Education research ranked top five in UK
18 December 2014
Cardiff University's position as a leader of educational research has been confirmed by the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) results.
The REF 2014 results published today (18 December) rank education research joint 5th in the UK with 84% of the research submitted rated as world-leading and internationally excellent.
Additionally, Education at Cardiff is ranked first in the UK for providing a research environment that is conducive to producing research of world-leading quality in terms of its vitality and sustainability.
Education research at Cardiff is located in the School of Social Sciences where it benefits from an innovative and interdisciplinary culture. Educational research is organised around four themes: Childhood, culture and identity; Education, skills and labour markets; Critical policy analysis; and Advances in research methodology.
Our Research Centres help drive forward agenda-setting policy research and facilitate high quality cross-disciplinary research that has real impact.
Professor Amanda Coffey, Head of the School of Social Sciences, said: "We are delighted that our educational research has been ranked so highly. We are particularly pleased to see that the high impact of our research has been recognised. Among the School's research impact highlights is the award-winning anti-smoking programme in UK schools that was developed to tackle the rise of teenage smokers.
"The programme, led by our Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), trialled a peer-led intervention programme and went on to establish a not-for-profit company to licence the programme across more schools."
The School of Social Sciences is committed to the promotion of public and policy sociology, informed by extensive external collaboration and engagement.
In recent years, the School's vibrant research culture has continued to grow. It has built a sustainable mass of more than 200 staff across a range of disciplines, and has been awarded 236 research grants of £38M during the assessment period.
This level of funding frames and supports the School's successful and diverse publication, impact, and engagement activities.