David Johnson is Reader in Comparative and International Education. He convenes the Centre for Comparative and International Education.
He is the Programme Research Lead for the ESRC-DFID Raising learning Outcomes in Education Systems Research Programme and Academic Lead for the Aga Khan Foundation funded Research Programme on Education and Uncertainty.
He is a Chartered Educational Psychologist who studies learning and cognition and is particularly interested in tracking learning progression in national systems of education over time. Recent work includes time series studies of learning in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Sudan.
Research
Books
Johnson, D., & MacLean, R. (2009). Teaching: Professionalization, development and leadership: Festschrift for professor Eric Hoyle (pp. 1-317).
Johnson, D. (2008). The Changing Landscape of Education in Africa quality, equality and democracy. Symposium Books Ltd.
Feiler, A., Andrews, J., Greenhough, P., Hughes, M., Johnson, D., Scanlan, M., & Yee, W. (2007). Improving Primary Literacy Linking Home and School. Routledge.
Yahampath, K., & Johnson, D. (2003). Primary Mathematics Project Final Evaluation Report.
Johnson, D. (2000). Impact of Supplementary Readers on Urdu Reading Comprehension of Middle Grade Students in Punjab.
Johnson, D. (2000). Assessing Outcomes-Based Education: A guide for Teachers. MacMillan.
Mebrahtu, T., Crossley, M., & Johnson, D. (2000). Globalisation, Educational Transformation and Societies in Transition.
Johnson, D., Hayter, J., & Broadfoot, P. (2000). The Quality of Learning and Teaching in Developing Countries Assessing Literacy and Numeracy in Malawi and Sri Lanka.
Johnson, D., Smith, B., & Crossley, M. (1998). Learning and Teaching in an International Context Research, Theory and Practice.
Book chapters
Johnson, D. (2017). Bhutan: Politics, culture and the modernization of education. In H. Letchamanan & D. Debotri (Eds.), Education in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Islands (pp. 69-86). Bloomsbury Academic.
Johnson, D. (2017). Education in the Arab World: Sudan. In S. Kirdar (Ed.), Education in the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic.
Johnson, D. (2014). Big Data and the Politics of Education in Nigeria. In T. Fenwick, E. Mangez, & J. Ozga (Eds.), World Yearbook of Education 2014. Governing Knowledge: Comparison, Knowledge-Based Technologies and Expertise in the Regulation of Education. Routledge.
Johnson, D., & Datoo, A. (2013). School leadership and the 2007 post election violence. In R. Clarke & T. O’Donoghue (Eds.), School Level Leadership in Post-conflict Societies: the importance of context. Routledge.
Johnson, D. (2011). A Cloud Over the Rainbow Nation? Language, National Reconciliation and Educational Transformation in Post Apartheid South Africa. In Education and Reconciliation: Exploring Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations (pp. 103-125).
Johnson, D. (2010). The enablement of teachers in developing countries. In D. Johnson & R. Maclean (Eds.), Teaching: Professionalisation, Development and Leadership Festschrift for Professor Eric Hoyle. Springer.
Johnson, D., & Kress, G. (2009). Globalisation, Literacy and Socieity: redesigning Pedagogy and Assessment. In J. Soler, F. Fletcher-Campbell, & G. Reid (Eds.), Understanding Difficulties in Literacy Development Issues and Concepts. Sage Publications Ltd.
Johnson, D. (2009). Literacy, Design and Technology: New Contexts for Learning and Skills Development in South Africa. In International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work (pp. 1777-1790). Springer Nature.
Johnson, D. (2009). Bridging the Learning Divide: A Study into Adult Learning and Peer Mediation in the Workplace. In International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work (pp. 219-232). Springer Nature.
Johnson, D., & Kane, L. (2009). Overview: Vocational Education, Social Participation and Livelihoods in Post-Conflict Countries. In International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work (pp. 767-774). Springer Nature.
