our research
Our research combines world-leading intellectual ambition with a strong sense of responsibility to all those involved in, and benefiting from or affected by, educational practice and policy around the globe.
Discover moreOur research combines world-leading intellectual ambition with a strong sense of responsibility to all those involved in, and benefiting from or affected by, educational practice and policy around the globe.
Discover moreEvery year our research attracts major national and international awards from book prizes, outstanding outputs, visiting and honorary doctorate appointments, to prestigious advisory and academic leadership roles across the globe.
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Research in the department combines multidisciplinary scholarship of the highest quality with professionalism across both teaching and research, and with an ethos of collegiality, integrity and social responsibility locally, nationally and globally. The department’s research reaches and influences policy and practice in education related sectors, through collaborative work, knowledge exchange, partnerships, dissemination and engagement, impact scholarship and leadership, and via secondments and key appointments to external bodies.
Research in the department is centred around three themes which demonstrate our focus on learning across the life-course. These are Language, Cognition and development; Economy, Policy and Society; and Pedagogy, Learning and Knowledge.
Within each of these areas are several research groups and centres, which provide opportunities for staff and students to obtain critical commentary on ongoing research, develop their research thinking, present their findings and plan new research projects with colleagues as part of their departmental and intellectual home.
Professor Alis Oancea, Director of Research
Excluded Lives aims to understand the contextual & institutional processes that lead to different types of school exclusion & the consequences for young people, families, schools & professionals.
A landmark research project into the outcomes of open adoption from out- of-home care in Australia.
This evaluation assesses the impact on policies and practice for looked after children when local authorities take part in the Bright Spots Programme.
LanguageScreen is a new computerised oral language test for children between 3-8 years old; this project will provide age-standardized norms for this test.
Definitions of examination standards in public examinations internationally
Dr Daniel Caro is developing a package in R for the analysis of international datasets.
Developing appropriate assessments of English language fluency for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Evaluating effectiveness of education systems and instructional approaches with PISA data
Dr Yasmine El Masri has been awarded funding to conduct a systematic review on judging demands and predicting task difficulty.
Dr Jenny Lenkeit has been awarded a small grant from the John Fell OUP Research Fund to conduct research on indicators of education system effectiveness.
Mathematics and science are taught and assessed in a foreign language (English or French) in Lebanon; not Arabic, the first language of most students.
Aga Khan University Language Policy Thinking Group
Dr. Daniel Caro has secured funding from the World Bank for a longitudinal study about differential school effectiveness in Peru.
Accountability regimes have been introduced in education systems at all levels around the world
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
This project includes a broad research programme on the structural reforms of GCSE
Assessment for Learning in Africa (AFLA): Improving Pedagogy and Assessment for Numeracy in Foundation Years
Examination standards are not well defined in theoretical terms and this leads to problems in their public understanding, with consequent periodic crises in public confidence.
Assessment practice and research is dominated by psychometric ways of thinking. We think psychometrics is valuable, but these techniques are not the only way to view assessment issues.
The effect of the Diploma Programme on Critical Thinking Development: An International Multisite Evaluation
This study aims to design an outcomes framework for Children’s Social Care Services based on the views of those who plan, deliver and use these services as well as the existing evidence base.
An evaluation of new models of providing adoption services in England
An action research project that aims to help local authorities better understand the needs of the children they look after through an anonymous online survey for looked after children aged 4-18yrs.
The Rees Centre was appointed as Evaluation Co-ordinator across the entire programme for round one, 2014-2016.
Assess applicability of existing ethical frameworks to current machine learning practices, identify complexities of children's social care which would influence ethics of using machine learning
A range of adoption related projects led by Professor Julie Selwyn.
A range of kinship care related projects have been led by Professor Julie Selwyn.
A range of fostercare related projects have been led by Professor Julie Selwyn.
Projects led by Professor Julie Selwyn
Study led by the Open University investigates how separated child migrants and those involved in their care make sense of care relationships and care practices.
A software tool that can be used to explore the relationship between needs, costs and outcomes of services provided to looked after children.
First major study in the UK to explore educational outcomes, young people’s care histories and individual characteristics by linking national datasets.
This five year research programme aims to increase understanding of the role of attachment and trauma in educational outcomes for children - especially those who are in care or vulnerable
An ESRC funded seminar series to address issues around fostering teenagers including offending, sexual exploitation and asylum seekers
A study exploring the impact of unproven allegations on foster carers in order to improve the way that allegations are dealt with by fostering services, local authorities and the police.
The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory will improve the use of data and research evidence in the family justice system in England & Wales in order to support the best possible decisions for children.
