Research Opportunities and Contacts
Most staff in the School of Education are engaged in research and/or scholarly activity. This leads to publications of books, articles in journals and evaluation reports. The School currently has 10 postgraduate research students studying for PhD awards. There is also a full-time Masters route in Education Studies which draws on teachers and other professional groups. The School also has a large Postgraduate Masters Programme for part time students which has a number of routes leading to Masters qualifications. It is therefore possible to pursue a Masters or PhD award on a full or part-time basis.
Research topics available for PhD study
We welcome applications for PhD study from educators with Master's degrees. If you have qualified teacher status (QTS) you are eligible to apply for one of our bursaries which covers fees for part-time study. We particularly welcome applications in areas covered by our research centres:
Centre for Research in Early Scientific Learning (CRESL) PhD research on any aspect of primary or early years science education, with particular focus on uses of ICT to support science learning supervised by Professor Dan Davies or dialogic teaching approaches supervised by Dr Kendra McMahon
Centre for Research in Arts Education (CRAE) – PhD research on education in the visual arts, with particular focus on cross-cultural arts education, supervised by June Bianchi
Children and the Environment Research Centre (CERC) PhD research on education for sustainable development, children';s voice, outdoor education, environmental citizenship, children and urban environments, community participation, children and the natural landscape supervised by Professor Robert Barratt
Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (CEIT) PhD research on learning and knowledge technology (LKT), ICT resources as critical thinking tools, supervised by Dr. Steven Coombs
Centre for Research into Inclusion and Vulnerable Learners (CRIVL) PhD research on all aspects of inclusion for vulnerable learners, particularly those with dyslexia, supervised by Dr. Tilly Mortimore
Centre for Education Policy in Practice (EPIP) PhD research on workforce reform and interdisciplinary working within the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda, supervised by Dr Mel Macer or Dr Janet Rose
Other PhD research opportunities outside our research centres include:
PhD research in all aspects of mathematics education, supervised by Dr Snezana Lawrence (secondary) or Dr Marcus Witt (primary)
PhD research in children’s interpretation of texts, dialogic interactions, supervised by Dr Fiona Maine
PhD research in all aspects of language and power in education, citizenship education, supervised by Dr Howard Gibson
PhD research in international or development education, supervised by Dr Robin Shields
PhD research in early years education, supervised by Dr Janet Rose
PhD research in music education, supervised by Dr Nick Breeze
Please contact your potential supervisor to discuss your project informally, then contact Dan Davies (details below) to discuss admission procedures. You should also read the School of Education Research Degree Handbook (.doc) and consult the Graduate School Website for more information.
Contacts
Head of Applied Research and Consultancy, Professor Dan Davies
01225 875675
Head of Continuing Professional Development, Dr Steven Coombs
01225 876149
Senior School Administrator
01225 875549