Curriculum

Leads: Joe Smith and Stella Mouroutsou

This is a broad research group, designed to harness the research potential of colleagues interested in the overarching question of what and how people learn. In defining curriculum as a social practice, the research interests of the group include everything from policy level analysis to the pupil-teacher classroom interactions sometimes called ‘pedagogy’.

Research from this group comprises both critical analysis of existing policy and practice in this area and considers how this might be enhanced in research-informed ways.  In these ways, the group aligns with the new Stirling Centre for Research in Curriculum Making (SCRCM), which provides an important network of expertise for attracting funding, and a national and international audience for dissemination, knowledge exchange and impact. 

The group builds on the world-leading curriculum-making impact case study from the 2021 REF. The breadth of this research group’s interests means that it draws on the expertise of colleagues at all stages of their research careers.  In particular, the curriculum research group is the natural home for colleagues in Initial Teacher Education (ITE).  Many colleagues in ITE draw on significant knowledge, expertise and networks from other disciplinary areas creating important opportunities for interdisciplinary working – STEM and social studies are particularly strong in this regard.

Research collaborations align with the University’s Places, Spaces, Lives mission, including environmental education, curricular justice, and early childhood education.