
About WERA
Founded in 2009, WERA is an association of national, regional, international, and specialty research associations dedicated to advancing education research as a scientific and scholarly field. WERA’s initiatives are global in nature, transcending what any single association can accomplish in its own country, region, or area of specialization. For further information on WERA and its programmes, please visit the WERA Website.