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Transformative Research and Social Inclusion: An Educational Research‐Policy Dialogue

This article presents the outcome of an interdisciplinary co‐creative research‐policy dialogue between senior policymakers in education and scholars in transformative research about what it means to create a caring society in the face of persistent inequalities. The article is based on an innovative collaboration between policymakers in the Department of Education and Youth in Ireland and researchers working on deep whole‐of‐society transformation. The participating policymakers within the Department of Education and Youth cover a wide range of issues across the Department’s policy portfolio, including quality, wellbeing, workforce planning, inclusion, curriculum development, and teacher education. Three key future‐oriented ideas with potentially transformative potential were presented by the research group to the policymakers and responses were gathered through a follow‐up questionnaire and in‐depth conversations. The ideas presented were (a) the idea of the polycrisis, (b) a generative framework for transformation, and (c) social duality and the “sacred ordinary.” The article presents the findings of this dialogue, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of implementing such far‐reaching ideas in practice, including the deep structural changes needed to address issues of social inclusion in education.

Authors

Hughes, I., Rochford, S., O'Neill, M., Ó Gallachóir, B., Hernandez, A. M., Mullally, G., & Byrne, E. (2026)

Year
2026
Journal Name
Social Inclusion
Category
Journal Article
Keywords
DSIS, education policy, futures thinking, human flourishing, polycrisis, research‐policy dialogue, social inclusion, societal transformation
Full Citation
Hughes, I., Rochford, S., O'Neill, M., Ó Gallachóir, B., Hernandez, A. M., Mullally, G., & Byrne, E. (2026). Transformative Research and Social Inclusion: An Educational Research‐Policy Dialogue. Social Inclusion, 14, Article 12038. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.12038
Link to Publication
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/socialinclusion/article/view/12038

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