Susila Davis-Singaravelu
I'm a social sciences researcher with a special interest in research design and methodology. Currently Interim Director of Research & Learning at the Centre for Knowledge Equity, I was a Senior Research Fellow in 2022, investigating student debt with Professor Claire Callender at the Centre for Global Higher Education in UCL Institute of Education. Previously I was a Research and Evaluation Coordinator working in widening participation in Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at the University of Oxford.
In 2019, I graduated from the University of Oxford with a DPhil (PhD) in Education. My academic life began in aerospace engineering and statistics. After graduating, I became interested in the social sciences and worked as data analyst and research manager at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (a non-departmental public body), producing research reports for educational institutions and charities, the Department for Education, think tanks and other government organisations.
In 2014, I won a +2 scholarship from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for my doctoral research, a collaborative project with Oxford University Press which studies practitioner engagement with an online platform that aims to support school improvement processes. The platform, called Pathways, designed by Oxford University Press can be viewed here (https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-school/default). I examined and documented teachers’ and senior leadership perceptions of using Pathways in their school improvement practice and professional development and learning. The study used a multi-method design, encompassing five longitudinal case studies of individual schools on their school improvement ‘journeys’ and teachers on their perceived learning experiences and professional development, and an additional case study on OUP. The study brought together the fields of school improvement and educational digital technologies.
In 2011, I studied the MSc in Educational Research Methodology and was supervised by Professor Pam Sammons, also my supervisor for my doctoral research. My dissertation examined young people’s and youth workers’ perceived learning experiences in a sample of youth and community centres in London and looked at themes such as alternative education provision and informal learning. The narrative of the research was presented as a ‘Bildungsroman’ or novel of development, in an attempt to describe participants’ journeys through the youth programme and learning experiences.
Prior to, and during, my PhD, I was a contract researcher working closely with Professor Sammons, and have led on and participated in research projects with Pearson Education (investigating the use of an online curriculum resource), the Department for Education (DfE) and CfBT Education Trust, studying bilingual education provision in Brunei Darussalam.
Previously, I worked as data analyst and researcher at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. My work there involved producing statistical analyses on specialist school and academy performance in national assessments. I also initiated a programme of research into the 'Narrowing the Gap' agenda. The National Pupil Database was used to generate analyses into the performance of students in specialist subjects who were eligible and not eligible for free school meals.
Supervisors: Professor Pamela Sammons and Professor Claire Callender
In 2019, I graduated from the University of Oxford with a DPhil (PhD) in Education. My academic life began in aerospace engineering and statistics. After graduating, I became interested in the social sciences and worked as data analyst and research manager at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (a non-departmental public body), producing research reports for educational institutions and charities, the Department for Education, think tanks and other government organisations.
In 2014, I won a +2 scholarship from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for my doctoral research, a collaborative project with Oxford University Press which studies practitioner engagement with an online platform that aims to support school improvement processes. The platform, called Pathways, designed by Oxford University Press can be viewed here (https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-school/default). I examined and documented teachers’ and senior leadership perceptions of using Pathways in their school improvement practice and professional development and learning. The study used a multi-method design, encompassing five longitudinal case studies of individual schools on their school improvement ‘journeys’ and teachers on their perceived learning experiences and professional development, and an additional case study on OUP. The study brought together the fields of school improvement and educational digital technologies.
In 2011, I studied the MSc in Educational Research Methodology and was supervised by Professor Pam Sammons, also my supervisor for my doctoral research. My dissertation examined young people’s and youth workers’ perceived learning experiences in a sample of youth and community centres in London and looked at themes such as alternative education provision and informal learning. The narrative of the research was presented as a ‘Bildungsroman’ or novel of development, in an attempt to describe participants’ journeys through the youth programme and learning experiences.
Prior to, and during, my PhD, I was a contract researcher working closely with Professor Sammons, and have led on and participated in research projects with Pearson Education (investigating the use of an online curriculum resource), the Department for Education (DfE) and CfBT Education Trust, studying bilingual education provision in Brunei Darussalam.
Previously, I worked as data analyst and researcher at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust. My work there involved producing statistical analyses on specialist school and academy performance in national assessments. I also initiated a programme of research into the 'Narrowing the Gap' agenda. The National Pupil Database was used to generate analyses into the performance of students in specialist subjects who were eligible and not eligible for free school meals.
