INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts
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INEE STRATEGIC RESEARCH AGENDA for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery & Fragile Contexts The Conflict and Education Research Group at Oxford University & The Teachers College International Education Research Group February 2010 INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts Contents 1) What is the SRA? 3 2) SRA Background and Rationale 5 3) SRA Development Process 6 4) SRA Key Terms 7 5) Brief History of Research in EiE 8 6) Existing Research and Critical Research Gaps 14 Geographical Region 14 Crisis Contexts 16 Timing and Sequencing 18 Kind of Education 20 Educational Programming and Practice 22 Inter-Sectoral Linkages 24 Aid and Governance 25 Population 26 Conclusion 28 7) Current Research Challenges 28 Historical Base 29 Clarity around Definitions 30 Knowledge Management 30 Methodological Challenges 32 Academic and Practitioner Perspectives 33 The Relationship Between Advocacy and Research 34 Funding 35 Conclusion 35 8) Methodological and Ethical Considerations 36 Commonly Used Research Methods 37 Key Considerations when Selecting Research Methods 39 Research and Participation 40 Key Ethical Considerations 41 Conclusion 43 9) Methodology & Ethics Bibliography 43 10) Works Cited 45 2 INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts 1) What is the SRA? The INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) is an evolving platform to engage and connect researchers, practitioners, policymakers and donors working in the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE).1 It aims to facilitate the expansion of the knowledge and evidence base in EiE by building collaborative consensus around research gaps, research themes for investigation and guiding research questions. The SRA will be a key resource for INEE members, including practitioners, policymakers, and donor agencies, interested in engaging in and learning from sound, useful research, and academics, students and researchers who wish to produce relevant research for the field of EiE. It also aims to provide a basis for increased communication and collaboration around research in the field. The SRA has been developed through a consultative process with the INEE general membership, its Working Groups, Task Teams and other initiatives, and a team of international researchers in the field of EiE drawn from practitioner and research institutions around the world, which are referred to throughout the SRA as Resource Experts. The SRA will be regularly revised in consultation and collaboration with the INEE network and with researchers and practitioners. Currently, the SRA exists in static document form. The vision for the SRA is that it be a searchable web platform. Once online, users will be able to search the SRA according to keyword ‘tags’ and discover research questions, resources, researchers and research institutions relevant to their interests. The static SRA is made of the following components: • Brief History of EiE • Existing Research and Critical Research Gaps • Current Research Challenges • Methodological and Ethical Principles for Research in EiE • SRA Keyword Tags • Thematic Research Questions for INEE Working Groups, Task Teams and Special Initiatives When the SRA web platform goes online, the following components will be added as they are developed: • Annotated Bibliography of Resources • Searchable Research Question Platform • Research Contacts Database (RCD) 1 Please note: throughout the SRA, unless stated otherwise, EiE will be used as a shorthand umbrella term to refer to the broader field of education in emergencies, chronic crises, early recovery, and fragile contexts. 3 INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts Brief History of EiE Outlines the roots of the field of EiE in refugee education, comparative and international education and practitioner activism. Current Research Challenges Synthesizes challenges to expanding the knowledge and evidence base of EiE. These include: Historical Base; Clarity of Definitions; Knowledge Management; Methodological Challenges; Academic and Practitioner Perspectives; Relationship between Advocacy and Research; Funding. Existing Research and Critical Research Gaps Based on interviews with international Resource Experts, SRA consultations, and existing literature reviews, this document identifies existing research and critical gaps in research knowledge and evidence in the field of EiE. Methodological and Ethical Principles for Research in EiE Outlines principal methodological approaches for conducting social scientific research and identifies types of research questions and contexts for which they are most appropriate. Key ethical considerations are also highlighted with reference to research in unstable contexts and research with children. SRA Keyword Tags SRA Keyword Tags are keywords that represent research interests and specializations within EiE. It is envisioned that SRA users will be able to search the SRA research questions and the RCD using a keyword or a combination of keywords. This will enable them to locate research questions, researchers, research institutions and resources that have been ‘tagged’ as relevant to the keywords searched. Keyword Tags are grouped according to: Population, Kind of Education, Crisis Context, Timing / Sequencing, Educational Programming and Practice, Inter-Sectoral Linkages, Aid and Governance and Geographical Region. Thematic Research Questions for INEE Working Groups, Task Teams and Special Initiatives Presents research questions of particular relevance and importance to INEE’s work around: • Adolescents and Youth • Early Childhood • Education and fragility • Education and psychosocial support • Gender • HIV/AIDS • IASC Education Cluster • Inclusive education and disability • INEE Minimum Standards • Peace education • Safer school construction 4 INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts • Teacher compensation • Teaching and learning 2) SRA Background and Rationale The imperative to provide education in emergencies has been strongly articulated in internationally ratified agreements2. Field-based practitioners, international multi- and bilateral organizations, NGOs, governments and scholars alike are increasingly concerned with providing quality education in contexts affected by emergency, chronic crises and fragility. These interests and actors make up the field of Education in Emergencies (EiE). While research publications in the field are growing, there is still limited research evidence that conclusively demonstrates the value and long-term impact of education in emergency and post-crisis reconstruction contexts. Furthermore, the insufficient documentation of practitioner experience impedes institutional learning across humanitarian aid and development institutions and government bodies. INEE, as the leading network of EiE researchers, practitioners and policy- makers, is often asked to suggest research priorities for field professionals, funding bodies, universities and institutions concerned with education for crisis-affected populations and to provide advice on how to expand the evidence base of the field. With these goals in mind, INEE commissioned the development of the SRA in 2009. The process of developing and implementing the SRA is intended to contribute toward: • Building consensus around research and evidence gaps in the field of EiE; • Mapping out the current state of EiE research around the world; • Highlighting issues that would benefit from additional focused research; • Putting forward a series of consultatively generated research questions to guide future research inquiry in the field; • Facilitating communication and collaboration between researchers, practitioners, donors and policymakers; • Strengthening the knowledge and evidence base in EiE through the production of relevant, sound and useful research. 2 These include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and the Dakar Framework for Action (2000), among others. 5 INEE Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts 3) SRA Development Process In early 2009 INEE convened an SRA research team, comprising six researchers from the Conflict and Education Research Group (CERG) at the University of Oxford and the Teachers College International Education Research Group at Columbia University. This team was tasked with developing a first draft of an SRA for the field of Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crisis, Early Recovery and Fragile Contexts. Working with the INEE Secretariat, the SRA team first identified a group of over 30 Resource Experts from around the world to provide guidance and input into the SRA process. The Resource Experts are experienced researchers and international educational development and humanitarian aid practitioners from universities, NGOs, and donor and United Nations (UN) agencies. The Resource Experts have been fundamental in identifying research priorities and shaping the organizing framework of the SRA. In selecting the Resource Experts, every effort was made to harness the knowledge of professionals from crisis-affected countries and to include insights from both academics