Dr Iona Burnell
Senior Lecturer
Sociology of Education; Teacher Training
Department of Early Childhood & Education , School of Education and Communities
In my current role as Senior Lecturer at the University of East London, I am Course Leader for the undergraduate Education Studies course. I also lead and teach the Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. In addition, I supervise, examine, research, write and publish. My teaching experience and background is in Further Education, where I taught English Language (ESOL) and Access courses at an inner London college for 10 years before moving into Higher Education.
Qualifications
- EdD Doctor of Education. University of Sheffield.
- MSc Positive Psychology and Coaching. University of East London.
- MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity. Goldsmiths College, University of London.
- BA (Hons) Linguistics (upper second class). University of East London.
- HEA (Higher Education Academy) Senior Fellow.
- PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) PCET. University of Greenwich.
- CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults).
Areas Of Interest
My interests, and topics covered in my publications, are:
- social class, social inequality and inequality in education;
- widening participation in higher education;
- equality and inclusion within HE;
- the experiences of working class students in HE.
OVERVIEW
My teaching experience and background is in Further Education (FE) where I taught English Language (ESOL) and Access courses at an inner London college for 10 years. I joined FE after graduating from UEL with a BA (Hons) Linguistics. In 2011 I started lecturing in Sociology of Education, qualifying with a Doctorate in Education, University of Sheffield, in 2013. I joined the School of Education and Communities, University of East London in July 2014.
CURRENT RESEARCH
My research interests are:
- social class, social inequality and inequality in education;
- widening participation in higher education;
- equality and inclusion within HE;
- the experiences of social class in HE.
Most recent research
I am research active and currently working on three projects:
- An exploration of the motivations and aspirations of a cohort of students studying on the Professional Doctorate in Education.
- Broadening the Horizons for Students on an Education Studies degree.
- Stories from the pandemic: the experiences of teachers working online.
Conference papers
- Working-Class Studies: An Interdisciplinary Conference 2021, Dublin, Ireland. 'The Lives of Working Class Academics: getting ideas above your station'. November 2021.
- ECER 2021, European Educational Research Association Conference, Geneva: 'Managing progression opportunities for students on early-childhood and education studies degrees during the Coronavirus pandemic: how successful has widening graduate employment opportunities been?' September 2021.
- BERA 2021 conference (British Education Research Association), online: 'Managing progression opportunities for students on early-childhood and education studies degrees during the Coronavirus pandemic: how successful has widening graduate employment opportunities been?' September 2021.
- ECER 2020, European Educational Research Association Conference, Glasgow: 'Widening graduate employment opportunities for students on early childhood and education studies degrees: a case study at a school of education at one London university'. August 2020.
- 2019 FACE conference (Forum for Access and Continuing Education) Sheffield Hallam University: 'The Place of Widening Participation' and 'Broadening the Horizons for Students on an Education Studies Degree'. July 2019.
PUBLICATIONS
- Burnell, I. (2022) The Lives of Working Class Academics: getting ideas above your
station. Emerald Publishing (due for publication November 2022). - Burnell, I. and Roffey-Barentsen, J. (2021) 'To EdD or not to EdD: Why is the Doctor of Education programme becoming increasingly popular amongst educational professionals?'. British Educational Research Association Blog, November 2021.
- Burnell, I., Roffey-Barentsen, J. and McMahon, A. (2021) 'Widening graduate
employment opportunities for students on Education Studies degrees: a case study at a School of Education in one London university'. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning journal Volume 23, Issue 1 - June 2021. - Hudson, A., Burnell, I. and Murray, D. (2021). 'The Place of Widening Participation',
in Broadhead, S. et al. (eds) Delivering the Public Good of Higher Education - Widening Participation, Place and Lifelong Learning. London: Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE). ISBN: 978-0-9954922-4-0. - Burnell. I. and Roffey-Barentsen, J. (2020) Completing Your EdD: The Essential Guide
to the Doctor of Education. Emerald Publishing. ISBN: 9781789735666. - Burnell, I. (2020) 'Further Education in the United Kingdom' The Sage
Encyclopaedia of Higher Education. Sage Publications. ISBN: 9781473942912. - Burnell, I. (2019) 'Widening participation for non-traditional students: can using
alternative assessment methods level the playing field in higher education?' Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning journal Volume 21, Issue 3 - November 2019. - Burnell, I. (2017) 'Teaching and Learning in Further Education: the Ofsted factor',
Journal of Further and Higher Education, 41(2), pp. 227-237. - Burnell, I. (2016) 'Widening the participation into higher education: experiences and
perspectives of non-traditional mature learners in HE', in Hill, M., Hudson, A., McKendry, S., Raven, N., Saunders, D., Storan, J. and Ward, T. (eds.) Closing the Gap: Bridges for Access and Lifelong Learning, pp. 29-42. London: Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE). ISBN: 9780995492202. - Burnell, I. (2015) 'Widening the participation into higher education: examining
Bourdieusian theory in relation to HE in the UK', Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 21(2), pp. 93-109.
EXTERNAL ROLES
- Currently External Examiner for University of Roehampton and the University of Worcester.
- Honorary Faculty Member, Centre for Higher Education Studies, University of Liverpool.
TEACHING
BA (Hons) Education Studies
Prepare to become a primary, secondary or further education teacher. Learn from practising teachers and participate in current debates on education.
Read more
EdD Professional Doctorate in Education
Gain the opportunity and the skills to conduct robust and innovative research that will improve the policy, practice and quality of education.
Programmes
- Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education