John-Paul Riordan

Reader in education, educational researcher specialising in pedagogy analysis, and School Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Teacher Education.

My research interests are classroom pedagogy analysis, Symbolic Interactionism, multimodality, inclusion, science education, conceptual change pedagogy (i.e., science ‘misconceptions’), Straussian Grounded Theory, video-based methods, and sociomaterialism. I am a member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) the Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education (KOSS) network.

I am an experienced educational researcher and have a PhD in science education (conceptual change pedagogy). I taught secondary school science (specializing in physics) from 1999 to 2016. That included working full-time in mainstream schools for ten years. I then taught part-time for seven years in a special school for children with complex needs. I was a care worker with adults who have learning difficulties in France for four years before becoming a teacher. I am a Makaton Tutor. I lead the Visual Methodologies Special Interest Group (a research network). I teach on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, mostly in Initial Teacher Education. I supervise Masters and Doctoral students (Masters by Research, PhD and EdD). Please get in touch if you are thinking about postgraduate research in education and would like to talk.

• 2012 - present - Canterbury Christ Church University, UK (Reader) • 2009 - 2016 - St Nicholas School, Canterbury (special school science teacher and science lead) • 2004 – 2009 - St. Anselm’s Catholic School, Canterbury (science teacher and KS4 Science Manager) • 1999 – 2004 - Rainham Mark Grammar School (science teacher)

'• Classroom pedagogy analysis, Symbolic Interactionism, multimodality (esp. Multimodal Classroom Interaction Analysis), inclusion, science education, conceptual change pedagogy (i.e., science ‘misconceptions’), Straussian Grounded Theory, video-based methods, and sociomaterialism.

• 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

Research Projects

An exploration of a rights education programme to improve student participation, agency and voice. Researcher(s): Mrs Susan Wade. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Judy Durrant. [Postgraduate Research Project]
An Exploration of Initial Teacher Education in Special Educational Needs and Disability: A Qualitative Case Study of an Algerian context.. Researcher(s): Ms Zineb Boudiba. Supervisor(s): Dr Sarah Christie, Dr John-Paul Riordan. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Miss Olivia Gillard. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Simon Prince. [Postgraduate Research Project]
How can Makaton be embedded in the School Community?. Researcher(s): Miss Katie Potts. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Kristy Howells. [Postgraduate Research Project]
How Do Children Understand Prayer in a Church School? A Video-Based, Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Using a Godly Play Approach. Researcher(s): Dr Jane Southward. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Professor Trevor Cooling. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
How Might Communication Help Practitioners in Loss and Grief Counselling?. Researcher(s): Mrs Jane Joyce. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Maria Diemling. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Support for visually impaired students in further education. Researcher(s): Mrs Josie Grainger. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Christopher Anderson. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Teachers' perceptions of autonomy in British primary academy schools. Researcher(s): Mrs Janet Dada. Supervisor(s): Dr Gemma Van Vuuren-Cassar, Dr John-Paul Riordan. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Tensions within autistic people and the relationship their autism has with the formation of their personal and cultural identity as an autistic person. Researcher(s): Mr Joel Umpleby-Wesson. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Alison Ekins. [Postgraduate Research Project]
Use of digital media to influence policy design - teacher podcasters, etc.. Researcher(s): Mr Kieran Mackle. Supervisor(s): Dr John-Paul Riordan, Dr Magz Hall. [Postgraduate Research Project]
We agreed at the meeting yesterday that Liz Hoult would approve the corrections but the system does not seem to give the option to make this change. Please can you action. Researcher(s): Mrs Kerry Jordan-Daus. Supervisor(s): Dr Peter Gregory, Dr John-Paul Riordan. [Postgraduate Research Project]

British Educational Research Association (BERA) member
• Knowledge and Quality across School Subjects and Teacher Education (KOSS) network member
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

• Supervisor:
- First supervisor for Miss Katie POTTS MA by Research (How can Makaton be embedded into Schools and their Communities?; completed 2024)
- Chair for Dr Kerry JORDAN-DAUS EdD (Being Heard: How have women leaders in education used Twitter to find their leadership voice?; completed 2023)
- First supervisor for Dr Jane SOUTHWARD EdD (How Do Children Understand Prayer in a Church School? A Video-Based, Constructivist Grounded Theory Study Using a Godly Play Approach; completed 2021)
- First supervisor for Dr Janet NORTHING EdD (A theological reflection on education, and an educational reflection on theology; completed 2017)

• Examiner:
- Internal examiner for Gary MAY MA by Research (Benefits to pupils from the introduction, learning and playing of modern board games in secondary phase education; completed 2024)
- Internal examiner for Dr Courage NJEATIH PhD (Imaging the Second Language Autonomous Learner: A Study of the Relationship Between ESOL Learners’ Autonomy and Identity Development in the UK; completed 2023)
- Internal examiner for Jamie POUT MA by Research (The perceived impact of CPD on early career science teachers; completed 2022)
- External examiner for Dr Suzie DICK EdD (How does undertaking a small-scale practitioner enquiry during the first year of teaching influence the formation of NQT teachers’ professional identity and their classroom practices?; completed 2022)
- Internal examiner for Dr Tansy WATTS PhD (“I’m learning nature now with them”: what can a holistic perspective contribute to our understanding of the influential relations between young children, adults and a natural environment?; completed 2021)
- Internal examiner for Dr Stephanie BURKE PhD (Student perceptions of the aims of education in an independent school and the differing value priorities expressed. a Q-methodological study; completed 2018)