Johnson, D. (2009). More and better? The political and policy dilemmas of teacher development in Nigeria. In J. Furlong, M. Cochran-Smith, & M. Brennan (Eds.), Politics and Policy in Teacher Education: International Perspectives (pp. 123-136). Routledge.
Johnson, D. (2008). ‘Hoyle’: Serendipity, Ambiguity and Playfulness. In D. Johnson & R. Maclean (Eds.), Teaching: Professionalisation, Development and Leadership Festschrift for Professor Eric Hoyle. Springer Science & Business Media.
Furlong, J. (2008). Do Teachers Still Need Universities?. In R. McLean & D. Johnson (Eds.), Teaching: Professionalisation, Development and Leadership. Festschrift for Professor Eric Hoyle. Springer Science & Business Media.
Johnson, D., & Maclean, R. (2008). Hoyle: Ambiguity, Serendipity, and Playfulness. In Teaching: Professionalization, Development and Leadership (pp. 3-8). Springer Nature.
Johnson, D. (2008). The Enablement of Teachers in the Developing World: Comparative Policy Perspectives. In Teaching: Professionalization, Development and Leadership (pp. 139-155). Springer Nature.
Johnson, D. (2008). Globalisation, knowledge and innovation: a sting in the tail for the British entrepreneurial university?. In D. Johnson, R. Maclean, & A. Hollender (Eds.), Globalisation, Vocationalisation and Mass Higher Education. Springer.
Johnson, D., Garrett, R., & Crossley, M. (2003). Global Connectedness and Local Diversity: Forging ‘new’ literacies at the point of confluence. In G. Claxton, A. Pollard, & R. Sutherland (Eds.), Learning and teaching where worldviews meet (pp. 19-34). Trentham Books.
Johnson, D. (2000). Intuition, Culture and the Development of Academic Literacy. In T. Atkinson & G. Claxton (Eds.), The Intuitive Practitioner: on the value of not always knowing what one is doing. Open University Press.
Groves, L., & Johnson, D. (2000). Transforming Education for Street Children in Brazil. In T. Mebrahtu, M. Crossley, & D. Johnson (Eds.), Globalisation, Educational Transformation and Societies in Transition. Symposium Books.
Johnson, D., Mebrahtu, T., & Crossley, M. (2000). Educational Development and Social Transformation in a Global Economy. In T. Mebrahtu, M. Crossley, & D. Johnson (Eds.), Globalisation, Educational Transformation and Societies in Transition. Symposium Books.
Johnson, D. (1999). Education and Equity: strategies for increasing access, persistence and achievement for girls. In R. Garrett & B. Smith (Eds.), Turning Aid Policy into Practice: Operationalising NORAD’s Principles.
Johnson, D., Smith, R., & Crossley, M. (1998). Learning and Teaching: International Concerns. In D. Johnson, R. Smith, & M. Crossley (Eds.), Learning and Teaching in an International Context: Research, Theory and Practice. Centre for International Studies in Education.
Johnson, D. (1997). Empowering parents for participation in education: Is participatory governance the only option?. In J. Lynch, C. Modgil, & S. Modgil (Eds.), Education and Development: Tradition and Innovation Vol. II. Cassell.
Johnson, D. (1996). Muligheter og Utfordinger. In P. Reierson (Ed.), Afrika: Mennesker, Naulur, Kultur. Norsk Borforlag.
Chalufu, J., & Johnson, D. (1995). An annotated bibliography of research into education in South Africa. In D. Johnson (Ed.), Educational Management and Policy: Research, Theory and Practice in South Africa. Bristol Papers in Education.
Johnson, D. (1995). Beyond Access: A South African Perspective. In R. Moodley (Ed.), Education for Transformation: Black Access to Higher Education. Thomas Danby Publications.
Johnson, D., & Pather, S. (1995). Breaking down the barriers: Implications for an open admissions policy for South Africa. In D. Johnson (Ed.), Educational Management and Policy: Research, Theory and Practice in South Africa. Bristol Papers in Education.
Johnson, D., & Perry, H. (1995). World Bank Loans for Education: Possibilities and Pitfalls for South Africa. In R. Garrett (Ed.), Aid and Education: Mending or Spending. Bristol Papers in Education.