A longitudinal mixed methods study (October 2017-June 2019) exploring reasons for fixed term exclusions, outcomes by age 16 and perspectives of those involved.
Evaluation of Attachment Awareness programmes in schools in three local authorities using a mixed methods approach.
A mixed methods study exploring the factors that influence outcomes in higher education for care-experienced or estranged students.
This large-scale study explores in detail what factors, including earlier education and training, contribute to whether care leavers are in employment at age 21.
This project is developing a training module and artificial intelligence (AI) health application to support frontline health care staff to screen for health issues.
A study exploring access to and quality of early years provision for looked after children and with a view to reducing risk of developmental delay.
A project investigating whether three- and four-year-olds in deprived areas experience lower quality early years provision.
This project aims to examine the impact humanities degrees have on society by examining the labour market outcomes and career trajectories of Humanities graduates from the University of Oxford.
This project aims to further develop a Teacher Professional Development Intervention for supporting secondary mathematics teachers to enhance their students’ proof competencies.
The aim of this project is to examine inward student mobility and how it relates to the production of national and global public goods in four countries: France, the UK, Japan and China.
This project aims to build a comprehensive and internationally generic method for monitoring, measuring and judging the public benefits of universities, using empirical research in six countries.
This project investigates the implications, implementation and consequences of Brexit for UK universities, including the effects in relation to migration, international education and financial sustain
The LiFT research programme sets a forward-looking agenda for children’s education and entertainment, underpinned by research evidence on children’s learning through digital technology
To conduct research on formative assessment in primary school early years’ numeracy contexts in Tanzania, East Africa and two sites in South Africa.
A longitudinal study of over 3,000 children from birth to the end of school looking at influences on cognitive, educational and social development at different stages of the child’s life.
This project interested in the potential role of biophysiology (e.g., heart rate, cortisol, electrodermal activity, physical activity) for teaching and learning in educational contexts.
This research focuses on understanding how training managers transfer the experience, knowledge and skills from WorldSkills to their role in an FE College or Private Training Provider.
This project seeks to determine how the assessment tasks of category selection (e.g., a rubric-based “scoring” decision) and comparative judgment are cognitively different from one another.
An evaluation of the Multaka Oxford collaborative project to offer development opportunities to people from refugee communities through museum volunteering.
This project aims to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status and participation and attainment in science education.
A survey of local authorities in England to investigate closure and change in Children’s Centre provision for disadvantaged families and their children.
This project aims to understand attitudinal factors affecting underperformance and progression of some groups of Oxford undergraduates in highly mathematical subjects.
School design can be problematic and schools which are being rebuilt or newly created are seeking guidance as to how to improve the complex processes of design and construction.
This is a study of post-occupancy usage of five newly built schools. Its aim is to understand the impacts of the design of such schools on students’, teachers’ and parents’ actions and perceptions.
This project aims to support Community Healthcare Workers’ education in Lower and Middle-Income Countries focused on the critical areas of disability and mental health.
This in-depth case study explored the ways in which research impact had been conceptualised and operationalised by recipents of the Oxford Martin School's research funding over the last decade.
This study investigates the extent to which feeling safe, secure, respected and part of a school community are related to attendance and participation in Oxfordshire secondary schools.
This study investigates the educational trajectories, attainments and experiences of children in care and in need, including the perspectives of parents, pupils and professionals.
A pilot project testing a training and assessment package to be used by foster carers and schools to improve early identification of potential mental health difficulties in children.
The University is working in partnership with the local authority early years team, providing ongoing evaluation of local quality improvement projects.
These combined projects involve evaluation of area-based school improvement projects funded under the Department for Education’s Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF).
This project aims to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young children by supporting early years practitioners to offer high-quality language-learning environments.
The Parental Engagement Fund is a project supported by five organisations to implement and evaluate projects aimed at engaging parents in their children’s learning.
This project aims to develop intelligent mobile training applications for health care practitioners in the developing world.
A social enterprise project providing mobile and VR simulation training apps for healthcare workers, equipping them to save lives and reduce disability, wherever they are in the world.
An experimental study investigating the effects of three different approaches to teaching reading to beginner learners of French in Year 7.
This project evaluated the Maths Champions professional development programme, designed to support early years practitioners to improve children’s mathematical skills.
This project is developing and evaluating a professional development programme, designed to support early years practitioners to improve young children’s oral language skills.
This study will explore international measures of child development in language, numeracy, self-regulation, social, emotional, trust and empathy for 5 year olds across 3 pilot OECD countries.
ISOTIS aims to build on the strengths of culturally and linguistically diverse families in ten European countries to create inclusive and effective education and support systems.
