Research at Praxis
Research is central to Praxis and underpins much of its teaching, educational resources and collaborative work. Praxis research is concerned with Global Justice Education in higher education and explores questions of pedagogy, participation, institutional change, partnership, power and the relationship between critical reflection and action.
The research has developed through several interconnected strands. These include a three-part study of embedding Global Justice Education across higher education; educational resources developed through substantial research with UCC staff and students; and research into North–South partnerships in higher education, together with educational resources emerging from that work.
The sections below bring these different strands together, showing both formal research findings and the ways in which research has been translated into practical educational resources.
On this page (go to):
1. Embedding Global Justice Education in Higher Education – Three Part Research Study 2021–2026
2. Research-based Disciplinary Resources – 2023–2024
3. Research on North–South Partnerships in Higher Education – 2024–2026
4. In a Fractured World: Bringing Global Justice Education into Public Space – 2026
1. Embedding Global Justice Education in Higher Education – Three Part Research Study 2021-2026
Between 2021 and 2026, the Praxis Project undertook a three-part research study exploring how Global Citizenship and Development Education (GCDE), increasingly framed through Global Justice Education (GJE), can be meaningfully integrated into higher education.
Conducted at University College Cork, the research engaged staff and students across disciplines to examine current practice, experiences, aspirations and the opportunities and challenges associated with embedding this field of education within the university.
The three reports document successive stages of this research, moving from staff perspectives and experiences to student engagement and demand, and finally to wider questions concerning institutional change and the future development of Global Justice Education in higher education.
Together, they contribute to a growing body of research on the role of higher education in fostering critical understanding, global solidarity and transformative educational practice.
Research Report 3: Education Beyond Borders (2026)
Research Report 2: Exploring Global Justice Education with University Students (2023)
Research Report 1: Creating a Community of Praxis at UCC (2021)
2. Research-based Disciplinary Resources 2023-2024
A second strand of Praxis research is reflected in its educational resources. These resources are not simply teaching materials: many have emerged from substantial research and inquiry undertaken with UCC staff and students and from wider investigation of the issues they address.
The resources translate research into forms that can be used in teaching, professional learning and public engagement. They bring together evidence, critical perspectives, case studies and participatory approaches across a range of Global Justice Education themes.
GCDE meets Ophthalmology (Praxis resource 2024)
Critical Pedagogy meets Global Citizenship (Praxis resource 2024)
The Mystery Box challenge (Praxis resource 2024)
Global LGBTQ+ experiences (Praxis resource 2024)
The Elephant in the room (Praxis resource 2024)
History of Development Education through timelines (Praxis resource 2024)
Direct Action in GCE focused on Palestine (Praxis resource 2024)
An oral history of Development Education in Ireland (Praxis resource 2024)
3. Research on North–South Partnerships in Higher Education 2024-2026
A newer strand of Praxis research examines North–South partnerships in higher education, with particular attention to how partnerships are experienced, what makes them meaningful and transformative, and how questions of power, knowledge, reciprocity and inequality shape collaborative work.
The research draws on Praxis partnership activity involving higher education institutions and community partners in different contexts. As well as producing a research report on what we are learning about North–South partnerships, this work is generating educational resources that translate the findings into material for teaching, reflection and future partnership practice.
Taken together, this forms a series of four research-based outputs, combining the research report with the educational resources arising from the partnership research.
Learning from International Partnership Pedagogy and Practice
Praxis Malawi-India-Ireland Partnership
Palestine UCC Partnership
Fostering Ecofeminist Co-Learnings Across Cultures
Gambia-UCC Partnership: Whose Sustainable Development? Place, People and Work
4. In a Fractured World: Bringing Global Justice Education into Public Space – 2026
In a Fractured World is a Praxis research initiative exploring how Global Justice Education can move beyond formal educational settings and create opportunities for critical dialogue with the wider public. Through conversations about contemporary global challenges, the project investigates how people understand questions of justice, inequality, solidarity and social change, and considers the potential of public dialogue as a form of transformative education.
In a Fractured World: Bringing Global Justice Education into Public Space
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