Research co-creation and the development of epistemically insightful curricula

Drawing on a four-year process of co-creating research-engaged curricula opportunities in primary and secondary schools in England, this chapter examines the processes, pedagogy, and tools that enable the development and implementation of epistemically insightful learning experiences within formal school settings. The processes and interventions being discussed have been implemented in English primary (age 5-11) and secondary (11-18) school settings but have global applicability as they are designed to work within curriculum and assessment constraints. Furthermore, it explores the potential tensions between finding an approach to curriculum design that best fits the needs and experiences of individual schools and implementing the findings of generalised evidence-based educational research undertaken within a university context. We discuss the process and impact of establishing a research-led co-creation partnership designed to transform curriculum practice and policy whilst maintaining teachers’ agency within a whole school approach to curriculum transformation. Drawing on our findings we argue that “best practice” for researcher- participant relationship is one where the research actively involves the participants, as a community, rather than the research being “done on” them. This is evidenced by the high return rate of student surveys and the fact that within three years one of the schools has moved from previously being “research-engaged” as participants to being a research-led school where staff training and development takes place through inter-departmental research communities.