NICER is a University Research Centre. It undertakes research to inform the contribution of faith to the public understanding of education, to aid the mission of Church schools and education in Church communities, to develop and improve religion and worldview education and to support the work of Christians in education.
We use qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research approaches in that work and have developed novel approaches to investigating school ethos, character and curriculum in Christian schooling. We receive funds from charities and other grant-making research bodies for our work, supported by the University’s commitment to the centre.
We collaborate with colleagues from across our university and also with specialists from other leading universities and research centres from around the world. We act as a hub to promote international Christian education research at the highest level, through seminars and conferences.
A key part of our work is in encouraging Christian education leaders in doctoral research to bring together the insights of the professional and the quality of doctoral-level study. Our University offers doctoral scholarships in this area.