Stephen Gorard has supervised a large number of research students working on topics as diverse as violence against women in schools, romance literature, a randomised controlled trial of literacy learning, the deployment of a virtual learning environment, the educability of creativity, equity in the IELTS test, the underachievement of boys, nurse education, and teacher development. His preferred areas of supervision school improvement, social justice, and post-compulsory and lifelong patterns of learning. He is the author of a number of teaching-related books on research methods and in information technology. New students in these and any topics related to policy, education, effectiveness, or equity are always welcome.
In a sense, his research interests are simple. They involve the improvement of education in terms of effectiveness and equity, but his research is ‘society-wide’ and lifelong in scope. He has conducted studies of primary education, early childhood, secondary education, FE, HE, adult and continuing education, and informal learning in the home. These have been concerned with attainment, pedagogy, assessment, participation, leadership, school organisation, and national policy, as well as wider issues such as crime prevention, health promotion and family life.
Methodologically, the work encompasses a full cycle of research from systematic review, to engineering results into practice, and then monitoring the results, and embraces a design or D&R approach to educational improvement. His research approach is multi-method, and he has successfully conducted fieldwork and analysis using a wide variety of techniques, in combination, including:
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Large-scale surveys
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Unstructured (to heavily structured) interviews
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Focus group work
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Observation and participant observation
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Secondary analysis
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Documentary (content) analysis
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Trial design
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Complex statistical modelling
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Historical archive analysis, and
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Research synthesis
Recent research and evaluation grants include (selection):
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2012-14 Research design as a basis for QM teaching (£100k, ESRC)
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2012-13 Developng parental engagement (£57k, Nuffield)
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2011-17 Evaluation for Educational Endowment Fund (DfE/Sutton Trust)
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2011-12 Clustering school intakes (£8k, British Academy)
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2011- Network of Experts on the Social Aspects of Education and Training (EU)
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2011- Social Science Research Framework: Secondary Research (Food Standards Agency)
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2010-11 Aspirations, attitudes, behaviour and attainment: a review of causality (£20k, Rowntree)
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2009- DWP Social and Economic Research Framework (DWP)
Knowledge exchange and impact
Stephen has an extensive record in knowledge exchange activity and the following gives a flavour of the range of these activities. He has given written and verbal evidence of various Select Committees and is frequently cited in Hansard. He has been involved with the network of experts in Education Social Science (EU), the Valorisation of inequality indicators (Socrates), the Foresight mental capital and wellbeing project (Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills), The role of experimental design (ERSC TRLP), the Welsh Assembly Government’s National Pedagogy Initiative (NAfW) and the Evaluation of Foundation Framework (Welsh Assembly Government). He has a long list of plenary presentations to various academic and public bodies. His media impact factor is high, for example; The future of small schools, BBC TV Midlands Today, Teachers’ pets, The Paul Frank Show, BBC West Midlands, Advantages of work experience, BBC Radio Five Live Richard Bacon Show (more information below). In addition he has contributed regularly to the Times Educational Supplement as well as other popular print media. He has been called upon to be a referee for many grant applications.
