The University of Sheffield
The School of Education

Dr David Hyatt BA Cert Ed MEd (TEFL) PhD

Lecturer in Education
Senate Award Fellow (Excellence in Learning and Teaching)

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Tel: (+44) (0)114 222 8126
Fax: (+44) (0)114 279 6236
Email: d.hyatt@sheffield.ac.uk
Room: 7.06




Research interests

Critical Discourse Analysis

David´s publications in the area of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) have sought to expand understandings and theoretical frameworks for CDA in its socio-historic context and to consider potential applications for such an approach pedagogically through the niche offered by the recent incorporation of notions of Citizenship within the National Curriculum. His current research writing, linking with his former directorship and teaching on the MA Education Policy and Practice, encompasses a methodological analysis of approaches to the critical discourse analysis of educational policy documents. His distinctive contribution to this field, therefore lies in the synthesis of a well established theoretical methodology with practical pedagogical & research context.

Academic Literacies

Again as an active and researcher and teacher in higher education, David´s interests encompass approaches and issues in academic literacies, particularly in terms of feedback at postgraduate level, research disseminated through both publication and professional development seminars. His work in academic literacy has had an impact on School and departmental assessment and feedback procedures. This work has been disseminated through professional development seminars and publication.

International English Language Teacher Education

In line with the university´s commitment to a research-led teaching approach, David´s research has sought ways in which critical and innovative approaches to English Language teaching, learning and assessment can be understood. Currently his funded research project in relation to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) suite of examinations (£7,500 funded by the British Council/ Cambridge ESOL/ IDP:IELTS Australia) investigates such concerns. Historically this has led to an engagement with pedagogical issues around learning at a distance (including development of innovative Distance Learning (DL) teaching materials and processes), a variety of international contexts, and more recently, through work on two funded research sponsored by learndirect (Ufi Ltd) (£35,000 each) which sought to consider the learning of English by adult speakers of other languages under the recent Government initiatives on `Skills for Life´ and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

Teaching

David directs the Singapore distance learning programme and was previously Director and co Director of the MA in Education Policy and Practice and the director of the MEd English Language Teaching. He is a member of the teaching team for the Dublin professional Education Doctorate (EdD) and the MA in Literacy and Language programmes. He makes a teaching contribution to the EdD Literacy & Language, EdD Educational Psychology and the Post Graduate Certificate in Education. He currently supervises 14 doctoral students.

Other Experience
Before joining the Sheffield team in 1995, David worked as an English as a Foreign Language /English for Special Purposes (EFL/ESP) teacher and teacher trainer for many years. He has worked in the UK, Spain and Hungary, where he taught 'English for Politics' to Members of Parliament and has run Political English courses for Finnish interpreters at the European Parliament. He has previously worked at the Universities of Bristol and Bath, lecturing on areas such as sociolinguistics, spoken discourse and systemic-functional grammar.

Activities/Awards

Publications

Hyatt, D. (forthcoming) ‘Stakeholders perceptions of IELTS as an entry requirement for higher education in the UK.’ Journal of Further and Higher Education.

Hyatt, D. (2010) ‘Critical Discourse Analysis’. Research Methodology Resource for British Educational Research Association. Online at http://www.bera.ac.uk/critical-discourse-analysis/

Hyatt, D. (2009) ‘ “to elicit an honest answer - which may occasionally be the same as the truth” : Texture and the antagonistic political interview’ in Thompson, G. and Forey, G. (eds.) Text Type and Texture. London: Equinox, pp. 125-150.

Hyatt, D. & G. Brooks (2009) ‘Investigating Stakeholders’ Perceptions of IELTS as an entry requirement for higher education in the UK’ Project Report for British Council/Cambridge ESOL/IDP:IELTS Australia - UK1120 (Round 12 2007).

Hyatt, D. (2008) ‘Uncloaking text and discourse: using critical discourse analysis for educational research’ proceedings of International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation Madrid, Spain, November 2008 (ICERI Publications).

Hyatt, D. (August 2007) `Applying A Critical Systemic-Functional Literacy Frame to UK secondary education contexts´. In McCabe, A., O´Donnell, M., and Whittaker, R. (Eds.) Advances in Language & Education. London: Continuum.