Smith, D., & Johnson, D. (1995). The efficacy of Paired Reading in South African Primary Schools. In D. Johnson (Ed.), Educational Management and Policy: Research, Theory and Practice in South Africa. Bristol Papers in Education.
Johnson, D. (1994). Building community capacity for participation in educational governance. In K. Cole (Ed.), Sustainable Development for a Democratic South Africa. Earthscan.
Johnson, D. (1992). Transforming Teacher Provision and Teacher Training for a Post-Apartheid South Africa. In E. Unterhalter & H. Wolpe (Eds.), Issues in the Democratic Transformation of Apartheid. Heinemann.
Johnson, D. (1991). People’s education and the politics of writing. In E. Unterhalter & H. Wolpe (Eds.), Apartheid Education and Popular Struggles. Ravan Press.
Johnson, D. (n.d.). Improving the quality of education in Nigeria: a comparative evaluation of recent policy imperatives. In D. Johnson (Ed.), The changing landscape of education in Africa. Symposium Books.
Journal articles
Opposs, D., Baird, J.-A., Chankseliani, M., Stobart, G., Kaushik, A., McManus, H., & Johnson, D. (2020). Governance structure and standard setting in educational assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice , 27(2), 192-214.
Jeffery, D., & Johnson, D. (2019). Whose fault is failure? contested perspectives of academic support in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa. Research in Comparative and International Education, 14(3), 376-393.
Magrath, B., Aslam, M., & Johnson, D. (2019). Systems research in education: designs and methods. Research in Comparative and International Education, 14(1), 7-29.
Magrath, B., Aslam, M., & Johnson, D. (2019). Raising learning outcomes in the education systems of developing countries: research designs, methods, and approaches. Research in Comparative and International Education, 14(1), 3-6.
Johnson, D., & Saeed, T. (2016). Intelligence, global terrorism and higher education: neutralising threats or alienating allies?. British Journal of Educational Studies, 64(1), 37-51.
Childs, A., Tenzin, W., Johnson, D., & Ramachandran, K. (2012). Science Education in Bhutan: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Science Education, 34(3), 375-400.
Childs, A., Tenzin, W., Johnson, D., & Ramachandran, K. (2012). Science Education in Bhutan: Issues and challenges. International Journal of Science Education, 34(3), 375-400.
Murphy, R., & Johnson, D. (2009). Education and development in China – Institutions, curriculum and society. International Journal of Educational Development, 29(5), 447-453.
FEILER, A., ANDREWS, J., GREENHOUGH, P., HUGHES, M., JOHNSON, D., SCANLAN, M., & YEE, W. (2008). The Home School Knowledge Exchange Project: linking home and school to improve children’s literacy. Support for Learning, 23(1), 12-18.
Johnson, D., & Stewart, F. (2007). Education, ethnicity and conflict. International Journal of Educational Development, 27(3), 247-251.
Johnson, D. (2007). Building citizenship in fragmented societies: The challenges of deracialising and integrating schools in post-Apartheid South Africa. International Journal of Educational Development, 27(3), 306-317.
Johnson, D. (2006). Comparing the trajectories of educational change and policy transfer in developing countries. Oxford Review of Education, 32(5), 679-696.
Johnson, D. (2006). Investing in Teacher Effectiveness to Improve Educational Quality in Developing Countries: Does in-Service Education for Primary Mathematics Teachers in Sri Lanka Make a Difference to Teaching and Learning?. Research in Comparative and International Education, 1(1), 73-87.
Johnson, D., & Van Kalmthout, E. (2006). Education and conflict. Research, policy and practice. Forced Migration Review.
Greenhough, P., Scanlan, M., Feiler, A., Johnson, D., Yee, W., Andrews, J., Price, A., Smithson, M., & Hughes, M. (2005). Boxing clever: using shoeboxes to support home–school knowledge exchange. Literacy, 39(2), 97-103.
