The Research Centre for Education and Professional Practice (RCEPP) was established in 2009 and aims to advance the well-being of children, young people and adults in Ireland through research and the dissemination of knowledge which will inform policy and practice.

The Centre also aims to raise the profile of research conducted by academics in education and professional practice within UL in the Limerick region, and where appropriate at a national and international level.

The Centre provides an organisational framework for the research and scholarship of staff in the School of Education and others who have an interest in issues of policy and practice. University of Limerick is the largest provider of teacher education at secondary level in Ireland, and the Centre showcases the research undertaken by tutors involved in preparing the next generation of teachers, and that of colleagues in related fields such as health care professionals. In addition, the Centre provides a consultancy role for internal groups and external agencies.

Led by Professor Parker-Jenkins and based on recent and developing research activity, the following five core areas of research are represented within the RCEPP:

  1. Education & Clinical Psychology - e.g. guidance counselling in schools and professional settings, learning and behaviour difficulties, health promotion
  2. Leadership, Evaluation & Change - e.g. managing and leading organisations, policy developments, institutional reform, evaluating practice
  3. Globalisation & Diversity - e.g. shifting demographic trends, cultural change, cultural diversity in the classroom & in professional settings
  4. Teaching, Learning & Assessment - e.g. pedagogy, androgogy, subject-specific teaching, forms of assessment, use of ICT, motivation, mentoring
  5. Professional Practice - e.g. pre-service and in-service education, teaching practice, clinical placement, internship, continuing professional development, life-long learning, codes of practice, becoming a professional, nurturing praxis.

Finally, through collaborative research; the work of four adjunct/visiting professors; and transnational networking; there is an increasing international dimension to the research and output of the School of Education.