Education Science, Evidence, and the Public Good – serie

This book presents a series of analyses of educational policies – largely in the UK, but some also in Europe – researched by a team of social scientists who share a commitment to social justice and equity in education. We explore what social justice means, in educational policy and practice, and how it impacts on our understanding of both ‘educational science’ and ‘the public good’.  Using a social constructivist approach, the book argues that social justice requires a particular and critical analysis of the meaning of meritocracy, and of the way this term turns educational policies towards treating learning as a competition, in which many young people are constructed as ‘losers’.  We discuss how many terms in education are essentialised and have specific, and different, meanings for particular social groups, and how this may create issues in both quantitative survey methods and in determining what is ‘the public good’. We discuss social justice across arange of intersecting social characteristics, including social class, ethnicity and gender, as they are applied across the educational policy spectrum, from early years to postgraduate education. We examine the ways that young people construct their identities, and the implications of this for understanding the ‘public good’ in educational practice. We consider the responsibilities of educational researchers to acknowledge these issues, and offer examples of researching with such a commitment. We conclude by considering how  educational policy might contribute to a socially just, equitable and inclusive public good.

This book presents a series of analyses of educational policies – largely in the UK, but some also in Europe – researched by a team of social scientists who share a commitment to social justice and equity in education. We explore what social justice means, in educational policy and practice, and how it impacts on our understanding of both ‘educational science’ and ‘the public good’.  Using a social constructivist approach, the book argues that social justice requires a particular and critical analysis of the meaning of meritocracy, and of the way this term turns educational policies towards treating learning as a competition, in which many young people are constructed as ‘losers’.  We discuss how many terms in education are essentialised and have specific, and different, meanings for particular social groups, and how this may create issues in both quantitative survey methods and in determining what is ‘the public good’. We discuss social justice across arange of intersecting social characteristics, including social class, ethnicity and gender, as they are applied across the educational policy spectrum, from early years to postgraduate education. We examine the ways that young people construct their identities, and the implications of this for understanding the ‘public good’ in educational practice. We consider the responsibilities of educational researchers to acknowledge these issues, and offer examples of researching with such a commitment. We conclude by considering how  educational policy might contribute to a socially just, equitable and inclusive public good.

The book offers a global perspective on social and emotional learning skills (SEL) by summarizing findings from a collaborative multi-national and cross-cultural study of educator perceptions regarding the nature and value of SEL skills conducted by career development researchers from 19 countries. In addition to promoting success in education, SEL skills serve as the “durable,” human skills that support success in the world of work. The chapters explore research from three key regions: the Global South, Asia, and the Global North. Alongside comparative analyses of SEL, the book highlights strategies for designing culturally responsive interventions to develop SEL and future-readiness skills. Each region provides tailored recommendations for implementing SEL and career development programs and services.This collaborative research effort offers a unique opportunity to reexamine assumptions underpinning career development theory and practice. It presents a transformative research model that conceptualizes SEL skills policies and practices that are responsive to the diverse sociopolitical contexts and cultural values found in different regions around the world.