Johnson, D., & Kress, G. (2003). Globalisation, Literacy and Society: Redesigning pedagogy and assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 10(1), 5-14.
Johnson, D. (2003). Activity theory, literacy and assessment. Comparing children’s potential for representing meaning through different modes of communication. Assessment in Education. Principles, Policy and Practice, 10, 103-129.
Johnson, D., & Lewis, G. (1999). Do You Like What You See? Self‐perceptions of Adolescent Bullies. British Educational Research Journal, 25(5), 665-677.
Johnson, D., & Isaacs, I. (1999). Language and Literacy in Multilingual Settings. Alizes, 18, 158-168 .
Johnson, D. (1998). Teacher Assessments and Literacy Profiles of Primary School Children in South Africa. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(3), 381-412.
Johnson, D. (1997). Transforming Organisations: Management Cultures, Women and Leadership in South Africa. Alizes, 14, 31-48.
JOHNSON, D. (1995). Introduction: the challenges of educational reconstruction and transformation in South Africa. Comparative Education, 31(2), 131-140.
Johnson, D. (1995). Developing an approach to management self development in South Africa. Special Issue of Comparative Education: Educational Reconstruction and Transformation in South Africa, 31(2), 223-241.
Johnson, D. (1995). Language and Education in South Africa: The value of a genre-based pedagogy for access and inclusion. Alizes, 9, 31-57.
Beveridge, M., & Johnson, D. (1991). A new approach to the assessment of academic literacy in a Zimbabwean teachers’ training college. Language and Education, 5(1), 1-17.
Johnson, D. (1990). The politics of literacy and schooling in Zimbabwe. Review of African Political Economy, 17(48), 99-106.
Reports
Johnson, D. (2003). Profiles of Literacy. A survey of primary school children in Bangladesh. DFID/CEC.
Johnson, D. (2003). A baseline profile of the quality of primary education in Bangladesh. DFID/CEC.
Yahampath, K., Johnson, D., Fernando, S., & Dharmawardena, P. (2002). The Impact of Reforms in Primary Mathematics on Student Attainment Longitudinal Studies of Grades 1 to 5 from 1998-2002. DFID/CEC.
Yahampath, K., & Johnson, D. (2002). The efficacy of in-service training to the teaching strategies of primary school teachers in Sri Lanka. DFID/CEC.
Dias, S., Johnson, D., Yahampath, K., & Weber, M. (2002). Teacher and Student evaluations of Curriculum Materials. DFID/CEC.
Yahampath, K., Johnson, D., Dyananda, B., & Fernando, S. (2002). Tracking the effects of activity-based teaching on the mathematics learning outcomes of Sri Lankan students. DFID/CEC.
Yahampath, K., & Johnson, D. (2002). Evaluating Teacher Responsiveness to in-service training in Primary Mathematics. DFID/CEC.
Johnson, D., Yahampath, K., Batty, M., & Dayananda, B. (2001). Monitoring the professional competencies of trainers in teacher centres. DFID/CEC.
Cash, T., Yahampath, K., Johnson, D., & Sibli, S. (2001). Monitoring the in-service training of teachers in the use of new curriculum materials. DFID/CEC.
Johnson, D., & Anwar, M. (2000). The impact of the Punjab Middle School Project on learning and teaching: case studies of 32 schools. DFID and PMSP.
Mirza, M., & Johnson, D. (2000). A longitudinal study of reading attainment in Punjab middle schools. DFID and PMSP.
Johnson, D. (1998). A baseline profile of reading comprehension in Punjab middle schools. DFID and PMSP.
Johnson, D., & Mirza, M. (1998). Case studies into the use of supplementary reading books in Punjab middle schools. DFID and PMSP.
Johnson, D. (1995). Educational Management and Policy: Research, Theory and Practice in South Africa. Bristol Papers in Education. Comparative and International Studies: 4.
Johnson, D., Unterhalter, E., & Wolpe, H. (1991). Formal and Non-Formal Structures of Human Resource Development for a Post-Apartheid South Africa.