Hyatt, D. (with M. Clapson) (2007) ‘Policy, cultural and ideological influences on the careers paths of teachers of English in French higher education’. TESOL Quarterly Vol.41/3, pp. 625-633 [special issue Language Policies and TESOL: Perspectives From Practice, Vaidehi Ramanathan and Brian Morgan (Eds.)

Hyatt, D. (2007) `Affordances for Empowerment: a pedagogical, analytical and heuristic tool for textual and discoursal uncloaking.´ In Quaderns de Filologia, Estudies Linguistics XI (2006) ISSN: 1135-416X 1-12.

Hyatt, D. (2005a) `Yes, a very good point!´: a critical genre analysis of a corpus of feedback commentaries on Master of Education assignments.´ In Teaching in Higher Education. Vol. 10/3, pp. 339-535.

Hyatt, D. (2005b) `Time for a change: a critical discoursal analysis of synchronic context with diachronic relevance´. In Discourse in Society 16/4, pp. 515- 534.
Hyatt, D. (2005c) `A Critical Literacy Frame for UK secondary education contexts´. In English in Education, Vol. 39/1, pp. 43 - 59.
Hyatt, D. (2004a) `Writing research´ in Opie, C. (ed.) Doing Educational Research. London: Sage. pp.34-57.

View a full list of David Hyatt's publications

Recent Funded Projects

Investigating stakeholders perceptions of IELTS as an entry requirement for higher education in the UK; funded by British Council/Cambridge ESOL/IDP:IELTS Australia. March 2007- March 2008.

Evaluation of Auralog E-learning English Language Package for learndirect (with Sue Webb, Toni Ibarz and Phil Logan); funded by UfI / learndirect. February 2003-March 2004.

Evaluation of ELLIS E-learning English Language Package for learndirect (with Sue Webb, Toni Ibarz, Pam Cole and Anita Franklin); funded by UfI / learndirect. March 2001 – December 2001.

Current Doctoral Students

Sheila MacDonald - Migrant Women as Mothers and Learners of English: An Exploration of Transitions and Gender

Mary Antonesa Delany - Information Literacy: Changing Concept and Knowledge Implications in HE

Geraldine Ward – A Critical Discourse Analysis of Lifelong Learning Policy in Ireland

Damien Raftery - Numbers and Power: Fostering Critical Numeracy in Higher Education

James Stephen - Negotiating Meaning in New Spaces: Moving from Literacy to Cyberliteracy

Ismini Vasileiou - Authentic Pedagogies for Computing in Higher Education

Cordula Peters - Teaching Graphic Design in a Globalized World: A Multi-Lingual Approach

David Thompson - Factors Affecting The Performance of Non-Native Speakers of English Preparing to Study at English-Speaking Universities

Maeve O’Grady - ‘At the Centre’: A case study of a feminist learning culture

Elaine Maher - An Analytical Framework of Student Learning Styles and Preferences Instruments

Chien-Hsiang Chien - The Cross-Cultural Email Exchange Project

Connie Seng - Teaching English Language Skills Through Folktales/Stories

Jason Loh (with Prof Jackie Marsh) - The Peter Effect? An Investigation into the Reading Attitudes of Primary School Teachers in Singapore

Elizabeth Ow Yeong Wai Mang - An Exploration of the Enhancement of Understanding and the Motivation for Learning for Children defined as being with ‘Special Needs’ in a Singapore Primary School Classroom, using the Constructivist-oriented Learning Approach

Recently Completed Doctoral Studies

Dr Ruby Poovaneswaree Vurdien-Rixham - Computer-Mediated Intercultural Competence: a critical analysis of an exchange between students of four different countries

Dr Tamara Jones - Active Listening & Interrupting in ‘the Real World’

Dr Catherine Holmes - “It's only normal to want to choose” The power to empower: Destabilising Discourse, Differences and Disabling Beliefs as Students with Learning difficulties choose options for life post-school.

Dr Peter Daly - Business Apprenticeship: Social, Institutional and Self Discourses.

Dr Frances Boylan - Borrowing the Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA) Technique for the Field of Higher & Research: A Critical Evaluation & a Practical Response

Dr Georgia Papanikolaou - In-service and Pre-service Primary School Teachers' Perceptions and Awareness of Multicultural Education in Cyprus