2026 sees the study in its eighth year with the students in Year 10. The Barker Institute annually publishes an article based on the findings of each year’s interviews and discussions in its journal Learning in Practice. This is made publicly available on the Barker Institute’s website.
Rationale
The project helps to identify what the next generation of students’ value and contributes to mapping what effective learning and teaching may look like in the future. While the generation that constitutes the current Barker Journey cohort are still revealing their own key attributes and characteristics, social research has identified five emergent traits: global, digital, mobile, social and visual. This information has implications for how education might develop to meet this generations’ needs authentically.
The Barker Journey project may explore questions such as:
- What will schools need to do to meet authentically the educational needs of this generation and the next?
- How does the current generation of student perceive learning and what does this current generation of student expect of their school experience?
- How does the Barker educational journey shape this generation?
Publication of the Barker Journey and further development of the project
The analysis and findings of each year’s study will continue to be published in the Barker Institute’s journal Learning in Practice and made available to the public via the Barker Institute’s website.
Both the concept and progress of the Barker Journey project has attracted international attention. Educational leaders from schools in Europe and Africa have taken interest in the project’s conclusions and the approach that underpins it.
This has opened up the exciting possibility of partnering with schools overseas in consultancy as they look to undertake a similar study within their own contexts.
Each year's study is published in the Barker Institute journal Learning in Practice. Here is the Barker Journey series of articles, arranged chronologically:
- Scott, T., Hill, M. & Layton, S. (2025) The Barker Journey - Year 9 2025: Deepening Student Flourishing through Community, Integrated Experience, and Responsibility. Learning in Practice 9 (1), pp. 9-34.
- Scott, T., Hill, M. & Layton, S. (2024) The Barker Journey - Year 8 2024: Looking to Flourish in an Evolving Educational Landscape. Learning in Practice 8 (1), pp. 13-34.
- Scott, T. & Hill, M. (2023) The Barker Journey - Year 7 2023: Nurturing Learning Relationships. Learning in Practice 7 (1), pp. 11-38.
- Hill, M. & Scott, T. (2022) The Barker Junior School Journey: Report on Year 3-6 from 2019-2022 Learning in Practice 6 (1).
- Scott, T. & Hill, M. (2022) The Barker Journey - Year 6 2022: Community and Belonging Learning in Practice 6 (1).
- Scott, T. & Hill M. (2021) The Barker Journey - Year 5 2021: The experiences of 'digital natives' in a digital classroom Learning in Practice 5 (1).
- Eastman, A. & Hill, M. (2020) The Barker Journey study amidst COVID-19: Analysis of Year 4 interviews Learning in Practice 4 (1).
- Eastman, A. & Hill, M. (2019) The Barker Journey: The commencement of cohort 2 Learning in Practice 3 (1).
- Eastman, A. & Merrick, B. (2019) The Barker Journey: Lessons from cohort 1 Learning in Practice 3 (1).
- Eastman, A. (2017) Reflections from the 'Barker Journey' study 2016 interviews Learning in Practice 1 (1), pp.78-82
- Merrick, B. (2017) The final interview of the Barker Journey: a glimpse inside the thoughts of our veterans from 2008-2017 Learning in Practice 1 (1),pp.83-86.
The Barker Journey Publications
The Barker Journey 2025 – What to expect?
Each year, The Barker Journey provides a unique window into the experiences of our students as they move through school, capturing their voices and insights at each stage. Since beginning in 2019, the project has followed the same group of students from Year 3 into early adolescence, building a remarkable picture of what it means to grow up and learn in today’s world.
- Dr Timothy Scott
- 11 November 2025
What Is Flourishing in Education?
Flourishing is more than just academic achievement—it’s about thriving in all areas of life. In education, flourishing encompasses the holistic development of students, integrating intellectual, emotional, social, and moral dimensions. But how can schools define and measure flourishing among their students, and why does it matter?
- Dr Timothy Scott
- 11 February 2025
The Barker Journey - Year 8, 2024: What to expect?
One of the features of the annual Learning in Practice journal for the past six years has been the article providing an update on the Barker Journey, our ongoing, decade-long longitudinal study about student perspectives on learning, teaching, and schooling.
- Dr Timothy Scott
- 22 November 2024
Term 3... and that’s a wrap!
(Or four highlights from a very active term)
- Dr Timothy Scott
- 27 September 2024
The Barker Junior School Journey: Reporting on Years 3-6 from 2019-2022
The Barker Journey longitudinal study has now completed its fourth year. The subjects of the study are a group of students who celebrated the conclusion of their primary schooling in 2022. Detailed results reporting on the first four years have recently been shared.
- Dr Matthew Hill, Dr Timothy Scott
- 20 March 2023