• Conference papers:
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2023, Birmingham, UK
Nordic Conference on Subject Education (NOFA9) 2023, Vaasa, Finland
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2021, Online
European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2019, Bologna, Italy
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2019, Manchester, UK
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2018, Newcastle, UK
European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) 2018, Klagenfurt, Austria
European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2017, Dublin, Ireland
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2016, Leeds, UK
European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2015, Helsinki, Finland
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2014, London, UK
Institute of Physics (IOP) York, UK
British Educational Research Association (BERA) 2013, Sussex, UK
Association of Science Education (ASE) 2013, Reading, UK
International Conference on Conceptual Change 2012, Trier, Germany
Canterbury Christ Church University Jubilee Conference 2012, Canterbury, UK
New Perspectives on Science Education 2012, Florence, Italy
Association of Science Education (ASE) 2012, Liverpool, UK

Please see my Google Scholar Profile for publications. https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=nXg2WwgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra

Making sense of big questions that require multiple subjects: preliminary theorisation of an integrative philosophy of knowledge and empirical indications of a lack of subject connection within school curricula Bowie, R. A., Aantjes, R., Woolley, M., Hulbert, S., Revell, L., Thomas, C., Riordan, J., (01 Oct 2024): Springer Nature. [Journal article]
Multimodal classroom interaction analysis using video-based methods of the pedagogical tactic of (un)grouping Riordan, J., Revell, L., Bowie, B., Hulbert, S., Woolley, M., Thomas, C., (29 Feb 2024): Taylor & Francis. [Journal article]
Teachers’ use of questions and the science – religion encounter: Basil Bernstein and the impossibility of the unthinkable Revell, L., Bowie, R. A., Woolley, M., Riordan, J.: Springer, La Salle Academy. [Journal article]
Understanding sustainability pedagogy in practice Riordan, J. P., (18 Dec 2023, 18 Dec 2023), Good Education in a Fragile World: The Value of a Collaborative and Contextualised Approach to Sustainability in Higher Education. Abingdon: Routledge. [Book chapter]
Science religion encounters, epistemic trespass, neighbourliness and overlapping domains: theorisation and quantitative evidence of extent Bowie, R., Aantjes, R., Woolley, M., Hulbert, S., Thomas, C., Revell, L., Riordan, J., (28 Oct 2023): Springer Nature. [Journal article]
Teachers' perspectives on the relationship between secondary school departments of science and religious education: independence or mutual enrichment? Woolley, M., Bowie, R. A., Hulbert, S., Thomas, C., Riordan, J., Revell, L., (02 Nov 2023): Wiley. [Journal article]
Using video and multimodal classroom interaction analysis to investigate how information, misinformation, and disinformation influence pedagogy Riordan, J., Revell, L., Bowie, B., Thomas, C., Woolley, M., Hulbert, S., (29 Aug 2023): Brill. [Journal article]
Science and RE teachers' perspectives on the purpose of RE on the secondary school curriculum in England Woolley, M., Bowie, R. A., Hulbert, S., Thomas, C., Riordan, J., Revell, L., (14 Nov 2022, 14 Nov 2022): Wiley. [Journal article]
Pedagogy Analysis Framework: a video-based tool for combining teacher, pupil and researcher perspectives Riordan, J., Hardman, Mark, Cumbers, David, (29 Aug 2021, 03 Jul 2023): Informa UK Limited. [Journal article]
Technology Riordan, J., Roberts, M., (25 Feb 2021), Why do Teachers Need to Know About Diverse Learning Needs? Strengthening Professional Identity and Well-Being. London: Bloomsbury Academic. [Book chapter]
Understanding and explaining pedagogical problem solving: a video-based grounded theory study of classroom pedagogy Riordan, J., Revell, L., Bowie, B., Woolley, M., Hulbert, S., Thomas, Caroline, (16 Nov 2021, 02 Oct 2023): Informa UK Limited. [Journal article]
A material-dialogic perspective on powerful knowledge and matter within a science classroom Hardman, M., Riordan, J., Hetherington, L., Powerful knowledge and epistemic quality across school subjects. London: Bloomsbury Academic. [Book chapter]
A method and framework for video based pedagogy analysis. Riordan, J., (23 Jun 2020, 02 Jan 2022): Informa UK Limited. [Journal article]
Do teachers deceive? Riordan, J., Challenging Perceptions in Primary Education: Exploring Issues in Practice. London: Bloomsbury Academic. [Book chapter]
How might educational research into children’s ideas about light be of use to teachers? Riordan, J., (Nov 2014): Institute of Physics. [Journal article]
Techniques, tactics and strategies for conceptual change in school science Riordan, J.. [PhD Thesis]

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