Research topic areas where proposals from PhD applicants are particularly welcome
Members of staff would particularly welcome applications to study for a PhD in one of their areas of research interest, as listed below, although we are also happy to consider applications to undertake research for a PhD in other areas.
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Member of staff |
Research interests relevant to PhD supervision |
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Science education; practical work in science; students’ attitudes to school science; evaluation of continuing professional development for science teachers. |
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Environmental influences on school achievement and/or pupil wellbeing; secondary school transitions; educational research using genetically sensitive designs; fixed and growth mindsets for teachers and pupils. |
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Bilingual cognition; second language writing systems, especially involving the Chinese language and writing system. |
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Science education; attitudes to science; evaluation of educational interventions; systematic research reviews. |
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Reading and language development and disorders; the processes underlying reading comprehension; new vocabulary learning and methods of vocabulary instruction; the interplay between oral language and reading development; learning needs of children with English as an Additional Language; effective interventions for children with reading and language difficulties. |
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Child behaviour – conduct problems and social and emotional competence; parent, teacher and child cognitive/behavioural interventions; outcomes and process effects; implementation fidelity. |
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Professor Bette Chambers (Institute for Effective Education) |
Replicable School-based programmes that use co-operative learning and technology-embedded instruction, particularly in early childhood education and early literacy. |
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Citizenship education; history education; global education; social studies education. |
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All areas of assessment, particularly: summative assessment; judgement and expertise; social impacts; e-assessment; assessment in History and English. Expertise and expert judgement. Teaching and learning of grammar and language in English. Student teacher development. |
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Student achievement; comparative methods; international education; education policy. |
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New technologies in language learning and teaching; computer-assisted pronunciation training; second language acquisition. |
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Classroom pedagogy and teacher education in the developing world; the role of education in peace building; evaluation of educational interventions in developing countries. |
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Written discourse analysis, classroom interaction, second language writing, language curriculum-based research. |
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Teaching English to young learners; TEYL action research; the use of meaningful and purposeful activities in TEYL; the use of song in TEYL; the use of story in TEYL. |
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Epistemological and political assumptions used in the business of learning; the relations of power, critical pedagogy, themes of emancipation, the development of learning programmes and the micro-politics of learning communities; the public intellectual and the evolution of higher education. |
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Teacher-student interactions; measuring teacher effectiveness; student and teacher motivation and emotions; cross-cultural perspectives on education and psychology; motivation and emotions of students with special education needs. |
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Teacher cognition in language teaching; teaching second language reading; English for specific purposes; materials evaluation and design for language learning. |
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Educational psychology; teachers, teaching and teacher development; social pedagogy. |
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Professional development of science teachers in emerging nations; education for sustainable development; understanding of measurement in science; argumentation in science learning. |
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Foreign and second language teaching and learning; Evaluation of foreign and second language practice and policy (particularly with comparative/experimental designs); Second language acquisition; Learning theories; Attention and memory in language learning. |
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Teaching, learning and assessing science (particularly physics); curriculum design and development in science. |
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Psychological aspects of education e.g. school-based interventions, coping with disadvantage, emotional well-being. |
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Teaching and learning English in UK schools, with particular interests in literature, drama and poetry. |
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Teaching early modern drama (especially Shakespeare); English (subject) education policy; theatre and heritage education departments; representations of literature and reading in popular culture. |
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Psychological aspects of language learning; evaluating programme interventions in language learning. |
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English as an international language; internationalisation of the curriculum; English Language Teaching in China. |
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School improvement and school effectiveness; addressing educational underachievement; equality and diversity issues in education; using new technologies for teaching and learning; school organisation and school leadership. |
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Teacher learning; technology-enhanced teaching and learning; social-emotional learning and interventions; curriculum development; educational effectiveness research informing school improvement; research-use as social practice; Teacher learning through critiquing video of classroom practice. |
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Equality and equity in education; inclusion; violence; gender and sexuality; sociology of education; sex education. |
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Language education, speaking skills and pronunciation, conversation analysis, cross-cultural interaction. |
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Self, identity, motivation, autonomy and self-determination in foreign language learning and teaching; language teaching methodology; adolescent identity development; student-centred education; relationships between student perceptions and achievement |
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Early childhood education and settings; early literacy and phonics; programme evaluations and implementation fidelity; relationships between research and practice; teacher education, continuing professional development, and teacher retention; relationship between early health and educational outcomes. |
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Second language processing; second language grammar learning; learning of new vocabulary and methods for vocabulary instruction; learning needs of students with English as a foreign language; developing listening in a second language; bilingual cognition; definiteness and reference resolution. |
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Educational inequalities, especially access to higher education; sociology of education; higher education policy; postgraduate students; educational expansion; social stratification and social mobility. |