OUR
BRE facilitates educational research at the micro and macro levels of classrooms and schools both nationally and internationally. As one of the largest educational data repositories in the country, we engage individuals, institutions, think tanks, and social scientists to enhance the state of education by:
- Facilitating and supporting research conducted both in-house and by external practitioners
- Promoting research that has direct implications and/or specific benefits to students, teachers, and the educational community
BRE encourages practitioners to find solutions to problems, with the aim of creating a positive impact on teaching, learning, and school management and administration.
TYPES
OF
RESEARCH
Educational research refers to a systematic attempt to gain a better understanding of the educational process, generally with a view to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. It examines education and learning processes, and the human attributes, interactions, organisations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes.
We promote a culture of evidence-based decision-making and research at all levels, both internal and external to the system, in order to provide quality education of an international standard, and to contribute to educational development.
Educational research includes face-to-face interaction between researchers and participants. Although mixed methods are commonly employed, it uses qualitative approaches more often than quantitative, compared to other disciplines in the social sciences, to help gain important insights into the topic. Formal educational research is a form of generalisable knowledge published in academic journals.
We strongly encourage and support school-based professional learning and development of teachers and educators. Action research is one of the main tools for on-the-job professional learning.
Action research is a form of applied research that falls under educational research. Its primary purpose is the improvement of an educational professional’s own practice, although studies often reveal insights about the broader educational landscape. It is equivalent to practitioner research, teacher research, insider research, and self-study research, when it is undertaken by educators on their own practice.
Action research is a powerful tool for change and improvement. It requires teachers to select an aspect of their teaching to investigate. To do so, they are required to refer to theories from research literature, collect and record data from their classroom/school practices and, in turn, draw conclusions about how teaching and learning influence each other. This process also informs their future instructional decisions.
Action research can be undertaken by:
- Individual teachers
- Groups of teachers working cooperatively within one school
- Teacher(s) working with researcher(s), such as an internal researcher from Beaconhouse or external researcher(s) working with Beaconhouse.
Researchers are encouraged to take part in studies and initiatives at Beaconhouse. Such research studies will directly benefit learners by improving teaching, learning, assessment, and school administration, as well as leading learners to a deeper understanding and shaping their own learning journeys.
Researchers may submit proposals on action research or educational research.
