Mr Kevin Lowden
- Research Officer (Educational Leadership & Policy)
telephone:
01413303493
email:
Kevin.Lowden@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns:
He/him/his
R517c Level 5, St Andrew's Building, Glasgow, G3 6NH
Biography
Kevin is a Senior Researcher in the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change within the School of Education with a background in Sociology and education. He is also a member of the What Works Scotland team at the University and Scottish Work Package leader for the Horizon 2020 YOUNG_ADULLLT project. He has almost 30 years experience as a researcher and principal investigator on over 40 national and international research and evaluation projects. Much of Kevin’s research has focussed on assessing the impact of innovative education programmes with the findings informing policy and practice. Kevin is currently Principal Investigator of a three-year research project exploring the impact of a national Science and Technology CLPD programme for primary teachers. Over the past seven years he has worked with colleagues in the School of Education to research and support school transformation initiatives across Scotland and to build teachers’ capacity for reflective practice and collaborative action research. Most recently, this involved being co-investigator on the three-year national D&R School Improvement Partnership Programme (SIPP).
Kevin also lectures on research methods to post graduate students and provides CLPD to build professionals’ collaborative action research capacity and is a co-author of a book on applied research methods for these audiences. He has been a member of numerous national advisory committees (including Joseph Rowntree Foundation), SPTC and is a member.
Research interests
Partnership working and Collaborative Action Research; equity; leadership; professional learning and organisational/ system reform; lifelong learning; STEM education; Technology Enhanced Learning and evaluation methodologies.
Grants
Selected Grants
Evaluating the Primary Science CPD programme (Phase 2). SSERC. 2015-17 (PI)
Evaluation and research support for School Improvement Partnership Project (SIPP). 2014-16. Education Scotland. Co-investigator with Prof Chris Chapman
Measuring the Impact of the ‘Two Hours/Two Periods of Quality Physical Education’ Programme 2014. Education Scotland. (PI)
Innovative and Technology Enhanced Learning in European Adult Education (ITELEAD). Grundtvig Partnership. 2012-14 (PI)
Generating and evidencing impact case studies of collaborative working to tackle educational inequalities. ESRC Impact Assessment Account (IAA). 2015-16. Co-investigator with Prof Chris Chapman
Researching improvements in attainment, leaver destinations, exclusion and attendance in Glasgow City schools. Glasgow City Council. 2015-16 (with Prof Chapman and S Hall)
Evaluation of the Support for Science Education in Scotland through CPD Programme. SSERC. December 2008- 2011. (PI)
Perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates. EDGE foundation. 2009-10. (PI)
Determined to Succeed (DtS): Analysis of local authority progress. 2009. Learning and Teaching Scotland. (PI)
Supervision
Kevin currently co-supervises the following PhD students:
Hannah Chestnutt. The use of school partnerships to tackle educational inequity.
Keith Falconer. Social Deprivation and the Effect on Pupil Attainment and Achievement
Abdullah Awadh M. The effect of electronic learning on the level of study acquisition and mental abilities for students of preparatory year program in the subject of English language in Saudi Arabian Universities
Kevin would be delighted to hear from potential students interested in undertaking Ph.D. research focusing on developing new theoretical and practical understandings about the interaction between educational policy and practice in the following areas:
Collaborative working to enhance educational change in the context of tackling educational disadvantage
Teachers’ professional development and learning and enquiry
In addition to supervision of students at the University Kevin has acted as an internal examiner for Ph.D. theses at the University of Glasgow and external supervisor of PhD students at the Glasgow School of Art
Contact Kevin at: Kevin.Lowden@glasgow.ac.uk
- Li, Sicong
Implementing Technology-enhanced English Language Teaching with Music at Preschools in China: Students’ Experience, Engagement and Performance
Teaching
MSc Education Public Policy and Equity in the School of Education
Masters level Advanced Educational Research methods in the School of Education
Additional information
Membership of academic/ professional boards/ committees
- December 2015 - on-going: Member of the Scottish Teacher Education Committee (STEC) Attainment Challenge Reference Group.
- October 2015 – on-going: Member of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC.) School Partnerships Advisory Board.
- March-June 2016: Co-chair of the Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) Working Group: Public Policy Strategies, Practitioners, and Interventions
Selected conference presentations
Hoey, M., Chapman, C., Lowden, K., Chestnutt, H., Brown, M., Black, A. (2015) Making Education Work For All: A coalition for equity and innovation. Scottish Learning Festival Interactive Professional Discussion, Glasgow, September 2015
Lowden, K., Local Authorities as Agents of Collaborative Change and Transition Within a National School Improvement Programme. Paper at ICSEI 2016 Conference 7TH January 2015
Lowden, K., What Works Scotland: Early reflections on public service reform in Scotland at the 'Networks as intermediaries of innovation: Mobilising knowledge to action within the education sector and beyond'. Symposium paper at the ICSEI 2016 Conference. 9th January 2016.
Chapman, C., Hall, S., Friel, N., Lowden, K and Chestnutt, H. Mapping and understanding interactions: What Can Social Network Analysis Tell Us About Intra and Inter-School Improvement? Symposium Paper at the ICSEI 2016 Conference. 9th January 2016.
O’Brien, J., Lowden, K. and Hall, S. Supporting Effective Science Teaching: The Role of a National Professional Development Programme, ICSEI 2016 Conference. 7TH January 2015
Hall, S. and Lowden, K. Emerging findings from the Families First Project. Renfrewshire Council Early Years Conference. Paisley. 9th March 2016.
Lowden, K., Hoey, M., and McGrogan, J. Using Partnership working and collaborative action research to tackle educational inequity: Learning from the School Improvement Partnership Programme (SIPP). ADES Annual Conference 19th-20th November 2015.
Academic and Professional Membership
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
British Educational Research Association (BERA)
Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE)
Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA)