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Department of Education

Karen Skilling

Departmental Lecturer, Deputy Director of Doctoral Research, PGCE Mathematics Lead, Doctoral Teacher Fellow Coordinator

College Affiliation: St Antony's College

Dr Karen Skilling is a mathematics educator and researcher at the Department of Education, University of Oxford.

Her research interests include: student engagement and motivation in mathematics; teacher beliefs and practices for promoting student engagement; mathematics instruction across primary through to secondary years; integrated STEM learning, STEM project based activities; and vignette methods

Karen is a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London.

Karen’s current roles include:

• Departmental Lecturer: teaching, supervision and research with Doctoral, MSc, and PGCE students.
• Deputy Director of Doctoral Research – convene Research Training Seminars
• PGCE Mathematics Lead
• Doctoral Teacher Fellow Coordinator
• STEM Discussion Group co-lead
• SCR Member of St Antony’s College
• Visiting Fellow at King’s College London

 

Funded Research Projects:

  • Observing, Recording & Reporting Student Engagement & Motivation in Mathematics (ORRSEMM) Project

    • Sep 2020- Dec 2021

    John Fell Funding (£9123)

  • CoReflect@maths Project

    • Sep 2019 - Sep 2022

    CoReflect@maths Project -Erasmus + Strategic Partnership (6 partner institutions). (£35000)

Doctoral Applications

Karen welcomes doctoral applications from students interested in the following research areas

  • Motivation and engagement in education
  • Self-regulation and metacognitive processes
  • Affective and emotional constructs influencing learning
  • STEM learning and integrated STEM projects
  • Qualitative methods: vignette methods; interviews (in-depth & focus groups), classroom observations; and mixed methods

  • Subjects Taught

    MSc in Learning and Teaching

    PGCE

Publications:

  • Books

    • Skilling, KG, Maguire, M, Gibbons, SJ, Glackin, MA, Pepper, DJ (2018) Becoming a teacher: issues in secondary education. 5th ed. London: Oxford University Press.

  • Book chapters

    • Skilling, K (2020) “Student STEM beliefs and engagement in the UK: how they shift and are shaped through integrated projects”, In: Integrated Approaches to STEM Education. Advances in STEM Education. Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland. 251-270
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52229-2

    • Skilling, KG (2019) “Shifting and shaping student beliefs about STEM education, pathways and engagement through integrated project experiences”, In: Y Li, J Anderson (eds.) Integrated approaches to STEM education: An international perspective. Springer.

    • Skilling, KG (2018) “Continuing as a teacher”, In: MA Glackin, SJ Gibbons, MM Maguire, DJ Pepper, KG Skilling (eds.) Becoming a Teacher. 5th ed. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill. 396-408

    • Skilling, KG (2018) “Engaged in learning: Learning to engage”, In: M Maguire, S Gibbons, M Glackin, D Pepper, K Skilling (eds.) Becoming a Teacher. 5th. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill. 146-162

    • Skilling, KG (2018) “Numeracy,mathematical literacy and mathematics”, In: M Maguire, S Gibbons, M Glackin, D Pepper, K Skilling (eds.) Becoming a Teacher. 5th. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill. 269-286

    • Skilling, K “Managing student behaviour and engagement in the classroom”, In: S Gibbons, M Glackin, D Pepper, E Rushton, E Towers (eds.) Becoming a Teacher. 6. Maidenhead: McGraw Hill.

  • Conference papers

    • Skilling, KG (2019) “Distinguishing engagement from achievement: understanding influential factors for engaged and disengaged low achieving mathematics students”, Proceedings of the Eleventh Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME11, 5-10 February 2019) Utrecht, The Netherlands: Utrecht University and ERME.. Eleventh Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education.. Eleventh Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education.

    • Skilling, KG (2019) “Shifting and shaping student STEM beliefs: learning from a transdisciplinary robot project”, https://stem-in-ed2018.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/5th-International-STEM-in-Education-Post-Conference-Proceedings-2018_1502.pdf. Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. 364-371.

    • Skilling, KG, Bobis, J, Martin, A (2017) “The engagement of students with high and low achievement levels in mathematics”, Proceedings of the 39th Psychology of Mathematics Education conference. Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME)K Beswick, T Muir, J Wells (eds.) . Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME). 4 185-192.

    • Zhang, D, Skilling, KG, Bobis, J (2016) Autonomy supportive teaching practices: International perspectives.. Beijing Normal University Publishing Group.

    • Skilling, KG, Stylianides, GJ (2015) “Promoting cognitive engagement in secondary mathematics classrooms”, Proceedings of Ninth Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME9). (Prague) Prague: Ninth Conference of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME9. 1280-1286.

    • Skilling, KG, Mason, J (2015) Spaces and values: What is available to be adopted by students. Linköping: Svensk förening för MatematikDidaktisk Forskning. 137-147.

    • Skilling, KG (2014) Teacher practices: How they promote or hinder student engagement.. Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. 589-596.

    • Skilling, KG Investigating student STEM beliefs within a transdisciplinary robot building project. 5 158-158.

  • Journal articles

    • Skilling, KG (2019) “What do teachers believe about student engagement in mathematics and why does it matter?”, The Scottish Mathematical Council Journal. 48 64-71.

    • Skilling, K, Stylianides, G (2019) “Using vignettes in educational research: a framework for vignette construction”, International Journal of Research and Method in Education.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2019.1704243

    • Durksen, TL, Way, J, Bobis, J, Anderson, J, Skilling, K, Martin, AJ (2017) “Motivation and engagement in mathematics: a qualitative framework for teacher-student interactions”, Mathematics Education Research Journal. 29 163-181.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-017-0199-1

    • Skilling, K, Bobis, J, Martin, AJ, Anderson, J, Way, J (2016) “What secondary teachers think and do about student engagement in mathematics”, Mathematics Education Research Journal. 28(4) 545-566.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-016-0179-x

    • Skilling, KG, Bobis, J, Martin, A “The “ins and outs” of student engagement in mathematics: shifts in engagement factors among high and low achievers”, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00313-2

    • Skilling, K, Bobis, J, Martin, AJ “The “ins and outs” of student engagement in mathematics: shifts in engagement factors among high and low achievers”, Mathematics Education Research Journal.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-020-00313-2

    • Skilling, K “Student engagement in mathematics: characteristics reported by teachers”, Mathematics in School.

    • Skilling, K, STYLIANIDES, G “Using vignettes to investigate mathematics teachers’ beliefs for promoting cognitive engagement in secondary mathematics classroom practice”, ZDM: The International Journal on Mathematics Education.
      DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-022-01431-w

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