The Colleges Action Inquiry Research Network (CAIRN) Journal is pleased to announce the publication of Issue 5, now available to read online here.
CDN is proud to host the CAIRN Journal, a key platform supporting practitioner-led scholarship and research within Scotland’s college sector. The journal continues to provide a space for college-based educators and researchers to share innovative practice, critical reflection, and sector-relevant inquiry that strengthens teaching and learning across tertiary education.
About This Issue
Issue 5 showcases a diverse range of contributions from across the sector, highlighting innovative educational practice through research articles, reflective pieces, and short narratives. This edition reflects the breadth and depth of practitioner research taking place within Scotland’s colleges and partner institutions.
Contributions include the CAIRN editorial, Many voices, one community: educator-research across the tertiary sector by Christine Calder and Pauline Hanesworth (SRUC); STEPS Framework for Inclusive Practice: Addressing Educational Challenges and Supporting Female Muslim Students (FMS) in Scottish Further Education by Dr Amal Elramli (West College Scotland); Do Undergraduate Students of the University of the Highlands and Islands have a Preference for Print over eBooks? by Carol Hart (UHI Inverness / University of the Highlands and Islands); Launchpad: Embedding Entrepreneurial Mindsets at Glasgow Clyde College – One Year On by Claire Glen (Glasgow Clyde College); Seeing the Forest for the Degrees: Using the Forest School Ethos to Rewild Tertiary Learning by Ely Blyth and Lucy Thornton (SRUC); and Learning by Influence: A Personal Reflection on Social Contagion in the FE Classroom by Steven Addy (West Lothian College).
Get Involved
The CAIRN Editorial Board warmly welcomes submissions from across the college sector. Draft proposals for Issue 6 (December 2026) are due by 9 October 2026.
If you are interested in contributing to a future issue, further guidance on submitting your paper is available online here.
We hope you enjoy Issue 5 and welcome feedback and contributions as the journal continues to grow as a collaborative space for practitioner research across Scotland’s colleges.
