Research news

A study which measured and analysed scholarly literature, including research by academics from the Faculty of WELS, has found the OU to be second highest for publications in the field of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), with 75 articles identified.

Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Reading and Children’s Development in the WELS School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS) has won the UK Literary Association (UKLA) Academic Book Award 2021 by unanimous vote for her title ‘How and Why to Read and Create Children’s Digital Books: A Guide for Primary Practitioners’.

Petra Vacková is an award-winning postgraduate research student currently undertaking a PhD within the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS). We caught up with Petra to find out more about her research, which has been recognised by her supervisors and peers with two academic awards in the past year.

The Teachers' Reading Challenge is back, with a launch event focussing on 'Reading and Recuperation'.

Dr Mimi Tatlow-Golden, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology and Childhood in the WELS School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport (ECYS), has praised the government’s announcement of an online and pre-watershed TV ban of advertising for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS).

Professor Kwame Akyeampong has been appointed co-chair of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP), hosted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the World Bank.

Enhancement of the support currently offered to families with a parent or primary carer in prison is the goal of the ‘Families First’ project, a two-year study led by the OU's Children’s Research Centre, in partnership with charity YSS.

Building on a partnership that delivered the hugely successful Pan Commonwealth Forum (PCF9) in Edinburgh in 2019, two MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) were developed by WELS colleagues to support the professional development of inclusive education for teachers and teacher educators in Africa.

National supermarket chain Morrisons, working in conjunction with the Reading for Pleasure project has launched a book donation and exchange station for children, in its stores across the UK. The Morrisons Children’s Little Library aims to promote reading and literacy in children, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Academics from WELS will present their work next week at the “OU COVID-19 Research: Online Learning and Education” seminar. The event showcases OU-funded projects which have aimed to improve and support aspects of online learning and education during the COVID-19 pandemic.