Recently, the University of Birmingham has launched the Heroes campaign to raise awareness regarding some of the current research that continue to address today’s key national and global challenges. At the School of Education our ground breaking research and evaluation of education is used to inform policy-makers, assist practitioners and enhance opportunities for all learners. Stephen is one of the featured academic experts from the School of Education and his Hero profile can be viewed at www.bham.ac.uk/heroes/heroes/gorard.shtml
Media coverage (selection)
His work has generated considerable media interest. He has discussed research findings on BBC TV National News, BBC2, BBC4, BBC Wales TV News, BBC Wales TV 'Week in Week out', Teachers’ TV, BBC Radio Four 'Today Programme', 'The Learning Curve', and ‘Womans Hours’, BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio Wales 'Wales Today', BBC Radio Wales 'Sarah Dickinson Programme', BBC Radio Wales News, Valleys Radio News, and Swansea Sound News. Recent coverage includes:
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What is education for?, Newsnight, BBC2, 10/3/10
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School Matters: Estelle Morris on the Attainment Gap, Teachers TV, www.teachers.tv
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School closures in Shropshire, BBC TVMidlandsToday, 25/4/11
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The Academies policy, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Shane O’Connor at Breakfast, 13/5/11
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The growth in Asian primary pupils, BBCWM Midlands Masala with Satnam Rana, 26/6/11
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Are Academies better schools?, BBCWM Breakfast Show, 5/7/11
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Engineering graduates ‘taking unskilled jobs’, BBC News, 8/9/11
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A clash of two policies, BBC RadioKent, 31/10/11
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Can we judge the performance of schools?, BBC Radio Four Analysis, to be aired January 2012
Recent coverage in the press include:
Brightest pupils may be allowed to skip GCSE and start A-levels early, The Guardian, 18/3/11, http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/18/gove-clever-pupils-skip-gcse
Don’t let impatience wreck good intentions of social mobility, Birmingham Post, 7/4/11, p.28
Expanding popular schools, London Evening Standard, 31/5/11
School choice can succeed – but not this way, Times Educational Supplement, 3/6/11, p.28
GCSE gender gap is not that bad, London Evening Standard, 26/8/11, pp.54-55
Girls surge ahead to open up record gender gap at 16, The Guardian, 26/8/11, p.10
Engineering fails to attract graduates, Belfast Telegraph Morning, 08/09/2011, p.43
Jobs struggle for graduate engineers, The Scotsman, 08/09/2011, p.14
Job figures cast doubt on Whitehall's push for science degrees, The Guardian, 08/09/2011, p.7
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its grip on schools, The Daily Telegraph, 28/8/10, pp1&4
Research-related activities
Stephen has been granted the title of Academician by the Academy of Social Sciences. He is also a member of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel for Education, Psychology and Linguistics, and methods expert for US Federal Institute of Education Science. He is also listed as a NESET expert - a network of experts on the social aspects of education and training.
He is the associate editor of Evaluation and Research in Education. He is on the editorial boards of a number of journals, regularly referee for about 50 education and social science journals, and is large consultant or reviewer for around 40 academic, governmental and grant-awarding bodies. His work is featured in:
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Who’s Who in the World
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The Dictionary of International Biography
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Madison Who’s Who
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The Cambridge Blue Book
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Who’s Who in America
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Continental Who’s Who
Stephen has been granted the title of Academician by the Academy of Social Sciences. He is also a member of the ESRC Grant Assessment Panel for Education, Psychology and Linguistics, a member of the US Institute of Education Science Research Grants Panel for Mathematics and Science, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Gorard, S. and ChengSC(2011) Pupil clustering in English secondary schools: One pattern or several?, International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 34, 3, 327-339
Smith, E. and Gorard, S. (2011) Is there a shortage of scientists? A re-analysis of supply for the UK, British Journal of Educational Studies, 59, 2, 159-177
Gorard, S. and See, BH (2011) How can we enhance enjoyment of secondary school?: the student view, British Educational Research Journal, 37, 4, 671-690
Gorard, S., See, BH and Davies, P. (2011) Do attitudes and aspirations matter in education?: A review of the research evidence, Saarbrucken: Lambert Academic Publishing
Gorard, S. (2011) The potential determinants of young peoples’ sense of justice: an international study, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 32, 1, 35-52
Gorard, S. (2010) Serious doubts about school effectiveness, British Educational Research Journal, 36, 5, 735-766
Gorard, S. and Smith, E. (2010) Equity in Education: an international comparison of pupil perspectives, London: Palgrave.
Gorard, S. (2010) Education can compensate for society – a bit, British Journal of Studies in Education, 58, 1, 47-65.
Gorard, S. (2010) All evidence is equal: the flaw in statistical reasoning, Oxford Review of Education, 36, 1, 63-77.
Gorard, S. (2009) Does the index of segregation matter? The composition of secondary schools in England since 1996, British Educational Research Journal, 35, 4, 639-652.
Gorard, S. (2008) Which students are missing from HE?, Cambridge Journal of Education, 38 (3).
Gorard, S. (2008) Research impact is not always a good thing: a re-consideration of rates of ‘social mobility’ in Britain, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29 (3): 317-324.
Publications 2008 - present (PDF 156KB, opens new window)
Publications 2001 - 2007 (PDF 199KB, opens new window)
Publications pre - 2001 (PDF 42KB, opens new window)