The SAERA 2015 Conference will take place at University of the Free State,
Bloemfontein Campus, 27 to 30 October 2015

Conference theme: Strengthening Educational Research for Sustainable Futures

Securing education for sustainable futures has to be understood within the context of complex ecologies that involve historical, structural, political, environmental, and ethical dimensions. Teaching and learning occur increasingly in reconfiguring and challenging social settings. This year’s theme is centred on the importance of understanding the variety of processes that constitute effective and generative learning and teaching in light of broader educational dynamics in South Africa. The conference is an invitation for papers that engage with the depth and intricacies of educational processes to promote sustainable and relevant learning.  The conference comes at an opportune time to interrogate discourses around educational research for sustainable futures and to reflect on emerging research trends. The conference aims to expand SAERA’s objective of building and strengthening educational research connected to securing sustainable educational futures.

We invite papers, posters or panels that address one or more of the following sub-themes:

• Educational research for sustainable futures
• Educational praxis, the public good and sustainable futures
• Research into complex educational / learning ecologies
• Research into curriculum, teaching and learning
• Research intoeducational law, leadership, management and policy
• Change, complexity and challenges for sustainable education research
• Problematising methodologies for researching sustainable futures

The conference aims to provide a space to reflect on the nature, purpose and role of educational research at present, in anticipation of unpredictable and complex futures. The conference will engage with all contexts of research – Higher Education, Further Education and Training, Informal Education, Adult and Literacy Education, and Schooling.   Papers could be conceptual or empirical, or a combination of the two. We also encourage papers on the teaching of subjects / learning areas / courses in all disciplines, including History, Science, Language, Mathematics, Life Orientation, etc. and on Values, Human Rights and Citizenship Education.

The programme will include presentation of papers (20 minutes) followed by 10 minutes for discussion; poster presentations; panel discussions of three or more presenters on a particular theme (90 minutes).