Our doctoral researchers form a diverse group, many studying full-time but others combining professional roles in local schools with part-time study. Many also bring experience from international contexts ensuring that there are opportunities to share policy and research insights into the development of teaching and learning across a wide range of country contexts.
While some doctoral researchers bring an interest in particular subjects - such as Science and Literacy - others are focused on challenges associated with teacher professional development and inclusive pedagogies. Doctoral researchers in CTLR are encouraged to present their work in Research-in-Progress Seminars run by the School of Education and Social Work and are warmly supported by other centre members.
Esi Fenyiwa Amonoo-Kuofi
Esi is studying an Education PhD part-time and her research is entitled 'Teacher Leadership in Ghanaian Schools: A focus on the Curriculum Leader'. Esi is a professional secondary school Physics teacher whose experience of CPD in English secondary schools spurred her to further her studies. Following the successful completion of her Master’s in Education Management at King’s College London - and a tenure at the University of Cape Coast training Science teachers - Esi is exploring the professional development of teachers in Ghanaian schools as the focus of her doctoral study.
Esi says:
One of my participants said, “We are learning from each other” (District A, 2018) and that is my pursuit as a member of the centre, as a researcher, as a teacher and in life.
Esi is currently engaged in writing up her findings.
Greg Campbell
Greg is studying an Education PhD full time. His research, a multiple case study entitled ‘Still Learning to Labour: Exploring the dynamics of the construction classroom’, aims to explore the attitudes of staff and students in entry level construction classrooms to teaching and learning. As the students and staff are working in a very ‘hands on’ way he is interested in the physical and emotional reactions to the materiality of the work and situation.
Greg holds Qualified Teacher Status (Learning and Skills), and is a qualified Carpenter and Electrician. He has an MA in Special and Inclusive Education and, until he started at Sussex, he worked as special needs teacher in further education.
Greg is supervised by Dr Louise Gazeley and Dr Julia Sutherland.
Tania Campos Vidal
Tania is studying an Education PhD full time. Her research investigates the everyday literacy learning journeys of professional Deaf adults in Mexico, inside and outside formal education. Her research incorporates the Sign Language narratives of Professional Deaf adults and the experiences of practitioners working with Deaf people.
Tania says:
Researching about the Deaf requires more than a mere interpretation of data from a hearing person. It requires an understanding of reality from the epistemology of Deaf people. Thus, to move away from the historical precedence of thoughts that can be spoken over those that are signed, requires a co-creation of science with Deaf people.
Tania is co-supervised by Dr Louise Gazeley and and Dr Tish Marrable.
Wendy Ashall
Wendy Ashall is studying an Education PhD part-time. Her research is entitled ‘Understanding Student Experiences of the Social Science Foundation Year at CSU: From Pre-Entry Choices to Belonging?’. It is a multi-strategy, longitudinal case study examining the experiences of foundation year students as they transition through higher education. Wendy is currently engaged in writing up the findings.
Wendy is supervised by Dr Louise Gazeley and Professor Gillian Hampden-Thompson.
Working with Dr Wendy Garnham, Wendy was recently the lead editor for a SEDA Special: Transitions into, through and out of Higher Education: Supporting Students. SEDA Special Issue, Vol. 44: https://www.seda.ac.uk/specials Publication was supported with three online workshops. The two Wendys are now building a community of practice of researchers and practitioners from across the UK who meet monthly to share ideas and projects on transitions into, thorough, and out of higher education.
Theresa Gooda
Theresa is studying an Education PhD part-time whilst working as an English teacher in a local secondary school. Her research aims to explore the ways that reading is taught in secondary English lessons, and the connections this may have with students' independent reading. Her study takes a participatory approach, involving both colleagues and young people in her own professional setting.
Theresa says that "balancing a professional role that is so closely intertwined with the research has been both challenging and liberating."
Theresa is co-supervised by Dr Julia Sutherland and Dr Jo Westbrook.
Chris Harvey
Chris is studying an Education PhD part-time whilst working as a Deputy Headteacher at a school in Surrey. His research aims to explore the impact of restorative practice in developing relationships in schools.
Chris says:
As a practitioner, I believe that the building of respectful relationships is a central tenet to developing a school community. My study explores how greater implementation of approaches drawn from restorative practice facilitates relationships in schools. One key area will be to explore the role that dialogue plays within this dynamic, in particular through restorative conversations and conferences. I see PhD study as essential to developing my work with children and teachers, with the goal of constructing practices that could be implemented by schools.
Chris is supervised by Dr Louise Gazeley and Dr Julia Sutherland.
Tamzin Nobes
Tamzin is studying an Education PhD part-time whilst working as a Primary teacher in a local school. She also mentors trainee teachers during their school-based training across both the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. Her research aims to explore the professional development of veteran teachers using a participatory action research approach.
