Rinehart, Gray; Pherali, Tejendra; Thiha Zaw, Htet; Chase, Elaine; Naing, Thein; (2025) Co-creating an agenda for education research in conflict-affected contexts of Myanmar

The Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crises (ERICC) programme seeks to address power imbalances in research by co-creating research agendas with key stakeholders in conflictaffected and crisis contexts. Through a systematic approach combining a rigorous review of research evidence with stakeholder consultations - including workshops and interviews, and surveys - we identified four priority research themes and three cross-cutting themes for education research in Myanmar. The co-creation process fostered local ownership and established foundations for equitable research partnerships in ethnic, refugee and migrant educational settings. This study describes participatory approaches that were adopted at the outset of research design to enhance relevance, promote future uptake of findings and challenge North-South power dynamics. We argue that research practices that lead to inclusive, horizontal relationships can amplify local voices to ensure that planned research is contextually relevant and actionable for communities affected by conflict.