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Project Overview:
MOSAIC represents the Hub’s flagship research initiative for 2026-2031. Building on a decade of preliminary research, MOSAIC examines how educational innovation emerges in “curricular grey zones”—temporal and spatial interstices within highly regulated educational systems where teachers exercise discretionary authority over content, pedagogy, and assessment.
Research Questions: 1. How are curricular grey zones configured differently across France, Finland, China, and England? 2. What forms of pedagogical innovation emerge within these grey zones? 3. How do teachers conceptualize and exercise professional autonomy in curriculum implementation? 4. What policy conditions enable or constrain innovation within grey zones?
Methodology: – Phase 1 (2026-2027): Documentary analysis of curriculum frameworks; expert interviews – Phase 2 (2027-2029): Multi-site ethnographic observation in 12 schools (4 per country) – Phase 3 (2029-2030): Teacher survey (n=2000) and focus groups – Phase 4 (2030-2031): Comparative synthesis and policy dialogue
Validated Protocol: – Inter-rater reliability: κ = 0.82 – Ethics approval: All participating institutions – Data management: FAIR principles compliant
Project Team: – PI: Prof. Régis Malet (Bordeaux) – Co-PI: Prof. Liu Baocun (BNU) – Co-PI: Prof. Jari Lavonen (Helsinki) – Co-PI: Prof. Susan Robertson (Cambridge) – 4 Postdoctoral Researchers – 8 Doctoral Fellows
Funding: – AFEC, LACES, CNU Chinese Ministry of Education – European Research Council (under review)
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