
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
Programmes
- Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education