Dr Ron Thompsonr.thompson@hud.ac.uk | 01484 478294
My current post is Head of Division (Lifelong Learning) in the School of Education and Professional Development. I have worked at Huddersfield since 1987, joining the Faculty of Education (as it then was) from Oldham College of Technology, where I had taught mathematics for nine years. I was educated at Bede School, Sunderland and Queen Mary College, University of London, graduating with a first class honours degree in mathematics and physics. Whilst teaching at Oldham, I attended Manchester Polytechnic and Bolton College of Education to obtain an in-service Certificate in Education. My doctorate is in the sociology of education, the outcome of a long-standing interest in educational inequalities, particularly those relating to social class.
My current research interests lie in two main areas: social class and educational inequality, and teacher education for the lifelong learning sector. These two interests are united by the persistent undervaluing of vocational education in the UK and associated perceptions of the further education sector in England as largely for 'other people's children'. I have been particularly influenced by three great figures in the sociology of education: Pierre Bourdieu, Basil Bernstein and Raymond Boudon, and also by challenging empirical studies such as Jackson and Marsden's 'Education and the Working Class' (conducted in Huddersfield) and Paul Willis's classic 'Learning to Labour'. I have published a number of articles in academic journals such as British Journal of Sociology of Education, Journal of Education and Work and the Oxford Review of Education. I retain an interest in mathematics and physics, which teach us not only the explanatory power of scientific thinking, but also the socially constructed nature of scientific explanations and, in the two great intellectual achievements of twentieth-century physics - quantum mechanics and relativity - the relationship between ontological and epistemological questions: that is, the relationship between the objects of our theories and how we know them.
For the last five years, I have been working with my colleagues Robin Simmons and Lisa Russell on two ethnographic studies of marginalised young people, the first on Entry to Employment programmes and the second a three-year longitudinal study of young people not in education, employment or training (funded by The Leverhulme Trust). With Robin, I have co-authored 'NEET Young People and Training for Work: learning on the margins', published by Trentham Books in September 2011. I am currently working with Robin and Lisa on another book, 'Social Change, Work and Education: young people and marginalisation in post-industrial Britain', to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in Spring 2014. I have also co-authored the Open University Press textbook 'Teaching in Lifelong Learning: a guide to theory and practice', with James Avis and Roy Fisher. A second edition of this book is currently in preparation.
I am currently working on two externally-funded research projects: a three-year ethnography of young people not in education, employment and training funded by The Leverhulme Trust, and a five-month case study-based project investigating the experiences of young people entering employment after periods of exclusion, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. In both of these projects, I work with my colleagues Dr Lisa Russell and Dr Robin Simmons. Building on earlier research investigating Entry to Employment programmes, the projects challenge existing stereotypes of socially-excluded young people as suffering from low aspirations and making benefit-dependency a 'lifestyle choice'. Much of this research relates to important questions which have long been central to the sociology of education, particularly about the relationship between individual agency, identity and social structure. We therefore draw on a range of theoretical perspectives which have developed in response to these problems, including Bourdieu's habitus and field, Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse, and the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens. Underpinning our use of these perspectives is a critical materialist analysis of society, which acknowledges the basis of social phenomena in the relations of production but recognises that culture, identity and agency can influence these relations as well as being shaped by them.
Simmons, R., Russell, L. and Thompson, R. (2013) ‘NEET young people and the Labour Market: voices from the margins’. In: Discourse Power and Resistance Conference 2013 - Discourses of Inclusion and Exclusion, 9th - 11th April 2013, London, UK
Simmons, R., Russell, L. and Thompson, R. (2013) ‘NEET young people and the labour market: working on the margins’. In: Youth Studies Conference, 8-12th April 2013, Glasgow, UK
Russell, L., Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2013) ‘Young people’s experiences of working in the private sector: a case study approach’. In: Discourse Power and Resistance Conference 2013 - Discourses of Inclusion and Exclusion, 9th - 11th April 2013, London, UK
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2013) ‘Reclaiming the Disengaged: Critical Perspectives on Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training ’ Research in Post-Compulsory Education , 18 (1-2), pp. 1-11. ISSN 1359-6748
Thompson, R., Russell, L. and Simmons, R. (2012) ‘Spatial dialectics and social exclusion: young people not in education, employment or training’. In: European conference on educational research, 18 - 21 September 2012, University of Cadiz, Spain
