Seminar in the University College London, UK, March 2026

The seminar was given by Mr Chris Yates (Honorary Lecturer University College London, Institute of Education, Centre for Education and International Development) and Dr Nozomi Sakara (Associate Professor at Hiroshima University) on 5 March 2026. It was introduced by Dr Colleen Howell, Associate Professor in Education and International Development, University College London (UCL).

Following on from the one-day TALAAB Seminar in Ghana in December 2025, this seminar in UCL looks at a donor-supported education project in Ghana with a focus on the analysis of research data using the five concepts of critical realism theory.

Chris began the session by talking about how the research focus of Teaching and Learning Approaches Across Borders (TALAAB) on education change in Ghana reflected the experience of two team members, working in universities in Ghana, and his own experience of working in the country in teacher education since the early 1990’s.

Nozomi introduced the TALAAB team and described the work to date. She talked briefly about the three research papers the team has worked on (two published here and here), the research methods used and the TALAAB website. She explained that there were four main strands that emerged from the findings discussed in the forthcoming TALAAB Paper 3: conceptualisation of the project, power and leadership dynamics, gender equity, centralisation and decentralisation of power. She then handed over to Chris to talk about his application of critical realist theory in interpreting these findings.

Chris began his session by talking of education change theory. He explained that there are two main paradigms - the Liberal consensus paradigm and the Marxist conflict paradigm.

He then introduced how four of Roy Bhaskar’s key ideas - absence, stratification of reality, relationships between structure, agency and emergence theory, and dialectics - were key aids to the analysis of what happened during the formulation and implementation of the teacher education project in Ghana.

The central argument and analysis concerned the description and mapping of three interconnected dialectical processes which occurred during the life of the focal education project. These involved (i) the breakdown of the initial project consortium; (ii) the implosion of the local project management office, and (iii) the centralisation and standardisation of the national initial teacher education curriculum along with a parallel decentralisation and expansion of the teacher training system. These processes and outcomes were described and analysed using concepts drawn from critical realist theory.

Chris concluded by suggesting that critical realist theory could offer another and potentially unifying education change paradigm. Such a paradigm might involve interactive conflict and consensus processes, as well as the creation of newly emergent, more inclusive and flatter networks. This can set in a context of the a more progressive ‘politics of care’ necessary in the developing post neoliberal era.

The presentation was followed by questions and comments from the physical and online audience on critical realism and perspectives on teachers and teacher education. A question was raised about whether critical realism was sophisticated enough to capture culture and all aspects of being human. Chris talked of how critical realism might be regarded more as a vehicle to work with and as a theory offering points of departure and frameworks for thinking, although he agreed that it needs to be illustrated with the richness of human subjectivity. An input from a university teacher in Ghana considered the scope of the research and the importance of including the views of teachers in Ghana. This seemed an appropriate place to conclude the seminar.

You can access the slides of the day through the link below.