Literacy

Senior Education Lecturers, Dr Julia Sutherland (CTLR) and Dr Jo Westbrook (CIE/CTLR), have been conducting research on literacy with secondary English teachers, locally and nationally, for over a decade. Their research aims to generate fresh understanding about how to develop students’ dialogic talk, thinking and reading comprehension but also to transform practice, by engaging teachers in research. Subsequent publications have also informed national policy on the pedagogy and assessment of talk. 

Their most recent research, conducted in collaboration with Professor of Experimental Psychology, Jane Oakhill, involved 413 Year 8 students, 26% Pupil Premium and 44% defined as ‘weak readers’. The project evaluated the impact of the ‘faster read’ model on reading comprehension, using standardised pre-/post-tests, teacher interviews and observations. The model involves classes reading two, challenging novels, back-to-back in one term, while their teacher supports comprehension, through reading strategies, dialogic talk, group work and oral assessment.  In the study, students’ mean comprehension increased by 8.5 months overall and 16 months for weak readers in a period of only 12 weeks, as measured by standardised tests. Equally importantly, students’ motivation and engagement in reading greatly increased. 

Teachers who were introduced to the model three years ago reported at a recent project reunion that they are still using the ‘faster read’ model and that it has spread, via teacher networks and CPD events, with approximately sixty schools in London and the South East now using this. They also report continuous improvement in their students’ enthusiasm for reading and skills, especially for weaker readers, typically from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Westbrook, Jo, Sutherland, Julia, Oakhill, Jane and Sullivan, Susan (2018): 'Just Reading: Increasing pace and volume of reading whole narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers in English classrooms'. Literacy

Widening Participation

CTLR is extensively involved in the development of widening participation research and practice and has developed partnerships with outreach professionals and local communities. We have particular research specialisms in working class students, care leavers and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller learners, as well as methodological expertise in education evaluation. Recent work has included:

• research conducted for the Sussex Learning Network around supporting educational transitions for young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) backgrounds
  
• research conducted for the Sussex Learning Network around the experiences of young people during lockdown - and also the barriers to HE experienced by working class students and the difference made by local school context
• an evaluation report of the National Collaborative Outreach Programme in Sussex (a national outreach initiative focused around postcode as a proxy for disadvantage)
• commitment  to supporting the development of positive change and the narrowing of research/practice gaps led to Dr Louise Gazeley being seconded on a part-time basis to the University of Sussex's Widening Participation Team to support their work on evaluation, and to Dr Tamsin Hinton-Smith and Dr Emily Danvers being seconded part-time to evaluate the National Collaborative Outreach Programme delivered by the Sussex Learning Network
• an evaluation of the pilot stage of the Villiers Park Scholars Programme
• an internal evaluation of the 'Sussex Study Experience programme' for Year 12 students
• an evaluation of the pilot stage of the HE Champions Coaching Programme for Looked After Children, funded by Aimhigher London South
• development of CPD workshops and resources for foster carers, social workers and education staff around supporting higehr education progression for care experienced young people. 

Inclusion

CTLR incorporates a strong focus on fostering research-informed approaches to developing good practice in inclusive education.

Dr Jacqui Shepherd was asked to be a witness at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (APPGA) in May 2019. The government has been reviewing the national autism strategy this year on the 10-year anniversary of the Autism Act as it will now be extended to include children and young people for the first time. The focus on this evidence session was “Education and preparation for adulthood” chaired by Huw Merrriman MP for Bexhill and Battle. Questions were asked about how the education system currently works with health and social care services to support autistic children and their families, and about how autistic young people are supported in the transition from education to adulthood. The comments from the groups will feed in to recommendations to the government (due October 2019) on how to improve the implementation of the Autism Act.

Lecturer in Primary Education, Dr Christina Hancock, has developed a framework to support play for autistic children in collaboration with teachers in three schools. The framework can be used to baseline play, set targets and measure play progression for children with autism and Specific Learning Difficulties, ensuring that small steps in functional play for children with autism are not missed as was previously the case.

