To mark the 10-year anniversary of Frontiers in Education, we spoke to members of the journal’s editorial board about what has changed in education and what must come next.

Across different countries, disciplines, and research traditions, three shared themes emerged: the human foundations of learning, the need for stronger bridges between research and practice, and the growing importance of openness and collaboration.

Here is what they told us.

We spoke with:

Elena Gómez Parra, Associate Editor in the Teacher Education section and Full Professor at the University of Córdoba, Spain; David Pérez-Jorge, Associate Editor in the Special Educational Needs section and Full Professor at Universidad de La Laguna, Spain; and Carl Senior, Associate Editor in Educational Psychology and Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching in the School of Life and Health Sciences at Aston University, United Kingdom.

Learning is human before it is academic

If the past decade has taught us anything, it is that learning cannot be separated from well-being.

David Pérez Jorge, whose work spans educational psychology, inclusive education, and health sciences, reflects that across all levels of education, from early childhood to university, the same principle holds:

“Learning is, above all, a human process before it is an academic one. Regardless of age, people learn best when they feel safe, valued, and supported.”

As academic demands increase, emotional needs do not disappear. They simply become less visible. He argues that educational excellence today must combine academic rigor with human sensitivity, fostering autonomy, emotional well-being, and critical thinking.

Elena Gómez Parra similarly emphasizes that bilingual and intercultural education only succeeds when it becomes a whole-institution commitment. It is not a timetable adjustment, but a long-term, coordinated effort involving school leaders, teachers, families, and researchers. When that collective “will” exists, intercultural learning becomes transformative, not an add-on, but part of everyday teaching.

Students want structure, expertise, and partnership

Higher education has undergone significant structural change over the last decade.

Carl Senior describes the rise of the “dual-intensive university,” institutions striving for excellence in both research and teaching, and the pressures this creates. As administrative demands grow, stress can ripple through institutions and shape the student experience.

Yet students’ expectations are increasingly clear.

Drawing on long-term National Student Survey data, he notes:

“The strongest predictor of high student satisfaction was a well-managed undergraduate programme.”

When programs are organized, expectations are transparent, and learning structures are coherent, students feel secure. That security shapes how they learn.

Today’s undergraduates want to learn from experts operating in professional, supportive environments. They value relevance and clarity, and they look for connections between their studies and future postgraduate or career pathways. They also expect the complete package: high-quality face-to-face teaching, accessible digital materials, and structured independent learning support.

As Senior puts it:

“In essence, the modern student’s learning style is intentional, aspirational, and partnership-driven.”

Students want institutional structures, staff expertise, and their own efforts aligned toward meaningful academic and personal development.

Research must move beyond the page

All three editors emphasized that research must not remain confined to publications.

For Pérez Jorge:

“Research only makes full sense when it goes beyond academic publications and reaches classrooms, educational institutions, and people’s everyday lives.”

Gómez Parra makes a similar point from the perspective of bilingual and intercultural education:

“Researchers are increasingly aware that meaningful work must be coconstructed with schools.”

Advancing from top-down models to more collaborative, bottom-up approaches is, she argues, one of the field’s central challenges for the coming decade.

Senior’s work on non-verbal communication and leadership likewise bridges theory and practice. His research demonstrates how subtle social cues such as tone, posture, and eye contact shape learning, group dynamics, and leadership outcomes in real educational settings.

Across contexts, the message is consistent: evidence must translate into practice, and practice must inform evidence.

Open collaboration is reshaping education research

Over the last decade, open science and international collaboration have transformed how educational knowledge circulates.

Gómez Parra highlights how open-access journals and international networks help “democratise knowledge,” reducing barriers to high-quality research and enabling contributions from underrepresented contexts. This openness accelerates dialogue between theory and practice and strengthens a global community committed to more equitable language education.

Senior reflects on how transparency and preregistration, once controversial, are now embedded expectations in academic publishing, strengthening research integrity across the sector.

For a field as applied and socially embedded as education, this shift toward openness has helped connect researchers, teachers, and institutions in new and meaningful ways.

Looking ahead: AI, inclusion, and teacher preparation

The next decade will bring new challenges.

Artificial intelligence is already reshaping educational practice. Rather than treating AI as a threat, Senior suggests it could support more dialogic and reflective learning if shaped thoughtfully to meet students’ expectations rather than simply training students to use tools.

Meanwhile, Gómez Parra identifies sustained investment in teacher education and professional development as a key priority in early childhood and primary education. Without confident, well-prepared teachers, even the most ambitious programs remain fragile.

For Pérez Jorge, inclusion must remain central:

“Investing in teacher education ultimately means investing in healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable education systems.”

A shared commitment

Despite their varied research areas, from intercultural education to non-verbal behavior, from neuroscience to educational leadership, the editors share a common conviction: education is one of the most powerful tools for building more just and humane societies.

As Pérez Jorge puts it:

“Educating means inspiring students with the desire to learn and to strive for self-improvement.”

Ten years on, Frontiers in Education reflects not just the evolution of a journal, but an ongoing conversation between research, practice, and the people at the heart of education.

If the past decade has shown anything, it is that meaningful progress depends on keeping that conversation open.