Simmons, R., Russell, L. and Thompson, R. (2012) ‘Social exclusion, space and place: young people not in education, employment or training’. In: British Educational Research Association Conference, 4-6 September 2012, University of Manchester
Thompson, R., Russell, L. and Simmons, R. (2012) ‘Space, place and exclusion: young people outside education and employment’. In: Space Place and Social Justice in Education, 13 July 2012, Manchester Metropolitan University
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2012) ‘Well-being and Social Justice? Engaging Young Adults on the Margins of Education and Employment’. In: 42nd Annual SCUTREA Conference 2012, 3rd - 5th July 2012, Leicester, UK
Thompson, R., Russell, L. and Simmons, R. (2012) ‘Exploring the lives of NEET young people: using structuration theory to conceptualise the experience of ‘disengagement’ ’. In: Youth in Crisis and Community Interventions: Past, Present and Future Priorities, 21-22 February 2012, University of the West of Scotland
Thompson, R., Russell, L. and Simmons, R. (2012) ‘Exploring the lives of NEET young people – using structuration theory to conceptualise the experience of ‘disengagement'’. In: Youth in Crisis and Community Interventions: Past, Present and Future Interventions, 21-22 February 2012, Ayr, Scotland
Thompson, R (2011) ‘Individualisation and social exclusion: the case of young people not in education, employment or training.’ Oxford Review of Education , 37 (6), pp. 785-802. ISSN 0305-4985
Russell, L., Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2011) ‘Conceptualising the lives of NEET young people: structuration theory and ‘disengagement’’ Education, Knowledge and Economy , 5 (3), pp. 89-106. ISSN 1749-6896
Russell, L., Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2011) ‘Ordinary lives: an ethnographic study of young people attending Entry to Employment programmes’ Journal of Education and Work , 24 (5), pp. 477-499. ISSN 1363-9080
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2011) ‘Education and training for young people at risk of becoming NEET: findings from an ethnographic study of work-based learning programmes’ Educational Studies , 37 (4), pp. 447-450. ISSN 0305-5698
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2011) NEET Young People and Training for Work: learning on the margins . Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books . ISBN 9781858564838
Thompson, R (2011) Further Education and Social Inclusion under New Labour Doctoral thesis, University of Huddersfield.
Thompson, R (2011) ‘Reclaiming the disengaged? A Bourdieuian analysis of work-based learning for young people in England’ Critical Studies in Education , 52 (1), pp. 15-28. ISSN 1750-8487
Thompson, R (2010) ‘Teaching on the margins: tutors, discourse and pedagogy in work-based learning for young people’ Journal of vocational education and training , 62 (2), pp. 123-137. ISSN 1363-6820
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2010) ‘A longitudinal study of NEET young people’ The leverhulme trust newsletter , p. 5.
Thompson, R (2010) ‘Learning on the margins: the ‘real lives’ of NEET young people. Discourse, Power and Resistance 9, University of Greenwich.’. In: Discourse, Power and Resistance 9, 30 March - 1 April 2010, University of Greenwich
Russell, L., Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2010) ‘Playing the numbers game: Connexions Personal Advisers working with young people on Entry to Employment programmes’ Journal of vocational education and training , 62 (1), pp. 1-12. ISSN 1363-6820
Fisher, R. and Thompson, R. (2010) ‘Introduction to the lifelong learning sector’. In: Teaching in Lifelong Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 1-6. ISBN 9780335234684
McLay, M., Mycroft, L., Noel, P., Orr, K., Thompson, R., Tummons, J. and Weatherby, J. (2010) ‘Teaching in the lifelong learning sector’. In: Teaching in Lifelong Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 77-102. ISBN 9780335234684
Fulford, A., Robinson, D. and Thompson, R. (2010) ‘Teacher education for lifelong learning’. In: Teaching in Lifelong Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 18-27. ISBN 9780335234684
Dixon, L., Harvey, J., Thompson, R. and Williamson, S. (2010) ‘Practical teaching’. In: Teaching in lifelong learning. : McGraw Hill. pp. 119-141. ISBN 9780335234684
Ollin, R., Thompson, R. and Tummons, J. (2010) ‘Assessment’. In: Teaching in Lifelong Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 163-180. ISBN 9780335234684
Fisher, R., Fulford, A., McNicholas, B. and Thompson, R. (2010) ‘The curriculum in the lifelong learning sector’. In: Teaching in Lifelong Learning. Milton Keynes: Open University Press. pp. 103-118. ISBN 9780335234684
Thompson, R., Hallwood, L., Clements, C. and Rivron, H. (2009) ‘Personal development planning in initial teacher training: a case study from post-compulsory education’ Research in Post-Compulsory Education , 14 (3), pp. 269-285. ISSN 1359-6748
Thompson, R (2009) ‘Creativity, Knowledge and Curriculum in Further Education: A Bernsteinian Perspective’ British Journal of Educational Studies , 57 (1), pp. 37-54. ISSN 0007-1005
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2009) ‘Teacher Educators in Post-Compulsory Education: gender, discourse and power ’. In: Issues in post-compulsory education and training: critical perspectives. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield. pp. 333-352. ISBN 9781862180680
Thompson, R (2009) ‘Modernism and reality in education’ Post 16 Educator , 49, pp. 16-17. ISSN 0459-2026
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2009) ‘Aiming Higher: how will universities respond to changes in initial teacher training for post-compulsory sector in England? ’. In: Issues in post-compulsory education and training: critical perspectives. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield. pp. 239-307. ISBN 9781862180680
