1st Edition
An International Approach to Developing Early Career Researchers A Pipeline to Robust Education Research
This edited volume illustrates the idea of a successful research capacity model, critically addressing preconceived notions of early career research projects’ impact and drawing together insights and implications around the encouragement of newer researchers to conduct useful, robust studies with real-world effect.
Centring on research undertaken at the UK Durham University Evidence Centre, the volume features contributions from authors based at universities in the US, China, India, and Pakistan. The book discusses 15 substantial studies which explore themes such as children’s wider outcomes in school; disadvantage in education; and the supply of professionals for the teaching workforce. Novel in approach and highly interdisciplinary in nature, the book showcases a broad range of experience and knowledge sharing, from experienced researchers and policymakers to new academic staff, current doctoral students, and masters’ students conducting ambitious large-scale projects, thereby giving voice to those just starting out in their career.
Illustrating powerful studies that are feasible for students and beginners with limited or no resources, this book will appeal to new researchers, scholars and academics involved in the fields of educational research and research methods, continuing professional development, and education policy more broadly.
List of figures
List of tables
About the editors
List of contributors
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1- Building research capacity through a pipeline, Nadia Siddiqui and Stephen Gorard
Part I Development at school and beyond
Introduction to development at school and beyond
Chapter 2 - What matters in early childhood education? A natural experiment assessing children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning, Nadia Siddiqui, Stephen Gorard, Pauline Dixon, Beng Huat See, Smruti Bulsari, Saba Saeed, Hamza Sarfraz, and Kiran Pandya
Chapter 3 - Enhancing our understanding of the complexities of reading difficulties, Johny Daniel and Amy Barth
Chapter 4 - Are Chinese students deficient in critical thinking?, Keji Fan
Chapter 5 - Understanding young people’s enjoyment and its links with attainment in history, David Prendergast
Chapter 6 - The influence of universal design for learning on primary school students' social and emotional competence, Bhavika Kapoor
Part II Disadvantage matters at school and beyond
Introduction to disadvantage matters
Chapter 7 - How can school systems do better for disadvantaged students?, Stephen Gorard, Nadia Siddiqui, Beng Huat See, Nada El-Soufi, and Binwei Lu
Chapter 8 - A brief introduction to the value-added approach and its unsettled evidence on educational effectiveness: The case of grammar schools in England, Binwei Lu and Xin Shao
Chapter 9 - Evaluation of the impact of Glasses-in-Classes on infant’s educational outcomes, Lan Dong, Jonathan Cairns, Beng Huat See and Stephen Gorard
Chapter 10 - Missing data can speak loudly: A case study of widening participation to university, Yiyi Tan
Chapter 11 - Improved classroom interaction matters to the reading proficiency of low-income students, Wenqing Chen
Part III The supply of postgraduate professionals
Introduction to the supply of postgraduate professionals
Chapter 12 - Diversity in the school teaching workforce in England, Feyisa Demie and Beng Huat See
Chapter 13 - A new approach to understanding the global teacher supply crisis, Mark Ledger, Beng Huat See, Stephen Gorard and Rebecca Morris
Chapter 14 - Assessing the impact of the LADDER approach to teacher wellbeing and teacher retention, Kulwinder Maude and Beng Huat See
Chapter 15 - Who are the teachers? A review of international studies, Sarah Ross
Chapter 16 - Investigating the surge in the number of students pursuing postgraduate education in China, Jiayi Zhao
Conclusion
Chapter 17 – The pipeline revisited: Achievements and prospects, Stephen Gorard and Nadia Siddiqui
Index
Biography
Stephen Gorard is Director of the Durham Evidence Centre for Education, Durham University, UK, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Nadia Siddiqui is Professor of Childhood Education Studies, Durham University Evidence Centre for Education, Durham University, UK, and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
‘An International Approach to Developing Early Career Researchers: A Pipeline to Robust Education Research, edited by Professors Stephen Gorard and Nadia Siddiqui, provides compelling evidence on the benefits of the research pipeline for all those involved. This book illustrates how early career researchers have benefited from the research pipeline through their exposure to the expertise and knowledge of established researchers and Professors in the field of education, and the opportunity to advance their own learning and understanding of the research process through an established network. In turn, this process has assisted with the production of high-quality research in education as reflected in this book.
This book clearly evidences how the research pipeline provides early and mid-career researchers with invaluable experience of working and leading complex research projects, some of which are conducted in the international field. A testament to the importance of, and commitment to, mentorship in academia is indirectly articulated throughout this book and is strongly illustrated through the research pipeline process, which as the Editors reflect upon, is not a one-off event, but an ongoing process of providing researchers with support and exposure to a high-quality research environment to gain experience and learn from.
This book was a truly enjoyable read that provides a spotlight on the work of early, mid and established education researchers in a range of areas such as student development within and outside of school settings, disadvantage at schools and its implications for students, and teacher supply and retention. In each of these areas, discussions are related to policy and practice, demonstrating the practical application of the research to societies across the international context. The chapters in this book also draw upon a range of methods to provide a robust evidence base in the international context on topics such as student development, disadvantage at school, postgraduate education uptake and teacher supply issues.’
- Dr Erin Early, Lecturer in Social Policy, School of Applied Social & Policy Sciences, Ulster University, UK
‘This book is a fascinating resource for aspiring researchers. I am please to see that each chapter is an example of rigorous research that not only contributed high quality evidence but also supported researchers in their career building stages.’
- Dr Tomas Zelinsky, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow of Czech Academy of Sciences, Faculty of Economics, Technical University Kosice, Slovakia
‘At a time of increasing interest in the use of evidence to improve outcomes for learners, this book provides an important and timely addition for both policymakers and scholars in this field. We know that the generation of high-quality evidence in education is key to improving the standard of teaching and learner experiences, but the lack of robust research available to inform policy and provision in schools is currently a serious limitation. This welcome collation of fifteen high quality studies shows us how strong research designs based on a questions-to-methods approach can help answer important education questions and demonstrates how early career researchers can be supported to make valuable contributions to the evidence base. The editors have skilfully aligned the research into themes focused on: (i) learner outcomes, (ii) addressing disadvantage; and (iii) structural problems in the supply and retention of teachers. The chapters provide clear and accessible accounts of the use of a variety of research designs, including systematic reviews, randomised control trials and secondary data analysis, and this book will be of great interest to postgraduate and more experienced researchers alike.’
- Dr Richard Watkins, Research and Evaluation Lead for the North Wales Regional School Improvement Service (GwE) and co-director of the Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact (CIEREI), Bangor University, UK
