At this year’s European Conference on Educational Research (ECER 2025), held at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, EASNIE highlighted how data on learner participation can drive more effective inclusive education policies.
ECER is the annual conference of the European Educational Research Association (EERA) and presents educational research and findings from across Europe and beyond. Running from 9–12 September with the theme of ‘Charting the Way Forward: Education, Research, Potentials and Perspectives’, this year’s conference focused on how educational research should shape the future of educational practice.
EASNIE representatives Margarita Bilgeri and Katerina Todorova presented the Learner Participation in Inclusive Education (LPIE) activity, which explores strategies for generating and using qualitative data on learners’ socio-emotional participation in inclusive education. They outlined their findings on a definition of learner participation and presented the first steps of an on-going pilot project that uses the photovoice methodology to gain insights into learners’ experiences.
As well as presenting the background to the LPIE activity and its methodology, they also shared early findings from focus groups with teachers and learners from EASNIE member countries. These discussions revealed the central role of strong teacher-learner relationships and emphasised the need for supportive school environments that actively address challenges such as bullying.
Alongside research presentations from other organisations across Europe and beyond, the conference included keynote speeches from professors and researchers that are available to watch on the ECER 2025 website.