One Year Down… Five More to Go!
24 November, 2025, Jennifer Harding-Richards
Reflections from the Frontline: One Educator’s Doctoral Journey into Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE), Inclusion, and Transformative Practice
The first year of my Doctor of Education (EdD) journey has been a time of deep reflection, challenge, and growth. As I look back over the last year, I’m reminded of why I started my research journey; to examine, explore and analyse the role and purpose of Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) within our Curriculum for Wales, and to do so through a lens (my lens) that prioritises equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Understanding my positionality has been fundamental to my work this year. I have approached my research not only as an advisor, but as someone shaped by personal experience, professional practice, and a deep commitment to a values-led education. My theoretical framework draws widely on critical pedagogy and narrative inquiry and allows me to explore how stories, including my own, shape our educational spaces.
This year, I’ve asked some difficult but necessary questions such as ‘how does my story influence my research and what assumptions do I bring into my research space?’ My reflections around such questions has helped me clarify the purpose of my research and provided me with the thinking time to determine what it is that I hope to achieve. The assignments completed this year have provided clear structure and direction. I’ve explored my positionality, bias and subjective lens, developed an annotated bibliography, and written a literature review that has challenged me to engage critically with existing academic scholarship and research. These tasks have helped me refine my research focus and helped to begin the process of mapping out the contribution that I hope to make.
At the heart of my research and work is a desire to support RVE to be deeply meaningful, inclusive, and relevant to all learners. I’ve been challenged over the last few months by one of my supervisors who has asked me to reflect on what would be missing if RVE were not part of the curriculum, and is there agreement on this from the ‘RVE world’?
One of the most rewarding aspects of this year has been the opportunity to connect and share with others. I’ve had rich conversations with fellow EdD students, regular community of practice meetings with other Culham St Gabriel’s (CStG) Doctoral scholars, attended research meetings, and engaged with academics whose work has already expanded my thinking. Being invited to contribute to the Values Symposium at King’s College London was a particular highlight, offering a chance to share ideas and learn from academics across the UK nations and Europe.
These experiences have reminded me that research is not an individual endeavour. It’s shaped by dialogue, collaboration, mutual respect and the willingness to listen and learn from others, whatever their positionality is.
My thinking is evolving. I’m increasingly focused on the potential impact of this research, not just in academic terms, but on the education of learners and the experiences of teachers. I hope that my research can contribute meaningfully to this RE/RME/RVE space. I keep returning to the ‘so what?’ question: why does this matter? For me, the answer is clear. RVE offers a space for critical reflection, ethical engagement, and the development of values, all of which enhance and enrich the school’s curriculum and allow learners to become not only ethical and informed, but also ethically informed citizens.
As I move into year two, I’m embracing my additional identity as an ‘accidental academic’, as someone who is curious, reflective, and committed to learning. I’m influenced by the principle of being inquisitive and curious, not judgmental (thank you, Ted Lasso[1]), and by a desire to remain true to my own values and to myself.
One very exciting development over the next few years will be exploring how to involve pupils as co-researchers in my research. Their perspectives are not only valid, but they’re also essential. This is their curriculum too, and their voices must be part of our conversation.
I’m learning to take responsibility for my research, to stand in its complexity and say, this matters. One year down, five more to go!