Ray Godfrey is an epistemologist, with degrees in Latin, Greek, Ancient History, Philosophy; Mathematics; the philosophy and psychology of education; and statistics. He spent thirteen years teaching mostly maths and some RE in a number of comprehensive schools. The rest of the career has been with Canterbury Christ Church University and the Open University.
He has taught mathematics, history and philosophy of mathematics, mathematics education, primary education and research methods.
He has carried out, collaborated in, or supported research projects in a wide range of fields: evaluating a project for the resettlement of young offenders, SureStart projects and local Children's Funds; insect predation, crime reporting in 18th century newspapers, the accuracy of radiographers reports; moral values and beliefs of pupils in French and English schools; river pollution; the early mathematical development of children in England, Slovenia and five other countries, the Sport in Education project in England, Japan, Colombia and South Africa, confidence and knowledge of PE teachers in training; the fish population of the North Sea and English Channel; teaching foreign languages in primary schools, preparing mental ill students for further education, the long term consequences of permanent exclusion from primary schools, permanent exclusion of ethnic minority pupils from schools and the coding of ethnicities in school returns to DfES, progression of pupils in maths, science and English through Year 7; Special Educational Needs; school improvement; effects of menstruation on the performance of female athletes, effects of aging on elite athletic performance.
In addition to publications connected with these projects, he has written on: the philosophies of John White, Democritus and Russell; effect-size and meta-analysis; the role of research compared with professional experience; and misinterpretations of the difference between qualitative and quantitative research.
Recent and Current Projects
Faith schools admissions and social divisiveness in England.
The impact of faith schools in England on pupil attainment.
Learning for Life: a study of character education in England.
The meaningful analysis and communication of survey results.
Ethnicity and attainment in Birmingham; a longitudinal analysis.
Philosophical fallacies in current views on research paradigms.
The Charlton Athletic community programme in Kent: an evaluation.
Research supervision
Completed and current student topics include:
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Orientation programme for mentally ill students in FE.
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Meta-evaluation of a peer tutoring programme.
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Insect predation.
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Public perception of the maned wolf.
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Exercise physiology.
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Blindness and the development of false belief.
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North sea fish stocks
Publications
R. Godfrey (1984) 'John White and the Imposition of Autonomy', Journal of Philosophy of Education, 18 (1) 115-117
R. Godfrey (1990) 'Democritus and the Impossibility of Collision', Philosophy Vol 65 No. 252 April 1990, 212-217
R. Godfrey (1993) 'Paradoxes and Infinite Numbers', Philosophy 68, 541-545
R. Godfrey (1999) 'The Correlates of School Exclusion' Chapter 5 in C. Parsons (1999) Education, Exclusions and Citizenship London, Routledge, pp. 65-88
C. Aubrey, P. David, R. Godfrey and L. Thompson (2000) Early Childhood Research: issues in methodology and ethics, London, Routledge Falmer
C. Aubrey, R. Godfrey and J. Godfrey (2000) 'Children's Early Numeracy Experiences in the Home', Primary Practice No. 26, September 2000
C. Parsons, R. Godfrey, K. Howlett, C. Hayden and T. Martin (2001) 'Excluding Primary School Children – the Outcomes Six Years On', Pastoral Care in Education Vol. 19 (4) December 2001, 4 –15
R. Godfrey and C. Aubrey (2001) 'Assessing Early Mathematical Development' In C.Morgan and K. Jones (eds.) Research in Mathematics Education 3: papers of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics, London: BSRLM 55-68
K. Piper, A. Patterson and R. Godfrey (2005) 'Accuracy of radiographers' reports in the interpretation of radiographic examinations of the skeletal system: a review of 6796 cases', Radiography 11 (1) February 2005, 27-34
C. Aubrey, G. Bottle and R. Godfrey (2003) 'Early mathematics in the home and out-of-home contexts', International Journal of Early Years Education 1(2) June, 2003
B. Van de Rijt, R. Godfrey, C. Aubrey, J. Van Luit, P. Ghesquiere, J. Torbeyns, K. Haseman, S. Tancig, M. Kavkler, L. Magajna and M. Tzouriadou (2003) 'The Development of Early Numeracy in Europe', Journal of Early Childhood Research, 1,(2) pp. 155-179.
C. Aubrey and R. Godfrey (2003) 'The Development of Children's Early Numeracy through KS1', British Educational Research Journal (29) 6, pp. 821-840
R. Godfrey (2004) "Effect Size: a statistician's pseudo-concept?" in I. Schagen and K. Elliot (Eds) But what does it mean? The use of effect sizes in educational research, Slough: NFER
R. Godfrey (2004) 'Meta-analysis and qualitative data: insights from the history of probability' Building Research Capacity February 2004, Issue 7, pp. 9-11
L. Doyle and R. Godfrey (2005) 'Investigating the reliability of the Key Stage 2 test results for assessing individual pupil achievement and progress in England' London Review of Education, Volume 3, Number 1 / March 2005 pp. 29 - 45
J. Arthur and R. Godfrey (2006) Statistical Survey of the Attainment and Achievement of Pupils in Church of England Schools, Canterbury, National Institute for Christian Education Research.
A. Morris and R. Godfrey (2006) A Statistical Survey of Attainment in Roman Catholic Schools in England with Particular Reference to Secondary Schools Operating Under the Trust Deed of the Archdiocese of Birmingham
P. Aunio, C.Aubrey, R. Godfrey, Y. Pan and Y. Liu (2008) 'Children's Early Numeracy in England, Finland and the People's Republic of China', International Journal of Early Years Education, 16(3) October 2008, pp.203-221
R. Godfrey & A. Morris (2008) 'Explaining high attainment in faith schools: the impact of Religious Education and other examination s on pupils' GCSE points scores' British Journal of Religious Education, 30(3) September 2008 pp. 211-222