Education & Community

Researching education,
language, and society
across contexts.

INARELS connects scholars and communities through collaborative action research, project-based knowledge sharing, and global dialogue rooted in local realities.

Urban Transformation

Where local knowledge
meets global scholarship.

From Nairobi to Lagos, Accra to Johannesburg — our network bridges urban transformation with rigorous, community-grounded research.

International Network

A continent of inquiry.
A world of collaboration.

INARELS spans research contexts across Africa and beyond, creating shared frameworks for action research that travels across borders and disciplines.

New Narratives

Painting a new picture
of the world.

Action research is an act of imagination. INARELS supports scholars who dare to reimagine what knowledge, community, and possibility can look like.

Collaborative Scholarship

Research that belongs
to the community.

From fieldwork to publications, INARELS researchers share methods, data, and discoveries in a structured, permission-aware collaboration environment.

What INARELS Does

A research network built for
impact, collaboration, and openness.

International Research Collaboration

Connects researchers working across different regions and contexts, enabling comparative and collaborative action research at an international scale.

Project-Based Knowledge Sharing

Organizes research around clearly defined projects with rich public-facing pages including descriptions, publications, images, and project leader contact information.

Public Scholarship & Publications

Allows visitors to explore the goals, publications, and people connected to each project — making INARELS research visible and accessible beyond institutional walls.

Controlled Data Access

Gives approved members access to project-specific materials through a login and permission system — keeping each dataset tied to its context, ownership, and project purpose.

Featured Research

Projects Shaping Education,
Language & Society

Browse a selection of INARELS projects spanning literacy education, teacher development, language policy, and community-based research across multiple regions.

Active
Education History

Historicizing History Education

A comparative inquiry examining the forces responsible for the reduction and elimination of history curriculum in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.

Lead: Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D. Region: West & East Africa
Publications Data Access
View Project →
Active
Language History Society

Language, Historical Literacies & Civic Engagement

A large-scale cross-cultural comparative program investigating language practices, historical literacies, and civic engagement in multilingual African societies. Initiated 2013.

Lead: Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D. Region: Pan-African
Publications Data Access Member Access
View Project →
Active
Education Society Diaspora

Achievement Gap & Intra-racial Dynamics (AGIRD)

Explores immigration trends, socialization patterns, and academic achievement among immigrant and non-immigrant Black students in the United States.

Lead: Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D. Region: USA / Midwest
Publications Member Access
View Project →
Dissemination Phase
Language Education Society

Language, Education, and Development

A decade of Africa-wide fieldwork providing extensive empirical evidence of language's significance to educational and social change across eight countries.

Lead: Desmond Ikenna Odugu, Ph.D. Region: Africa-wide + India
Publications Data Access Field Images Member Access
View Project →
Global Reach

A network rooted in Africa,
connected to the world.

INARELS projects span multiple continents, with a particular focus on African educational contexts. The network reflects an intergenerational and intercontinental model of collaborative scholarship, bringing together established researchers, emerging scholars, and community partners.

12+ Countries
30+ Researchers
8 Active Projects
50+ Publications
Explore the Network
West Africa East Africa Central Africa Southern Africa
Join the Network

Are you a researcher, emerging scholar, or community collaborator?

INARELS welcomes established researchers, graduate students, and community partners whose work touches education, language, literacy, or society. Membership involves a brief review process — submit your bio and research description to begin.

  • Access to project-specific research data and materials
  • Collaboration tools and a shared member portal
  • Visibility through the INARELS researcher directory
  • Opportunities to lead or contribute to network projects
Apply for Membership

"Action research is not just a method — it is a commitment to the communities whose lives our work is meant to serve."

— INARELS Network Principles