The University of Sheffield
The School of Education

Professor Kathryn Ecclestone, BA (Hons), MA Education, PGCE (Further Education), PhD

Professor of Education

Photo for staff webpage
Tel: (+44) (0)114 222 8117
Fax: (+44) (0)114 222 8105
Email: K.Ecclestone@Sheffield.ac.uk
Room: 6.10




Research

Areas of interest and expertise

Kathryn’s research explores two linked themes: first, the political and cultural rise of ‘therapeutic culture’ in growing numbers of countries, reflected in the therapisation of policy and practice around interventions for ‘emotional well-being’ and ‘resilience’ across social policy, including education and family interventions, and second, the impact of assessment policy on everyday educational practice, attitudes to learning and learning identities, in general vocational education, further, adult and higher education. She is particularly interested in the ways in which the growth of behavioural interventions in educational settings, together with formal and informal assessments of people’s emotional capabilities, reflect and encourage therapisation. She is currently working with colleagues at the universities of Melbourne and Helsinki on these interests.

Activities

Selected Recent Publications

Books

Kathryn Ecclestone (Ed.) 2013 (in press, December) Emotional well-being in policy and practice: interdisciplinary perspectives. London: Routledge

Kathryn Ecclestone (2010) Transforming Formative Assessment in Lifelong Learning. Buckingham: Open University

Kathryn Ecclestone, Gert Biesta and Martin Hughes (2009) Transitions and Learning Through the Lifecourse. London: Routledge

Kathryn Ecclestone, Dennis Hayes (2008) The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education. London: Routledge

Articles

Ecclestone, K., Lewis, L. (forthcoming, 2014)  Interventions for resilience in educational settings: challenging discourses of risk and vulnerability, Journal of Education Policy, 29, 1, 2014

Ecclestone, K. (2012) Emotional well-being in education: the pressing need for interdisciplinary perspectives, Editor’s introduction to special edition of Research Papers in Education, 27, 4

Ecclestone, K. (2012) From emotional and psychological well-being to character education: challenging policy discourses of behavioural science and ‘vulnerability’, Research Papers in Education, 27, 4, 463–480

Swann, J., Andrews, I. and Ecclestone, K. (2011)  Rolling-out and scaling up: the effects of a problem-based approach to developing teachers’ assessment practice, Educational Action Research, 19, 4, 531-547

Ecclestone, K., Morrision, M. (2011) Getting emotional: Recent Trends in the Development of School Leaders. A critical exploration. School Leadership and Management 31, 3, 199-214

Ecclestone, K. (2010) Promoting emotionally vulnerable subjects: the educational
implications of an ‘epistemology of the emotions’, Journal of the Pacific Circle Consortium for Education, 22, 1, 57–76

Ecclestone, K and Hayes, D. (2009)  Changing the subject: the educational implications of emotional well-being Oxford Review of Education 35, 3, 371-389

Davies, J. and Ecclestone K. (2008)  ‘Straitjacket’ or ‘springboard’ for sustainable learning?: the implications of formative assessment practices in vocational learning cultures, The Curriculum Journal, 19, 2, 71-86

Derrick, J., Gawn, J. and Ecclestone, K. (2008)  Evaluating the ‘spirit’ and ‘letter’ of formative assessment in the learning cultures of part-time adult literacy and numeracy classes, Research Issues in Post-Compulsory Education, July 2008

Ecclestone, K. (2007) An identity crisis? The importance of understanding agency and identity in adults’ learning, Editorial, Studies in the Education of Adults, 39, 2, 21-8

Ecclestone, K. (2007) Resisting images of the ‘diminished self’: the implications of emotional well-being and emotional engagement in educational policy, Journal of Education Policy, 22, 4, 455-470

Ecclestone, K., Hayes, D. and Furedi, F. (2005)  Knowing me, knowing you: the rise of therapeutic professionalism in the education of adults, Studies in the Education of Adults, 37, 2, 182-200

Ecclestone, K. (2004) Learning or therapy?: the demoralisation of education British Journal of Educational Studies, 57, 3, 127 - 141

Ecclestone, K. (2004) Learning in a comfort zone: cultural and social capital in outcome-based assessment regimes, Assessment in Education, 11, 1, 30-47

Ecclestone, K. (1999) Care or Control?: defining learners' needs for lifelong learning, British Journal of Educational Studies, 47, 4, 332-34

Chapters

2013 Building confident individuals: the implications of an ‘emotional’ subject, in Priestley, M. and Biesta, G. (eds) 2102 Reinventing the curriculum for the 21st century: new trends in curriculum policy and practice, London, Continuum.

2011 Instrumentalism and achievement: socio-cultural understandings of assessment in vocational education, in Gardner, J. (ed) 2011 Assessment and Learning (2nd edition), London/New York, Sage Publications

2011 Emotional well-being in education, in Arthur, J. and Peterson, A. (eds) Routledge Companion to Education, London, Routledge

2011 Assessment, in Arthur, J. and Peterson, A. (eds) Routledge Companion to Education, London, Routledge

2010 Assessment in Vocational Education, in Peterson, P., Baker, E. and McGraw, B. (eds) (2010) International Encyclopedia of Education, New York, Elsevier Books

2009 Resisting images of emotional vulnerability in educational policy, in Lowenthal, D. and House, R. (eds) (2009) Childhood, well-being and a therapeutic ethos, London, Routledge

Research Awards

2013 Mental well-being and mutual recovery: the role of community arts initiatives and adult and community education, co-applicant for a project led by Lydia Lewis, University of Wolverhampton, as part of the AHRC ‘Connected Communities’ Initiative, University of Nottingham-led consortium

2010 – 2011 Interdisciplinary rules for resilience interventions, University of Birmingham, principal applicant with Peter Lund, University of Birmingham

2010 – 2011 Constructions and translations of knowledge in general vocational education qualifications amongst stakeholders and teachers, principal applicant with Ann-Marie Bathmaker, University of Birmingham, Pearson/EdExcel awarding body

2010 Emotional well-being in education, ESRC Festival of Social Science Event, University of Birmingham

2008-10 Economic and Social Research Council Seminar Series Competition, Changing the subject? Inter-disciplinary perspectives on emotional well-being and social justice RES-451–26-054, University of Birmingham.

2001 - 2008 Quality assurance and assessment in the Finnish vocational education system National Board of Education, Finland

2006 – 2007 Assessing learning outcomes, ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme Seminar Series, co-applicant with Richard Daugherty, University of Aberystwyth and Mary James, Institute of Education

2006 -2007 Literature review of formative assessment in adult basic skills programmes, Organisation for European Co-operation and Development

2004 - 2008 Improving formative assessment in post-14 and post-compulsory education, Nuffield Foundation/National Centre for Research in Adult Literacy and Numeracy/Learning and Skills Development Agency (£100,000)

2005 – 2006 Transitions through the lifecourse: the impact of agency, identity and structure, ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme seminar series

Teaching

Kathryn teaches on the EdD, the BA and MA in Education and supervises doctoral students in the following areas: the ‘therapisation’ of education; assessment, pedagogy and learning identities in further and higher education; education policy; interventions for emotional well-being and resilience in educational settings.

Public Engagement

Kathryn organises and takes part in numerous public debates on educational and social policy issues, including the annual ‘Battle of Ideas’ event in London and Wellington College’s annual Education conference. She is a judge for the Institute of Ideas annual national debating competition for schools and colleges, Debating Matters.She has also contributed to Radio 4’s Moral Maze and written opinion pieces for the Times and Guardian newspapers.