FreshEd #101 – Year in Review (Susan Robertson and Roger Dale)

What a year! 2017 was a year of massive growth for FreshEd. We put out 44 shows that received over 25,000 listens. We covered a range of topics, including – but certainly not limited to –educational privatization, student unions, intercultural competencies, the militarization of childhood in Japan, and, of course, PISA. We spoke to professors, students, politicians, and development practitioners from around the world. All of this is huge for a show that is basically a hobby for a group of education enthusiasts.  There are some changes in the works for next year, but I’ll announce those details once everything is finalized.  For now, let’s take stock of the year. What were the big ideas in educational research in 2017? What was missing? And where are we going in 2018? For the final show of the year, I’ve invited Susan Robertson and Roger Dale to reflect on the year in research and point to future directions. They are co-editors of the journal Globalisation, Societies, and Education, which — like FreshEd — has a relatively broad remit. In our conversation, we look back at the diverse range of topics covered in educational research this year. We also ponder why certain topics, like austerity and meritocracy, remain unexamined and why many scholars don’t fully engage theory.  Susan Robertson is a Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge  and Roger Dale is a Professor of Education at the University of Bristol.