Tamzin says:
As a practitioner, I strive to provide children with the best possible learning experiences and outcomes. Ongoing professional development is key to this and yet education research and policy focuses on the development of pre-service and early career teachers and neglects the needs of veteran teachers. My research aims to explore this under-researched area and in doing so, provide practical recommendations to schools.
Tamzin is supervised by Dr Tamsin Hinton-Smith and Professor Simon Thompson.
Kevin Holland
Kevin is studying an Education PhD part-time for which he is conducting a collaborative case study influenced by phronetic social science into the use of Mantle of the Expert, a form of dialogic dramatic inquiry, where children explore the curriculum through fictional and imagined contexts. There is little research into the actual impact of this way of working and even less about what specifically makes this system successful in schools.
Kevin says:
"My role as a researcher will evolve as I get to know the school, and the roles of the children will also change as they become researchers in the whole process as well."
Kevin is supervised by Dr Julia Sutherland and Dr Louise Gazeley.
Hannah Olle
Hannah is studying an Education PhD full time. Her research aims to explore how young people who have been educated in Alternative Provision (AP) navigate the transition from Year 11 to post-16 education and training. Her study uses a qualitative longitudinal approach to understand young people’s lived experience of this change in real time.
Hannah says:
"Having been a practitioner in both AP and Further Education, my aim is for this research to deliver much needed knowledge about what enables and constrains young people in the transition from AP to post-16 education."
Hannah is supervised by Dr Louise Gazeley and Dr Jacqui Shepherd.
Sue Pinnick
Sue Pinnick is the leader of the ITE Secondary English course, and is currently studying an Education PhD part-time. Her research aims to explore how experiential drama can enhance the critical reading of prose and poetry in the Key Stage 3 English classroom.
Sue says:
"As a university teacher educator, my role is primarily to support trainee teachers and school-based mentors in how to integrate relevant theory effectively with their practice. I have chosen to undertake phD study in an area of the curriculum that is under-researched at secondary level and is not reflected in national policy. I am hoping to share my research in a way that benefits pupils and inspires English teachers to keep creativity at the core of learning."
Sue is co-supervised by Dr Julia Sutherland and Dr Lisa Peck.
Hayley Preston-Smith
Hayley is a full-time doctoral researcher and is affiliated with both the CTLR and CIRCY research centres.
Her research aims to reconceptualise the 'quality interaction' between Early Years Professionals (EYPs) and children aged 3-5 years. Hayley is exploring EYP's perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of the 'quality interaction', by using a mix of online semi-structured interviews and discussion groups with EYPs within England. The overall impact of this project is to champion the voices of those working within Early Years Education and Care (EYEC), in order to better inform ongoing debates about Early Years educational practices.
Hayley's supervisors are Dr Rebecca Webb and Dr Jo Westbrook.
Jacqueline Young
Jacqueline is the course leader of the Early Years Education MA (with and without Early Years Teacher Status), and is currently studying an Education PhD part-time. Her research aims to explore the relationship between the development of creative thinking in Early Years settings, and the level of individual and local social disadvantage.
Jacqueline says:
"My primary motivation as a practitioner and teacher educator has always been to contribute positively to improving the educational experiences of children in the local and regional community. I see my PhD study as a natural extension to my work with children and student teachers, and I aim to produce research that has useful and practical applications for schools and early years settings in the Sussex Partnership."
She holds Qualifies Teacher Status and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Jacqueline is co-supervised by Dr Nigel Marshall and Dr Louise Gazeley.
If you are interested in undertaking your doctoral research in CTLR you are warmly encouraged to get in touch with the Centre director, Dr Louise Gazeley. You can find out more about potential supervisors and how to develop your proposal on the Department of Education's 'Applying to study for a PhD in Education' web page. You can also contact the Course Leader, Dr Julia Sutherland, with any questions about the Education PhD specifically.
Become a Visiting Doctoral Researcher
Members of ESW staff based in CTLR who also supervise doctoral researchers really value opportunities to work with visiting doctoral researchers when their interests and approaches are close to their own. There is no fixed length for such visits, and they are carefully planned to meet individual requirements and goals.
If you would like to explore the possibility of connecting with us in this way, you can either contact the member of staff whose research interests have attracted you to us in the first place, or email the Centre director, Dr Louise Gazeley, to arrange a time to discuss your interest and the processes and costs involved.
Visiting Researcher, Hanna Slabikowska
Teacher of mathematics education (since 2013) at the University of South-Eastern Norway, Hanna Zdziarska Slabikowska was a visiting researcher with CTLR during autumn term 2019 in connection with her PhD on Inquiry-based learning in mathematics classrooms: How mathematical dialogues, creative reasoning, and the use of different representations can contribute to students’ conceptual understanding of mathematics.
Her Sussex sabbatical was supported and funded by the University of South-Eastern Norway, the Norwegian National Research School in Teacher Education and an Erasmus scholarship.
Hanna's visit enabled her to gain experience of different research environments, the opportunity to consider different research perspectives, and to see her own research in a larger context.
Hanna presented a Space To Share session in December 2019 on her research.