Prof John Furlong[back]

John Furlong undertook his PhD while a teacher in a London comprehensive school.  On completion of his thesis he began a full time career for six years as a research fellow, working first at Manchester University and then at Brunel University.  In 1981 he moved to Cambridge University where he was a lecturer in the sociology of education for 11 years; he was also director of studies in Social and Political Sciences at Corpus Christi College.

In 1992 John moved to Swansea University to take up his first Chair; he became head of department in 1993.  In 1995 he moved to Bristol University, again serving as head of department, and then joined the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University in January 2000.  He took up his current post as Director of the Oxford University Department of Education in 2003.

John has had an active research career having directed a total of 16 externally funded projects and participated as a research fellow in a further two.  From 1994 to1997 he was a member of the national executive of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers and, in 1998, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.  John is an active member of the British Educational Research Association and served as President during the academic years 2003-5.  He was elected an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2003 and is a member of the 2008 RAE Education Sub-Panel.

John has a long standing reputation for research and teaching in three fields:

• The professional education of teachers

Over the last 20 years, he has directed a total of 10 externally funded research projects exploring different aspects of teacher education policy and practice.  His research, much of which has been widely influential, has addressed: the nature of teachers' professional knowledge; the nature of professional learning for student teachers; changing patterns of teacher education provision and practice in the UK and internationally.  His recent work in this area has included a research project examining the future of higher education in the professional education of teachers and an evaluation of the DfES Best Practice Research Scholarship scheme.  In 2006 he led the Review of Initial Teacher Training Provision in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government (The Furlong Report).

• Learners' perspectives on their own learning

In this aspect of his work, John Furlong has worked with a number of different groups of learners.  Much of his early work focused on disaffected pupils and their perceptions of schooling.  More recently he has directed a number of projects exploring different groups of learners' perceptions of using ICTs at home.  'ScreenPlay', funded by the ESRC, examined young people's perceptions of learning at home; 'Adults Learning @ Home', also funded by the ESRC, examined the perceptions and practices of adult learners using ICT at home.  He is currently directing a John Fell funded project exploring the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on Oxford students' experience of university life. 

• Educational research policy

As a highly experienced researcher, and previous President of BERA, John Furlong has researched and published on educational research policy.  In 2001 he completed a major review of educational research capacity in Wales, including its role in CPD.  More recently he has led an ESRC funded project examining the nature of 'quality' in applied and practice based research. 

Recent Publications

Books, etc.

2000

Higher Education and the New Professionalism for Teachers: Realising the Potential of Partnership. A discussion paper. London: SCOP/CVCP

2001
Philips, R. and Furlong, J. (Eds) Education, Reform and the State: policy, politics and practice. London: Routledge.

Furlong, J. and White, P. Educational Research Capacity in Wales: a review. Cardiff: Cardiff University School of Social Sciences.

Furlong, J. and White, P. Galluoedd Ymchwil Addysgol Yng Nghymru; Arolwg. Caerdydd: Ysgol Gwyddoran Cymdeithasol Prifysgol Caerdydd.

2002
Furlong, J., Wilkin, M., Maynard, T. and Miles, S. The Active Mentoring Programme - Second Edition. Cambridge: George Pearson Publishing.

2003
Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R. and Sutherland, R. ScreenPlay: children and computing in the home. London: Routledge.

Furlong, J., Salisbury, J. and Coombs, L. The  Best Practice Research Scholarship Scheme; an evaluation. Final report to the DFES. Cardiff: University of Cardiff School of Social Sciences.

2005
Selwyn, N., Gorard, S. and Furlong J. Adult Le@rning in the Digital Age. London: Routledge.

2006
Furlong, J., Hagger, H., Butcher, C. and Howson, J. Review of Initial Teacher Training Provision in Wales. National Assembly for Wales (The Furlong Report).

Furlong, J., Hagger, H., Butcher, C. and Howson, J. Adolygiad o'r Ddarpariaeth Hyfforddiant Cychwynnol Athrawon yng Nghymru. Adroddiad ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru.

Articles in refereed journals

2001
Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R., Sutherland, R. ‘Constructing the Child Computer User: from public policy to private practices', British Journal of Sociology of Education.

Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R., Sutherland, R. ‘What's the Point of Using Computers: the development of young people's computer expertise in the home', New Media and Society.

2002
Furlong, J. ‘15 Years of Reform in English Teacher Education', Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Association.

