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Research on `Building the Antiracist University', led by Professor Ian Law at Leeds since 2001, provided resources for organisational change that have had a continuing and developing impact since 2008. This case study shows how resources developed from research findings have changed professional practice, shaped organisational policies and wider policy debate, thereby challenging established norms, modes of thought and practices. The dissemination of an anti-racist `toolkit' has helped managers in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to develop organisational responses to racial and ethnic diversity on campus. The reach of this approach has developed, since 2008, beyond its original focus on higher education and into new policy domains, as well as internationally. Thus, the evidence illustrates a process of accumulating impact on other sectors of public policy and in stimulating debate about the renewal of anti-racist strategies by the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The theoretical frameworks, substantive findings and outputs of research carried out at Leeds have stimulated attention to institutional racism and the organisational change, using the toolkit approach.
Research by Smyth and colleagues into diversification of the teaching profession resulted in the formation of Refugees Into Teaching in Scotland (RITeS) funded initially by the European Refugee Fund and then the Scottish Government. RITeS has enabled professionals who were teachers in their country of origin and arrived in the UK seeking asylum to maintain their professional identity and revitalise their professional skills in a new education system, leading to employment opportunities through identification as teachers rather than refugees. The project provided information on the specific needs of 387 refugee teachers to the General Teaching Council for Scotland and to employing local authorities. RITeS has been used as a model for similar projects with teachers in England and other refugee professionals in Scotland.
Integration of refugees, asylum seekers and their host communities is a complex challenge but an important marker both of future health and psychosocial wellbeing and of social cohesion. The UK Home Office commissioned IIHD to undertake the Indicators of Integration (IOI) research programme (from 2001) to clarify the IOI concept and recommend IOI for refugee policy and practice. The Ager and Strang IOI Framework (Ager and Strang, 2004a; 2004b; 2008) has become a foundational framework for refugee integration policy, for the measurement of integration and for critiquing policy and practice. Strang was appointed to chair the Scottish Government Refugee Integration Strategy consultation process in 2012 and has contributed by invitation to a number of EU-commissioned policy consultations.
The diversity and progression research project investigated the particular circumstances of black and ethnic minority, disabled, and lesbian, gay and bisexual students to identify the specific factors that contribute to their experiences on social work programmes. The research findings have been used to inform the development of a Toolkit of resources for social work educators, placement providers, employers and students to use to enhance the quality of learning experience of diverse student groups. The Toolkit was developed from the findings from the research, to provide guidance on ways of addressing common challenges in the curriculum, learning and teaching.
This research has enabled more effective integration of refugees and other new migrants into society both at individual level by helping individual migrants to gain access to employment and improved social welfare provision, and at a strategic level by influencing the development of policy initiatives around refugee employment, mental health and migrant access to maternity services. The research has employed innovative methods to engage migrants in research about integration and in work to influence policy, thereby shaping national and local (Birmingham and West Midlands) integration policy and practice.
Jim Gallacher and Robert Ingram's research on the role of short cycle higher education (SCHE) has now had a significant impact on the development of policy in Scotland, within the European Union and beyond. This has led to initiatives in Scotland to enhance the role of Higher National Certificates and Diplomas (HNC/Ds), and strengthen articulation pathways between colleges and universities. This work has also been recognised at an international level in shaping policy within the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and CEDEFOP (European Centre for Development of Vocational Training) on the 'permeability' between vocational and academic qualifications.
The impact of our research is on promoting racial equality through sport and leisure spanning almost twenty years from our early work with the Rugby Football League (RFL). The nature of the impact has been three-fold: the incorporation of key findings into professional equality standards, guidelines and continuing professional development (CPD); enhanced public understandings of race and the multiple forms of racism; and the stimulation of debate to shape policy and improve opportunities for sport and leisure. Impact has reached a wide range of beneficiaries, including sports governing bodies; sports councils; professional sport; equality/ diversity organisations and teacher education.
Innovative interdisciplinary research undertaken in the areas of intersectionality, diversity, and widening participation at the University of Hull contributed first to the development of a project funded by the European Union, the EU-ALFA III funded project `Development of Policies to Promote Widening Participation and Equal Opportunities in Higher Education Institutions in Latin America' (MISEAL). This project involves a consortium of 16 international institutions (4 EU universities and 12 universities in Latin America). Second, within MISEAL, research undertaken at Hull has led to the development and use of intersectional statistical tools for the measurement of inequality in the 12 Latin American partner HE institutions, of protocols for the analysis of their regulations regarding widening participation and equal opportunities and of guidelines for the organization of workshops (for staff and students) to raise awareness about inequality. MISEAL has also organised a number of reach-out activities, promoted collaboration with governmental organisation and created a network of experts in this area. The relevant impact has been primarily on public services and policy making (especially in the areas of widening participation and equal opportunities) and on education (at an international level and especially in the area of curriculum development and knowledge transfer). The primary beneficiaries have been policy makers including legal professionals and managers who are involved with the development of legal frameworks for widening participation and equal opportunities in Latin American HE institutions as well as academics and students internationally and groups concerned with curriculum development in HE institutions in Latin America.
This body of funded research has been conducted primarily in collaboration with Professor Mary Stuart (Kingston University, and currently University of Lincoln) as Principal Investigator. The University of West London collaborators are Dr Catherine Lido and Dr Lucy Solomon. The research highlights factors negatively-impacting Widening Participation (WP) student populations in terms of: experiences, progression and academic outcomes, and evaluates/promotes key variables to support WP students in Higher Education and beyond (e.g. postgraduate study, career success). Findings from our triangulated, mixed-methods approach reveals `sense of fit/belonging' and `connection/identification' with the university, as predictors of students' wellbeing, academic self-esteem and academic achievement and retention. The impact can be seen in peer-reviewed books/papers, conferences, online presence and policy/practices within HEIs.
This case study refers to a coherent and interlinked body of research, focusing on the development of inclusive and equitable schools and wider communities. The research has had impact of significance and reach, both in the UK and internationally, and this has taken two main forms. Firstly, through raising awareness and changing attitudes, the research has helped to change professional practice and improve inclusive provision in schools and communities in a range of countries. Secondly, the research has had impact on policy debates and development, nationally and internationally.