Our Research
Our research programme
Our research directly supports the charitable objects of Ruskin Mill Trust. It aims to improve our practice with students, evidence the benefits of our approach, and deepen staff understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of our Practical Skills Therapeutic Education method. This is a research culture we are proud to be developing throughout the Trust, with research becoming a customary part of staff development.
Our research is divided into five research domains. Click on each one to find out more.
1. Practitioner research: improving our work
Practitioner research, the first of our three research domains, includes all research carried out by RMT staff on their own practice. All Trust staff are invited to participate in periodic research events focusing on different contextual themes. We also support staff to develop their own research as an integral part of our various training courses, through secondment and by means of bursaries for course fees and expenses, and by directly supporting specific research projects.
2. Master's degree in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education
We are delighted that our MA in Practical Skills Therapeutic Education is validated by the University of Huddersfield. The MA critically explores and examines the function and impact of the Seven Fields of Practice. The MA seeks to achieve three deliverables:
- to continually develop and externally validate our unique methodology
- the offer of an internationally recognised practitioner-orientated qualification
- an innovative research-enhanced curriculum for our students
3. Goethean research: underpinning our method
Our method draws on the insights of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris. Developing and renewing Practical Skills Therapeutic Education requires a critical investigation into their contributions, as well as an ongoing reflection on what they mean in the modern world. To this end, the Ruskin Mill Centre for Research supports research into the life and works of Steiner, Ruskin and Morris. In addition, the holistic method of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe provides the thread by which this research is framed.
See pages 74-79 of the Ruskin Mill Trust prospectus for more information
4. Outcomes research: engaging with stakeholders
Ruskin Mill Trust also supports research in different academic disciplines, partnering with various universities to explore Practical Skills Therapeutic Education and the student impact, evidencing the value of our approach.
Ruskin Mill Trust commissioned Coventry University to conduct a review of the way that the Trust evidence the outcomes and impact of the PSTE programme and the processes for capturing, holding and reporting data and results. The report can be viewed online here.
5. Research programme flowchart
Below is a flowchart of the RMT research programme outlining how our research programme benefits student progression.
Ruskin Mill Centre for Research
The Ruskin Mill Centre for Research undertakes Goethean and Steiner-informed research to inspire, underpin and deepen our method of PSTE.
The Centre for Research is a sister body to the Ruskin Mill Centre for Practice, which is responsible for our staff training and higher education offer, as well as for staff’s action research into their own practice up to Master’s degree level and senior staff who are seconded to carry out PhDs in various academic disciplines into different aspects of the method.
The Centre for Research carries out research using Goethean enquiry and Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science, which inspire and deepen the method as a whole. The work of the Centre for Research thus supports the Centre for Practice, which in turn generates applied research and education to support the method within Ruskin Mill Land Trust.
This ensures that our practice, underpinning our unique work with children and young adults, is continually alive and engaging with research on every level, while our research in turn serves the needs of practice and our young people.
Our research is further explored in the Field Centre Journal of Research and Practice, which brings together research carried out within and around the Centre for Research, and more broadly, work which shares our research themes.
Ruskin Mill Centre for Practice
The Ruskin Mill Centre for Practice delivers cross-Trust staff training and development in PSTE, developing academic and action research, higher education and training in our method.
In recent years, our course offerings have expanded for both internal and external applicants. This includes our own designed and delivered Master’s degree in PSTE (MA in PSTE), validated by the University of Huddersfield.
Each year, we invest a significant number of working days in the continual professional development of staff. A new staff member will undergo a two-week induction covering the Trust’s vision, values and purpose, and our educational method, Practical Skills Therapeutic Education. They will also complete mandatory training. Feedback from participants throughout the academic year indicates that our educational offerings are well received, particularly in terms of content and the quality of instructors.
This training enhances participants’ confidence and understanding of the subjects, ultimately improving their ability to support our students.
Our research centres
Undertaking research in situated contexts, each centre of the Ruskin Mill Centre for Research has its task in the world, based on its genius loci. The Ruskin Mill Centre for Research is led by Professor Laurence Cox together with the board of trustees.