Biography
Jen has a background in education and psychology, graduating with a first in BSc Psychology in Education, and statistics, graduating with a distinction in MSc Quantitative Methods for Science, Social Science and Medicine. Both her undergraduate and masters dissertations were published following graduation from Lancaster University. She moved to Cardiff University to pursue her PhD in Education within the School of Social Sciences. Alongside her PhD studies, Jen was involved with a range of teaching and engagement activities, as well as working as quantitative assistance on a wide range of projects in the academic and third sectors. She also undertook an internship within Welsh Government, working within the surveys team within Knowledge and Analytic Services. She joined WISERD early in 2017, primarily to work alongside colleagues on the WISERD Education project.
Research Interests
Jen’s research interests include the use of advanced quantitative methods in and across a variety of social science disciplines. She also has an interest in mixed methodology and methodological innovation. Substantively, her research interests include the social psychology and sociology of education, the sociology of religion and the transmission of attitudes and beliefs.
Current Research
Jen is currently research associate in the newly established WISERD Education Data Lab, utilizing administrative and large scale datasets to conduct rigorous and innovative analysis to support the Welsh education system. Alongside this work she has been working on the Welsh arm of the international study of children’s well-being: Children’s Worlds. This is the largest study of its kind, funded by the Jacobs Foundation and supported in Wales by multiple partners, including the Welsh Government and the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. Much of Jen’s other work at WISERD involves utilization of a range of longitudinal data sets, including studies on Welsh students’ political opinions and perceptions of school climate, using the WISERD Education project data; investigation into the intergenerational transmission of Euroscepticism, using the UK Household Longitudinal Study; and an exploratory study of the relationship between grandparents and child level outcomes, using the Millennium Cohort Study. Outside of her WISERD work, Jen’s PhD work centered on the nature of quantitative methods in the A level curriculum. This has involved investigation into many aspects of the curriculum, including the written curriculum, teachers and students, and the relationships between them.