Thompson, R (2009) ‘Social class and participation in further education: evidence from the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales’ British Journal of Sociology of Education , 30 (1), pp. 29-42. ISSN 0142-5692
Thompson, R. and Robinson, D. (2009) ‘Changing Step or Marking Time? Teacher education reforms for the learning and skills sector in England ’. In: Issues in post-compulsory education and training: critical perspectives. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield. pp. 353-368. ISBN 9781862180680
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2008) ‘Creativity and performativity: the case of further education’ British Educational Research Journal , 34 (5), pp. 601-618. ISSN 0141-1926
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2008) ‘Re-conceptualizing creativity for further education’. In: British Educational Research Association 2008, 3 - 6 September 2008, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh
Thompson, R. and Robinson, D. (2008) ‘Changing step or marking time? Teacher education reforms for the learning and skills sector in England’ Journal of Further and Higher Education , 32 (2), p. 161. ISSN 0309-877X
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2008) ‘Creativity in further education: resistance or compliance? ’. In: 7th Conference of the Discourse, Power, Resistance Series, 18– 20 March 2008, Manchester Metropolitan University
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2007) ‘Teacher educators in post-compulsory education: gender, discourse and power’ Journal of vocational education and training , 59 (4), pp. 517-533. ISSN 1363-6820
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2007) ‘Still paying for it: FHE teacher training update’ Post 16 Educator (41), pp. 11-12. ISSN 0459-2026
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2007) ‘Aiming higher: how will universities respond to changes in initial teacher training for the post-compulsory sector in England?’ Journal of further and higher education , 31 (2), pp. 171-182. ISSN 1469-9486
Thompson, R (2007) ‘Adapting ITT to the Diploma Units’. In: The 2007 DFES Reform Agenda, 26th February 2007, University of Leicester
Simmons, R., Orr, K. and Thompson, R. (2007) ‘Gender, Discourse and Power: Reflections on the post-compulsory Teacher Educator Workforce in England. ’. In: 9th International Conference on Education, 28 - 31 May 2007, Athens, Greece
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2007) ‘Cinderella's shoes: gender, autonomy and control in post-compulsory teacher education ’. In: 6th Conference of the Discourse, Power, Resistance Series, 25– 27 March 2007, Manchester Metropolitan University
Simmons, R. and Thompson, R. (2006) ‘Paying for it: initial teacher training in the post-compulsory sector’ Post 16 Educator (35), pp. 11-13. ISSN 0459-2026
Thompson, R (1995) ‘A problem on the turning points of polynomials’ International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology , 26 (5), pp. 675-684. ISSN 0020-739X
I am currently co-editing a Special Issue of the journal Research in Post-Compulsory Education. The issue, 'Reclaiming the disengaged: critical perspectives on young people not in education, employment or training', brings together a range of international contributors and will appear in the Spring of 2013.
Co-applicant in successful funding application to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation for research into young people's experiences in employment (£10,000)
In July 2012 I was awarded the Ian Martin Prize for Social Justice in Education, a joint award with my colleague Robin Simmons for a paper on employability programmes presented at the SCUTREA Conference.
In June 2012 I received £1,500 from The Higher Education Academy to support a contribution to the HEA Seminar Series in education.
Co-applicant in successful funding application to The Leverhulme Trust for research into the experiences of NEET young people (£125,000)
In September 2008, I contributed to a Keynote Symposium on creativity and performativity in education, at the British Educational Research Association Conference in Edinburgh.
I regularly referee for academic journals, including Journal of Vocational Education and Training, Research in Post-Compulsory Education, Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, and Globalisation, Societies and Education.
Completed Research Supervisions
Barham, Areej (2002) An assessment of the effectiveness of co-operative learning strategies in promoting problem-solving skills and achievement in mathematics, PhD.
Folley, Sue (2012) Exploring tutors' early experiences of teaching in an online teaching environment, EdD.
Current Research Supervisions
'An investigation of Apprenticeship programmes in a Further Education College' (EdD)
'An exploration of the perceptions of FE teachers on the impact of an in-service PGCE/Cert Ed course on their professional development and practice' (EdD)
'An examination of the concept of emotional competence in relation to blended tutoring with adult learners in higher education' (EdD)
'Intervention strategies to address under-attainment in primary mathematics' (EdD)
Course leader and tutor for in-service Certificate in Education and PGCE (Lifelong Learning)
Course leader for Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Advanced PGCE in Lifelong Learning)
Course leader for MA Teaching in Lifelong Learning
Mathematics subject tutor for PGCE (Secondary Schools)
MA Education and Professional Development teaching and supervision
EdD teaching and supervision
PhD supervision