Supervisors: Professor Pamela Sammons and Professor Claire Callender
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Papers by Susila Davis-Singaravelu
depth practitioners’ engagement with Pathways—an online school improvement resource provided by the Oxford University Press (OUP). Launched in 2013, the ‘four-step system’ comprises the following phases: ‘audit’, ‘strategic planning’, ‘take action’ and ‘evaluate impact’ and aims to support primary schools through a range of whole school improvement and teaching and learning tasks. The wider research project studied primary school practitioner perceptions and attitudes towards Pathways
and both collective and individual improvement practice via an embedded multimethod case study comprising a purposive sample of five primary schools that signed up to use Pathways. It followed the evolution of Pathways using a ‘design-based research’ (DBR) framework that focuses on bridging the realms of academia and more practical contexts, and promoting research impact through user engagement and active participation. The growth and use of Pathways by schools was investigated through the theoretical lenses of the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) and Guskey’s five-level model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) evaluation (2002). The Pathways research and case study in this article focus uniquely on how teaching practitioners engage with and perceive technology in their school improvement practice and professional development experiences in one particular school context. Pathways tools seemed to offer opportunities for teachers to work collaboratively, individually and autonomously—with their work being partially ‘mediated’ by Pathways itself, and specific ‘hospitable conditions’ cultivated by senior leadership such as professional support and trust.
Book chapters by Susila Davis-Singaravelu
Teaching Documents by Susila Davis-Singaravelu
This guide aims to provide tools and advice to support schools to promote high-quality and effective teaching across the primary school. Ensuring that teaching is regularly discussed, and that high-quality teaching occurs consistently throughout the school is a key responsibility for all school leaders.
(1) Eight document collection: Introduction to the Series; Introduction to School Improvement and School Effectiveness; School Improvement and School Effectiveness in Context; Capacity Building; Leadership; Self-Evaluation; Strategic Planning; Use of Data.
Conference Presentations by Susila Davis-Singaravelu
Possibilities of real world research (inc. action research & design-based research)
Types of knowledge
Approaches to research
Using research evidence
Research rigour
Designing your own study
depth practitioners’ engagement with Pathways—an online school improvement resource provided by the Oxford University Press (OUP). Launched in 2013, the ‘four-step system’ comprises the following phases: ‘audit’, ‘strategic planning’, ‘take action’ and ‘evaluate impact’ and aims to support primary schools through a range of whole school improvement and teaching and learning tasks. The wider research project studied primary school practitioner perceptions and attitudes towards Pathways
and both collective and individual improvement practice via an embedded multimethod case study comprising a purposive sample of five primary schools that signed up to use Pathways. It followed the evolution of Pathways using a ‘design-based research’ (DBR) framework that focuses on bridging the realms of academia and more practical contexts, and promoting research impact through user engagement and active participation. The growth and use of Pathways by schools was investigated through the theoretical lenses of the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) and Guskey’s five-level model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) evaluation (2002). The Pathways research and case study in this article focus uniquely on how teaching practitioners engage with and perceive technology in their school improvement practice and professional development experiences in one particular school context. Pathways tools seemed to offer opportunities for teachers to work collaboratively, individually and autonomously—with their work being partially ‘mediated’ by Pathways itself, and specific ‘hospitable conditions’ cultivated by senior leadership such as professional support and trust.
This guide aims to provide tools and advice to support schools to promote high-quality and effective teaching across the primary school. Ensuring that teaching is regularly discussed, and that high-quality teaching occurs consistently throughout the school is a key responsibility for all school leaders.
(1) Eight document collection: Introduction to the Series; Introduction to School Improvement and School Effectiveness; School Improvement and School Effectiveness in Context; Capacity Building; Leadership; Self-Evaluation; Strategic Planning; Use of Data.
Possibilities of real world research (inc. action research & design-based research)
Types of knowledge
Approaches to research
Using research evidence
Research rigour
Designing your own study
The fieldwork reported here presents one element of a multi-component longitudinal evaluation, which utilises a nested design, with a sample of children’s centres participating in five different strands of work. The findings presented here are from the second wave of detailed fieldwork regarding the organisation and delivery of children’s centre services for parents. It was deemed important to capture not only the views of the members of staff, but also of the parents who were attending the centres to obtain a broader picture of centre provision.