Further afield, Senior Education Lecturer, Dr Jo Westbrook (CIE/CTLR), and Education Lecturer, Dr Jacqui Shepherd, have been conducting research with Sightsavers in Uganda that has involved the development of 10 modules on inclusive education with academics from the University of Kyambogo, Kampala. The modules have been taught to two representatives of all 54 primary teacher training colleges and tutors will therefore be able to train new teachers in inclusive education as part of their pre-service training. 

Jacqui is also working with the Queen Rania Foundation for Education in Jordan to improve understandings of how the challenges and barriers for disabled children who are not in school can be overcome. Jacqui has also conducted a number of small-scale local studies, including one that explored the transition experiences of a small number of young people with autism from special schools to mainstream Further Education.

Exclusion and Alternative Provision

Our commissioned research in the area of school exclusion processes includes leading an influential study of 'Good practice in reducing inequalities in rates of exclusion' conducted for the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England as part of its two-year national inquiry into school exclusions.

More recently, CTLR researchers were commissioned to work on a DfE funded Evaluation of the Alternative Provision Innovation Fund in partnership with the research and consultancy organisation ECORYS. The report from this Evaluation and three 'Learning from practice' papers were published by the DfE in May 2021. The learning papers in particular have been designed to stimulate wider discussion and development around the three themes covered by the evaluation:

• Transitions to post-16 destinations from alternative provision
• Reintegration to mainstream settings from Alternative Provision Innovation Funded projects
• Successful approaches to parental engagement.

We are actively involved in promoting improvements in policies and practices in this area. We work closely with stakeholders and contribute to public events, supporting strategic decision-making. In 2018, Louise Gazeley was invited to participate in a Round Table discussion as part of the Timpson Review of school exclusions and to appear before the Education Select Committee, informing their enquiry into Alternative Provision: Forgotten children: alternative provision and the scandal of ever increasing exclusions.

If you would like to know more about our research and/or our knowledge exchange activities, please contact  Dr Louise Gazeley.    

Higher Education Curriculum and Pedagogy

Tamsin Hinton-Smith is leading a project researching gender awareness and inclusion in curriculum and pedagogy in higher education internationally, Gender on the higher education learning agenda internationally: Co-constructing foundations for equitable futures.  The research is funded by the British Academy under the Humanities and Social Sciences tackling Global Challenges initiative. Research partners are the University of Ibadan, Nigeria; Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan; Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco; and OP Jindal University in India. The research looks at selected disciplines from across the sciences, social sciences and humanities.

The work builds on a previous pilot study led by Tamsin, researching gender in curriculum and pedagogy in UK higher education, which was funded by the University's Research Development Fund (RDF).

Science Education

CTLR researchers are committed to supporting teachers who teach science across all contexts and to conducting research which informs and promotes change. Research projects carried out by the science education team focus on educating primary and secondary teachers in pedagogy and subject knowledge. Other active areas of research and publication include wider aspects of science and education, including citizen science, STEM education and the history and philosophy of science are.

Current and past projects include:

• A Systematic Literature Review of scientists work in evolution outreach programmes (funded by EuroScitizen – an EU funded project in scientific literacy in evolution education)
• Evaluation of transition projects in primary and secondary science (TRANSECT), funded by Astrazenaca
• Teaching and learning science in Primary schools in South East England
• Science teachers’ understanding of the nature of science
• Internal evaluation of the use of science trainees working with technicians to improve subject knowledge and practical work
• Researching the teaching of neuroscience in schools (in collaboration with Life Sciences)

To find out more about our interests and projects currently being undertaken, see the web profiles of Fi Branagh (Senior Lecturer in Science Education), Pat Doe (Lecturer in Science Education) and Dr James Williams (Senior Lecturer in Education).