Furlong, J. ‘Ideology and Reform in English Teacher Education: some reflections on Cochran-Smith and Fries', Education Researcher, 31(6) pp. 23-25. 

2004
Furlong J. ‘BERA at 30: have we come of age?', British Educational Research Journal, 30(3), pp. 343-358.

2005
Furlong, J. and Salisbury, J. 'The Best Practice Research Scholarship Scheme; an evaluation'. Research Papers in Educaiton, 20 (1) pp. 45-83(39) 

Furlong, J. ‘New Labour and Teacher Education: the end of an era?', Oxford Review of Education.

2006
Furlong, J. and Oancea, A. Assessing Quality in Applied and Practice-Based Research in Education: a framework for discussion. Review of Australian Research in Education: Counterpoints on the Quality and Impact of Educational Research. Special Issue 6 of Australian Educational Researcher pp. 89-104. Also available at: http://www.bera.ac.uk/pdfs/Qualitycriteria.pdf

Furlong, J., Campbell, A., Howson, J., Lewis, S. and McNamara, O. ‘Partnership in English Initial Teacher Education: changing times, changing definitions. Evidence from the Teacher Training Agency National Partnership Project', Scottish Educational Review.

2007
Oancea, A. and Furlong, J. ‘Expressions of Excellence' in special edition Research Papers in Education, J. Furlong, and A. Oancea (eds) ‘Understanding Quality in Applied and Practice-Based Research'.

Furlong, J, Hagger, H and Furlong, C. 'Politics and Evidence-based Policy Making: the Review of Initial Teacher Training Prvision in Wales' Welsh Journal of Educaiton

2008
Furlong, J. ‘New Labour and Teacher Education in England - the case of the National Partnership Project' in Furlong, J., Cochran-Smith, M. and Brennan M. (eds) special edition, Teaching and Teacher Education, ‘Research and Policy in Teacher Education: international perspectives'.

Campbell, A., McNamara. O. Furlong, J., Lewis. S. and Howson, J. 'The Evaluation of the National Partnership Project in England: processes, issues and dilemmas in commissioned evaluation research' Journal of Education for Teaching.

Chapters in edited collections

2001
Furlong, J. 'Re-forming Teacher Education, Re-forming Teachers: accountability, professionalism and competence', in R. Phillips and J. Furlong (eds). Education, Reform and the State: policy, politics and practice. London: Routledge

Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R. and Sutherland, R. ‘Home is Where the Hardware Is: young people, the domestic environment and ‘access' to new technologies', in I. Hutchby and J. Moran-Ellis (eds) Children, Technology and Culture. London: Falmer.

Sutherland, R., Facer, K., Furlong, R. and Furlong, J. ‘A Window on Learning with Computers in the Home', in M. Selinger and J. Wynn (eds) Educational Technology and the Impact on Teaching and Learning. Abingdon: RM.

2003
Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R. and Sutherland, R. '"Edutainment" Software: a site for cultures in conflict?', in R. Sutherland, G. Claxton and A. Pollard (eds) Learning and Teaching Where Worlds Divide. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.

Ten best career publications

1978
Edwards, A.D. and Furlong, V.J. The Language of Teaching. London: Heinemann.

1985
Furlong, V.J. The Deviant Pupil: sociological perspectives. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

1988
Furlong, V.J., Hirst, P.H., Pocklington, K. and Miles, S. Initial Teacher Training and the Role of the School. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

1992
Furlong, V.J. 'Disaffected Pupils: reconstructing the sociological perspective', British Journal of Sociology of Education, 12(3) pp. 293-309.

1995
Furlong, J. and Maynard, T. Mentoring Student Teachers: the growth of professional knowledge. London: Routledge.

2000
Furlong, J., Barton, L., Miles, S., Whiting, C. and Whitty, G. Teacher Education in Transition: re-forming professionalism? Buckingham: Open University Press.

2003
Facer, K., Furlong, J., Furlong, R. and Sutherland, R. ScreenPlay: children and computing in the home. London: Routledge.

2005
Selwyn, N., Gorard, S. and Furlong J. Adult Le@rning in the Digital Age. London: Routledge.

2006
Furlong, J. and Oancea, A. ‘Assessing Quality in Applied and Practice-Based Research in Education: a framework for discussion'. Australian Association for Research in Education Journal.

2006
Furlong, J., Hagger, H., Butcher, C. and Howson, J. Review of Initial Teacher Training Provision in Wales. National Assembly for Wales (The Furlong Report).