The University of Sheffield
The School of Education

Professor Elizabeth Ann Wood, BA (Hons), PGCE, Certificate in the Advanced Study of Education, MEd, PhD

Staff profile photoProfessor of Education. Director of Research

Tel: (+44) (0)114 222 8172
Fax: (+44) (0)114 222 8105
Email: e.a.wood@sheffield.ac.uk
Room: 6.06




Research

Elizabeth’s fields of research and teaching include early childhood and primary education, focusing on the following themes: learning, pedagogy and curriculum; play and learning; policy analysis and critique (national and international); equity and diversity; teachers’ beliefs and practices; professionalism and critical perspectives in education. Within the theme of play, her research focuses on pedagogy and practice, the ways in which play has been captured in policy sites, and the construction of ‘educational play’. She draws on critical and post-structural theories to interrogate policy frameworks, and the ways in which teachers and children are positioned within policy discourses. A longstanding interest is children’s own play cultures, meanings and purposes, including how they exercise power and autonomy in different forms of play. Elizabeth is interested in respectful and ethical ways of researching and understanding play from children’s perspectives.

Because of international trends towards the expansion of early childhood and primary education, and continued interest in play and pedagogy, Elizabeth’s research aligns with colleagues in many different countries. She works with colleagues in New Zealand and Australia to develop socio-cultural approaches to researching and theorising contemporary issues such as professionalism, international policy-making and policy travel, and cultural understandings of play. She has worked with organisations such as the National Union of Teachers, and Education International to research issues of equity and diversity in policies and practices of teacher unions www.ei-ie.org.

Teaching

Elizabeth teaches on the MA in Early Childhood Education, and EdD programmes. She supervises EdD and PhD students in the fields of early childhood and primary education; teacher’s thinking and classroom practice; policy analysis; equity issues. She has supervised doctoral students from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brunei, Taiwan, as well as from the UK and Europe. This experience has enabled her to develop knowledge about different policy frameworks and understanding of contrasting cultural approaches to early childhood education and teacher development.

Other Experience

Elizabeth has worked on professional development action research projects with teachers in early childhood settings, primary and secondary schools, focusing on play, gender and achievement, literacy, learning in outdoor environments. She has also worked with educators in zoos, children’s museums and science museums to develop their educational provision for children.

Activities/Distinctions/Awards

Books

Wood, E. (2013) Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum. London: Sage.
Wood, E. (2008) The Routledge Reader in Early Childhood Education. London: Routledge.
Broadhead, P., Howard, J.and Wood, E. (Eds) (2010) Play and learning in the early years, from research to practice. London: Sage.

Articles

Wood, E. (2013) Free play and free choice in early childhood education – troubling the discourse, International Journal of Early Years Education, DOI:10.1080/09669760.2013.830562

Fisher, J. and Wood, E. (2012) Changing educational practice in the early years through practitioner-led action research: an Adult-Child Interaction Project. International Journal of Early Years Education, DOI:10.1080/09669760.2012.715400

Wood, E. and Hall, E. (2011) Drawings as spaces for intellectual play. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1-15. DOI:10.1080/09669760.2011.642253

Wood, E. and Cook, J. (2009) Gender discourses and practices in role play activities: a case study of young children in the English Foundation Stage, Journal of Educational and Child Psychology, 26, 2, 19-30

Wood, E. (2009) Conceptualising a pedagogy of play: international perspectives from theory, policy and practice. In D. Kuschner (Ed) From Children to Red Hatters©. Diverse images and issues of play. Play and Culture Studies, Vol 8. Maryland: University Press of America.

Chapters

Wood, E. (2013) The play-pedagogy interface in contemporary debates, in E. Brooker, S. Edwards, M. Blaise (Eds) The Sage Handbook on Play and Learning. London, Sage.
Wood, E. (2013) Contested concepts in educational play: a comparative analysis of early childhood policy frameworks in New Zealand and England. In J. Nuttall (Ed) Weaving Te Whāriki: Ten Years On. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Wood, E. (2010) Developing integrated pedagogical approaches to play and learning, in P. Broadhead,, J. Howard, and E. Wood, (Eds) Play and learning in the early years: from research to practice. pp 9-26
London: Sage.
Wood, E. (2010) The play and pedagogy relationship. In L. Brooker and S. Edwards, (Eds) Engaging Play. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Wood, E. (2009) Developing a Pedagogy of Play for the 21st century. In Early Childhood Education: Society and Culture, A. Anning, J. Cullen, and M. Fleer (Eds). London:Sage, 17-30 (2nd edition)

This is the full list of  Elizabeth's publications.

Research Reports

Wood, E., Levinson, M., Postlethwaite, K. and Black, A. (2011) Equity Matters. Research report for Education International, Brussels: EI, www.ei-ie.org

Recent Funded Projects

2011-12 Action Research Projects Teaching Schools Research and Development opportunity – Teaching Development Agency for Schools.
2009-11 ‘Equity Matters’, Education International.
2007 Developing play in the Wales Foundation Stage: an action research project. Wales General Teaching Council.
2006 Developing Progression and Continuity in Play: an action research project. Cywmorth Children’s and Young peoples’ Partnership Research Grant, Wales.

Research Students

Nordiana Zakir

Raudhah Yahya

Margaret Chin

Michelle Hill