Research

Director of Research

Professor Enlli Thomas
01248 383053

The School of Education and Human Development aims to conduct internationally excellent research based around strategic areas of expertise. We collaborate closely with government and third sector organisations to deliver research with real impact.

Research in Education is based around four main research groups:

Members of the education research groups work closely with research funders, the Welsh Assembly Government, Local Councils, schools and parents groups to ensure that their research has a real impact on policy and practice.

Current & Recent Projects

Current and Recent Projects

  • Headsprout Early Reading in Special Schools project (HERiSS). This is a project led by Dr Emily Roberts-Tyler and funded by the Education Endowment Foundation. The project builds on pilot work conducted at Bangor University, and will be evaluating the effects of a computer-based early reading programme on reading skills for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in special schools. For further details, please visit the project page here.
  • The North Wales Repeated Reading Project (NW-RRP), led by Dr Emily Roberts-Tyler. The project was funded by the Thomas Howell’s Education Fund, GwE, Widening Access, and a contribution from participating schools, and is a collaboration between GwE, CIEREI, and the University of Warwick. 19 primary schools and over 260 children across North Wales participated in the study designed to investigate the effects of two reading fluency interventions.
  • Sharland Foundation Developmental Disabilities ABA Research and Impact Network (SF-DDARIN). SF-DDARIN is a network of like-minded research practitioners. The over-arching purpose of SF-DDARIN is to increase the reach and impact of ABA-based interventions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism to support their independence and increased quality of life. Visit the project page here.
  • School of Education and Human Development Research showcase
  • The Best Model of Pedagogy for Initial Teacher Education and Training in the Primary Education sector 2014.
  • The Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 5th Edition (Baker 2011) with previous editions in 1994, 1996, 2001 and 2006. The first edition of this book was the 1994 Standing Conference in Education Book Prize-winner (best book of 1993 by an established author). The previous editions of this book have sold over 80,000 copies with translations into Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Latvian, Georgian, Greek, Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese.
  • Development of the Prawf Geirfa Cymraeg: Fersiwn 7–11, (Vocabulary Test 7–11) Gathercole and Thomas (2008), The Prawf Geirfa Cymraeg is the first receptive vocabulary test designed specifically for Welsh-speaking bilingual children.
  • Access to the curriculum for young children with special needs in mainstream classrooms (Ware, Butler, Robertson, O’Donnell and Gould, 2010) This project, funded by the Irish National Council for Special Education, gives a first insight into the extent to which young children in Ireland with a variety of SEN are being enabled to access the curriculum.

The School of Education and Human Development has strong links with the Centre for Research on Bilingualism .

We also hold regular research seminars, where both staff and students present their work, and a newly inaugurated series of talks by guest lecturers.

Research by Topic / Staff

Research by Topic / Staff

Bilingualism Language Development and Bilingual Education

Research Students

  • Jacob Finifrock
  • Lowri Mair Jones
  • Carla Marie Owen
  • Sion Aled Owen
  • Nia Parry

Inclusion/ Special Educational Needs

Research Students

  • Abeer Mansour Alabdan
  • Laura Jones
  • Edwin Kelly
  • Lindsay Marie Roberts

Bilingual Education and Special Educational Needs

Research Students

  • Laura Jones

Teacher Education and Professional Development

Research Students

  • Ellie Morsman
  • Susie Peart

Related Information