The World Education Research Association (WERA) has announced the launch of seven new 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. The seven new networks join the current IRNs, contributing to the vision of WERA. 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 the knowledge worldwide and set forth promising research directions.
The seven new IRNs will prove to be valuable additions to WERA’s growing body of international research networks. WERA is excited to see these newly formed 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 seven new IRNs include:
Cultural Competence and Professional Development in Teacher Education through Clinical, Role-Playing, and Mixed Reality Simulations: A Model Based on Universal and Contextualized Skills
Conveners: Orna Levin, Achva Academic College, Israel and María Laura Angelini, Catholic University of Valencia, Spain
Pedagogical Partnerships in Higher Education
Conveners: Kankana Mukhopadhyay, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Nira Rahman, The University of Melbourne, Australia; Pratibha Ram, Kings College London, UK; Toh Tai Chong, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Gary Tan, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Misty Cook, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Bridging the Teaching Gap: Mapping and Enhancing Professional Development for Faculty and Early Career Researchers (TEACH-MAP)
Conveners: Yurgos Politis, Abu Dhabi University, UAE and Irene Lubbe, Canterbury University, New Zealand
Motivating Students: Motivational Climates that Engage Students
Conveners: Brett Jones, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States; Tehmina Gladman, University of Otago, New Zealand; Sümeyra Sahbaz, Bern University of Teacher Education, Switzerland; Ming Li, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, China; Diego Felipe Carranza, Instituto Superior Tecnológico Compu Sur – ITECSUR, Ecuador and Ásta Bryndís Schram, University of Iceland, Iceland
Large-Scale Assessments in GCC Education Systems: Policy, Practice, and Global Competitiveness
Convener: Shaljan Areepattamannil; Emirates College for Advanced Education, United Arab Emirates
The Research Network for Education in the Arab World (NEAR)
Conveners: Rania Sawalhi, The University of Jordan, Jordan; Fatima Al Maadheed, Arab Education Training Center for Gulf States, Qatar; Khalid Arar, Texas State University, US; Eman Abo-Zaed Arar, Texas State University, US; Julia Mahfouz, University of Colorado Denver, US and Ahmed Tlili, Beijing Normal University, China
Literacy in Multilingual Contexts
Conveners: Irina Usanova, University of Hamburg, Germany; Francis M. Hult, University of Maryland, US; Ingrid Piller, University of Hamburg, Germany & Macquarie University Sydney, Australia; Yongyan Zheng, Fudan University, China and Harkaitz Zubiri-Esnaola, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For further details on the seven new IRNs, including contact information for network conveners, visit the WERA website at “International Research Networks (IRNs)”.