Research Associate
I am a Research Associate at the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research Data and Methods (WISERD). I am currently working on the WISERD Education research project, which is a large-scale longitudinal cohort study which has been surveying pupils across Wales on aspects of their lives and education over the last seven years. During my time at Cardiff I have completed two projects for the Children's Commissioner for Wales, including an evidence review on the human rights of children in Wales.
Prior to joining WISERD, I completed my PhD in Education at the Centre for Children's Rights, Queen's University Belfast. This was a mixed-methods project which used a children's rights approach to identify students' views and experiences of GCSEs and their reform in Northern Ireland and Wales. While completing my doctorate I worked as a Research Fellow on a University of Oxford and Queen's University Belfast project investigating the predictability of Leaving Certificate examinations in the Republic of Ireland.
My research interests include assessment, children's rights and equity in education.
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Growing up in Wales: school students' perspectives and experiences
We’ve gathered young people’s views on their teachers, school trips, why they’ve been asked to leave the classroom and why they’ve been given a detention. We also asked about the GCSE subjects they’ve chosen and their awareness of vocational education. We’ve also asked them...
Beth Nawr, 2019
The survey results and analysis of the experiences and worries of children and young people in Wales and their priorities for the Children’s Commissioner.
Headteacher recruitment, retention and professional development in Wales
This article explores issues of headteacher recruitment, retention and professional development in Wales, within the context of the wider educational policy reforms which, since 2011, have introduced greater external accountability into schools. The paper argues that these...
Turning heads: The impact of political reform on the professional role, identity and recruitment of head teachers in Wales
This article considers the professional work, identity and recruitment of head teachers (HTs) in Wales. Drawing on the sociology of professions, the article illustrates how intensive educational policy reform post‐2011 has restricted HTs’ professional agency and re...
Inequalities and the curriculum: Young people’s views on choice and fairness through their experiences of curriculum as examination specifications at GCSE
Article in the Oxford Review of Education
National assessment policy reform 14–16 and its consequences for young people: student views and experiences of GCSE reform in Northern Ireland and Wales
This paper uses data from a mixed-methods research project which explored the views and experiences of students in Northern Ireland and Wales on the assessment and reform of GCSEs. The research found that while students were generally supportive of the substance of the...
Our recent event, Growing up in Wales: school students’ perspectives and experiences, explored the latest findings to come out of the WISERD Education Multi Cohort Study (WMCS) survey data. Over the past seven years, the WMCS has made an important...
Sally Holland, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and Dr Rhian Barrance, WISERD Research Associate, discuss how Wales has gone further than any other UK country in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by...
WISERD recently conducted a survey of almost 10,000 children aged between 7 and 18-years-old in Wales for the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. The aim of the survey was to identify the most significant issues facing children in Wales in order to...
Dr Rhian Barrance discusses the impact of national tests on children in Wales, as part of her work with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. BBC Radio Cymru, 'Post Cyntaf', 8am: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007rkzw BBC Radio Wales, 'Good...
New data from over 10,000 children and young people in Wales reveal the impact pressures of modern life are placing on their mental health. WISERD Research Associate, Dr Rhian Barrance carried out the Beth Nawr, 2019 survey for the Children’s...
Over the past six years, the WISERD Education Multi Cohort Study (WMCS) has made an important contribution to understanding the lives of young people in Wales, by conducting an annual survey of over 1,000 young people, aged eight to 18-years-old. A...
There are significant gaps in evidence about our most disadvantaged children, reveals an evidence review carried out to assess the state of children’s rights in Wales. Dr Rhian Barrance, Research Associate at WISERD, carried out the review for the...
For the last six years, WISERD Education have been giving surveys about their lives to over a thousand children (8-18) across Wales every year. Here are some of our most interesting findings about children in Wales: 1. Girls are better than boys at...
Dr Rhian Barrance is evaluating the Super Ambassador scheme
Having previously looked at the different types of GCSE courses and how they are assessed, in the third and final blog of this series, Dr Rhian Barrance outlines recent research on tiering and considers how fair it is for different groups of students...
Earlier this week we looked at the recent reforms to GCSEs across England, Northern Ireland and Wales and considered students’ views on linear and modular courses. In the second part of this series exploring students’ perspectives on the fairness of...
Across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, many 16-year-olds are awaiting the release of their GCSE results tomorrow. This year, for the first time, students in England will receive results for some subjects using the new (9-1) grading system, while...
In the first of a series of blogs about students’ perspectives on the fairness of GCSEs, Dr Rhian Barrance outlines the recent reforms to GCSEs across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and considers students’ views on linear and modular courses...
Dr Rhian Barrance presents her research into teenagers wanting more choice and fairness when it comes to GCSEs, part of a study with Queen's University Belfast. The article can be seen by following the link below: http://www.irishnews.com/news...
A new study by researchers from the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) and Queen’s University Belfast has found that students in Wales and Northern Ireland want more choice and fairness when it comes to their...
Dr Rhian Barrance argued that many schoolchildren today believe climate change and poverty are just as much a threat as terrorism. A link to the article, published by The Conversation, can be found below. https://theconversation.com/climate-change...
It will probably come as little surprise that recent surveys have found the majority of adults in Europe think that international terrorism is the most pressing threat to the continent. Though this is valuable information about what adults think...
Brexit in Scotland and Wales A majority 64% of young people voted in the UK referendum on EU membership last June, but 70% of them were disappointed. Media coverage brought this disappointment home with wide coverage of the generational divide...
Open configuration options Presented by Rhian Barrance , Cardiff University . This seminar is part of the Cardiff WISERD Lunchtime Seminar series. If you are an external guest, please contact us (029 2087 9338) to confirm availability of places. For...
Over the past six years, the WISERDEducation Multi Cohort Study (WMCS) has made an important contribution to understanding the lives of young people in Wales, by conducting an annual survey of over 1,000 young people, aged eight to 18-years-old. A...
Hosted by WISERD Education researcher Dr Rhian Barrance. This talk will present findings on young people’s lives from the WISERDEducation Multi-Cohort Study, which has been undertaking research with children in Wales over the last six years. From...
Presented by Rhian Barrance (Cardiff University)