Research Associate
Cardiff University
I am a Research Associate at the Wales Institute for Social and Economic Research Data and Methods (WISERD). Prior to joining WISERD, I completed my PhD in Education at Queen's University Belfast. My PhD used a mixed-methods approach to identify students' views and experiences of GCSEs and their reform in Northern Ireland and Wales.
I am a qualified teacher: before embarking on my PhD, I trained as an English teacher in Wales and taught at a secondary school in Belfast.
I am currently working on the WISERDEducation Multi Cohort Study, 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 four years. My research focus on this project relates to young people’s views and experiences of national assessments, particularly within the reformed GCSE in Wales.
My research interests include:
- Assessment
- Children’s rights
- Equity in education
Click here for full details about this project
Journal and Journal Article
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...
Journal and Journal Article
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...
Journal and Journal Article
Article in the Oxford Review of Education
Journal and Journal Article
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...
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...
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...
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,...
Cardiff Lunchtime Seminar
Research and collaborations proposals: The uses and consequences of national primary school assessments in England and Wales
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...
Seminar
Growing up in Wales: young people’s perspectives and prospects
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...
Seminar
Five interesting things about young people in Wales - WISERD Education at the Eisteddfod
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...
Cardiff Lunchtime Seminar
The assessment and reform of GCSEs: the views and experiences of students in Northern Ireland and Wales
Presented by Rhian Barrance (Cardiff University)