ECER 2025, Belgrade: a look at approaches and potentials in educational research

From 8 to 12 September 2025, the European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) was held in Belgrade, with a large delegation from the Pedagogy section of the FISPPA Department at the University of Padova in attendance. The week started with the Emerging Researchers’ Conference (ERC, 8–9 September), which was a prelude to the main ECER event (9–12 September). It was an immersive experience that opened us up to new contexts, languages, and ways of thinking about education. The ECER brought together a community of scholars, professors, researchers, and PhD students, creating space for genuine, intergenerational conversations. Together, we explored two main questions: what does it mean to do educational research today, in Europe and beyond? And what approaches and perspectives can help shape its future?

ECER was not only about presentations; it became a space for genuine exchange and reflection. Through the 34 thematic networks of the European Educational Research Association (EERA), participants had many opportunities to discuss emerging issues, share ideas, test new approaches, and start collaborations. Within this setting, people were able to focus on their own research interests while also discovering new areas. We saw research that reached beyond familiar boundaries, bringing colleagues together and welcoming complexity and different perspectives.
It was a period of personal and professional growth, supported by the strong presence of faculty and colleagues from the University of Padova, which made the conference feel like a moving laboratory. Meeting in an international setting revealed both the similarities and the subtle differences that often go unnoticed in everyday educational and research practice. ECER’s international reach went far beyond the EU, bringing together diverse voices and widening the scope of conversations. It reminded us that even shared words can mean different things depending on where they are spoken, shaped by political, social, cultural, and demographic contexts.

Intertwinings and trajectories: meeting, learning, discovering

The richness of the program allowed for four key movements:

– To explore our research areas more deeply, identifying theoretical and practical examples in intercultural education, professional identity, technology, and initial teacher education.
– To build networks with both emerging and established researchers who approach the same
issues from different angles and through varied methods.
– To uncover new educational spaces that can help rethink the theoretical frameworks we are currently deepening.
– To get to know a “new” context, shaped by the legacy of the post-war transition and the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, during a sensitive period marked by recent student mobilizations.

Among the moments that stood out was our presentation on social justice and intercultural education within Network 7. The feedback we received encouraged us to think more deeply about the roles of both researchers and participants in the research process. One exchange, in particular, opened new perspectives for us. A reference to contexts such as Iceland, where immigration has a longer and more complex history than in Italy, made us reflect on the interpretive lenses we might bring to our data when working within a “younger” context on this topic.
Moreover, several networks brought up a recurring issue: the induction phase and the shortage of teachers in various European systems. What does this say about our situation? Simply recruiting more teachers is not enough; we need better support. If entering the profession is critical, initial teacher education must go beyond just transmitting knowledge. It needs to help future teachers handle unexpected situations, interpret contexts, and seek professional support. Induction should not be considered merely an interlude but rather a link between training and professional life.

Between theory and practice: Gert Biesta’s keynote

A much-anticipated keynote from Gert Biesta restarted a long-standing yet relevant debate about the relationship between theory and practice in training future teachers. The tension cannot be resolved with either more tools or more theory:
– Too many tools risk becoming outdated quickly and create the illusion that straightforward solutions can simply be applied.
– A purely theoretical approach may disconnect from the realities of the classroom.
Well-chosen theory shapes judgment and makes knowledge adaptable while practice connects educational work to real-life experiences in classrooms.

Belgrade: a context in constant transformation

Describing ECER in Belgrade also means recognizing the surrounding context. During the conference, we witnessed student mobilization and the ongoing occupation of the university, a demand for greater democratic quality that resonates throughout the city and country. As part of the European academic community, we faced an important question: what responsibility does the university have in promoting and protecting democratic practices? The student protests were not purely political; they were also pedagogical. The public square had been transformed into a place where people could exercise their democratic rights, a place for critical thought and the gaining of power although the setting was still closely linked to the history of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The slogan “Nije filozofski ćutati”/ “it is not philosophical to be silent,” present at the entrance of the Faculty of Philosophy and quoted by Professor Pavel Zgaga in his keynote “Educational research, policy and politics,” was a reminder that education has a social and political dimension.

Questions we bring home

– How can we prepare future teachers in a time when many systems are facing teacher shortages?
– What honest balance between theory and practice can best support thoughtful teaching choices?
– How can the roles of researchers and teachers become a resource for identity awareness?
– In which ways can universities support processes of empowerment and encourage critical
thinking?

An open invitation

ECER showed us that doing educational research is not only about inquiry but also about care, care in how we choose our words, listen to stories, and accompany people through change. We felt how important it is to have spaces where this kind of relational care can take root and grow. In such spaces, the academic community can become a community of practice. Through dialogue and shared learning, we can shape approaches that matter in real contexts. The answers will never be fixed; they shift with time and place. What stays constant is the need to keep the conversation going because that, too, is a way of learning together.

Authors: Charaf El Bouhali, Filippo Marcato | Editor: Bakhtawar Khosa