Multimodal Classroom Interaction Analysis. Straussian Grounded Theory. Video-based methods. Science education. Inclusion. Conceptual change pedagogy (e.g., science 'misconceptions').
• Funded research:
2022 - 2023 Video-based analysis of decolonising pedagogy in secondary school Religious Education classrooms.
We seek to understand and explain what ‘decolonising pedagogy’ looks like in six secondary school RE lessons in the UK.
Role: Principal investigator
Funded by: Culham St Gabriel's Trust
Value: £28,387
Duration: 1 year
2019 - 2022 The beginning teacher in the science/religion encounter: building confidence for an integrated vision of knowledge.
We explored the experiences of ‘science and religion encounters’ in the classroom of early career teachers and used that information to help improve teacher education. It sought to help beginning teachers of science and RE develop more collaborative relationships. Project website here. See Riordan et al. (2021).
Role: Co-investigator
Funding: TWCF
Value: £350,000
Duration: 3 years
2016 - 2017 Effective conceptual change pedagogy in school science lessons
We expanded the Pedagogy Analysis Framework (Riordan, 2022) by analysing the pedagogy in three secondary school science lessons about chromatography. The research design built on previous work by using full lessons and introducing pupil group verbal protocols. See Riordan, Hardman and Cumbers (2021).
Role: Principal investigator
Funding: SES Society for Educational Studies
Value: £5,400
Duration: 1 year
2013 - 2015 Physics and Chemistry Foundations
We worked with 23 experienced science teachers from six London schools, and six Imperial College physics professors to write a ‘research inspired’ Key Stage 3 physics scheme of work. Then ran a Control Trial of the scheme in twenty London schools. We extended the Physics Foundations project into six more London schools to write a Key Stage 3 chemistry scheme of work.
Role: Co-investigator
Funding: London Schools Excellence Fund
Value: £119,000
Duration: 2 years
2013 - 2014 ‘Promoting and Interpreting Physics Education Research’ (PIPER) ‘light’ misconceptions project
We analysed existing research about ‘light’ misconceptions. See Hardman and Riordan (2014).
Role: Co-researcher
Funding: IOP
• Publications:
1. Riordan, J.P. (2022) ‘A method and framework for video-based pedagogy analysis’, Research in Science & Technological Education, 40(1) pp. 53-75. doi:10.1080/02635143.2020.1776243.
2. Hardman, M., Riordan, J. and Hetherington, L. (2022) A material-dialogic perspective on powerful knowledge and matter within a science classroom. in: Hudson, B., Stolare, M., Gericke, N. and Olin-Scheller, C. (ed.) Powerful knowledge and epistemic quality across school subjects, London: Bloomsbury Academic.
3. Riordan, J. P., Revell, L., Bowie, B., Woolley, M., Hulbert, S. & Thomas, C. (2021) Understanding and explaining pedagogical problem solving: a video-based grounded theory study of classroom pedagogy, Research in Science & Technological Education, doi:10.1080/02635143.2021.2001450.
4. Riordan, J.P., Hardman, M. & Cumbers, D. (2021) 'Pedagogy Analysis Framework: a video-based tool for combining teacher, pupil & researcher perspectives', Research in Science & Technological Education, doi:10.1080/02635143.2021.1972960.
5. Riordan, J. P. and Roberts, M. (2021) ‘Technology’, in Soan, S. (ed.) Why do Teachers Need to Know About Diverse Learning Needs? Strengthening Professional Identity and Well-Being. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 67-84 (chapter 5).
6. Riordan, J.P. (2015) ‘Deception in school: weaving tangled webs’, in: Sangster, M. (ed.), Challenging Perceptions in Primary Education: Exploring issues in practice. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
7. Hardman, M. and Riordan, J. P. (2014) ‘How might educational research into children’s ideas about light be of use to teachers? Part of the IOP ‘Promoting and Interpreting Physics Education Research’ project’ Phys. Educ. 49, pp. 644-653.
