Research news

Research by The Open University Children’s Research Centre (OUCRC) was key to the evolution of a book on children’s rights published this month.

Undertaking any form of research is a challenge in its own right, but having a global pandemic breakout mid-way through is something that nobody expects to happen when they set out on their PhD journey. Find out how WELS student, Petra Vacková, coped with the challenges of carrying out research in such unprecedented times.

Informed by research from the Faculty of WELS, a new golf monitoring app has launched, which is designed to offer in-depth athlete analysis as well as research insight. The AMI Sports: Golf app enables golfers to track their training, practice, tournaments and daily wellness measures to provide insights to optimise their performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Dr Caroline Tagg has been awarded a British Academy Fellowship for a project that aims to better understand the nature of 21st century communication and the role mobile phones play in people's busy lives.

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.