This cross-sectional study will measure English vocabulary knowledge (subject specific; general academic; non-academic) in two different student groups.
The project will compare and determine the identification of special educational needs of some ethnic minorities and White British pupils, with consideration to demographic variables.
This project will determine the link between EAL pupils’ proficiency in English and their educational achievement and explore how long it takes pupil’s to acquire proficiency in English over time.
This collaborative project is investigating new approaches to doctoral training that are adapted to the needs of African educators and academics.
This project explores the experiences and trajectories of East African doctoral students in transnational research collaborations using biographical portraits.
Apprenticeship plays an important role in supporting young people in the transition between school and work. This project aims to compare participation in apprenticeship globally.
This project explored the leadership responses of English Further Education Colleges to the marketisation of FE funding.
This project aims to understand the use of the CREATE employability framework in Studio Schools through the perspective of different stakeholders and with the intention of disseminating good practice
A comparative collective biography of Paulo Freire, Orlando Fals-Borda, and Muhammad Anisur Rahman, three influential scholar-activist-educators of the Global South.
This project will examine the effects of a fully integrated phonics and language whole-class approach to teaching reading in a sample of children, some of whom will be deaf.
This project involves a randomised trial investigating the effectiveness of a combined reading and language intervention for children from a disadvantaged population living on a remote Chilean island
The aim of this project is to understand how argumentation works in science and religion, both in terms of the nature and development of arguments, and also in terms of teaching and learning.
This seven year project examines children's reading and spelling in the Ashara-based regions of India.
Advising on the development of the assessment items and survey instruments of PIRLS 2016.
A reading programme, co-designed with Queen’s University Belfast for children aged 7-9 in foster care using an approach called 'paired reading'.
A project utilising a working memory intervention to improve the working memory of hearing and deaf children through attainment in maths.
Evaluation of the effectiveness and potential scalability of Mathematical Reasoning; a programme developing children’s understanding of numbers and quantitative reasoning.
A project exploring the current childcare and early education model in England.
Investigating the educational aspect and effects of the 'A Better Start' programme with particular attention to the foundational skills children need for a successful start to school.
A role supporting and providing evidence of the scientific, conceptual, and methodological contributions of the ESRC and Department for International Development's international research programme.
Research into the impact of political uncertainty on education, theoretically and empirically.
We are developing and delivering evaluations for seven of the UK-based projects funded by the UK government's DfE Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme.
An interdisciplinary project examining accounts of permanent exclusion from schools in UK and the impacts exclusion policies have on young peoples' lives.
A mixed methods evaluation of the Buddy project run by the charity Siblings Together.
A mixed methods evaluation of a programme that is designed to improve educational outcomes for fostered children in London.
A series of reviews by the Rees Centre that examine existing research evidence on topics related to foster care and education.
A project addressing how practical science can be better assessed at GCSE.
This project aims to develop a preschool language programme to ameliorate the language weaknesses seen in disadvantaged groups at school entry.
An effectiveness trial of a 20 week programme to improve children’s oral language skills and supports reading comprehension in primary schools
This project aims to investigate the patterns, causes and consequences of NEET (Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training) across five different countries.
The evaluation of an intervention designed for children who are struggling with Key Stage 1 Maths.
A project using teaching and learning research to inform and improve teaching practice.
This project explores the effectiveness of self-teaching mathematics apps in Year 1 pupils.
eCraft2Learn is an integrated learning ecosystem that provides tools, support and training for innovative learning in STEAM education.
Go_Girl is a coding project for young women from non-traditional educational backgrounds.
This study examined the relationships between decoding ability in French as a foreign language, specifically self-efficacy and attribution among young-beginner learners in England.
This was an intervention study of reading comprehension among young-beginner learners of French as a foreign language (L2) in England.
Research Findings
Our department engages in cutting-edge multidisciplinary research to make a marked difference to educational experiences in the UK and across the world. Discover the aims and outcomes of some of our previously completed research here.
Find out moreResearch Structure
Our research groups and centres provide opportunities for research staff and higher degree students to obtain critical commentary on ongoing research, develop their research thinking and plan new research projects.
Find out moreAn interdisciplinary resource hub specialising in the use and development of quantitative methods across the department.
An interdisciplinary research hub specialising and facilitating discussion in qualitative research for a range of disciplines across the department.
A collaborative research hub, working with local schools, teachers and educational professionals to help improve their educational outcomes.
One of the UK’s leading international education journals, edited by members of our department.
Download podcasts from our termly research seminars, convened by and featuring our academics and a wealth of international speakers.
Our staff bring a world-class depth of knowledge to their subject areas. If you’d like to collaborate on a project or source an expert comment just search our online directory.