Professor Paul Connolly

Chair, Improving Children's Lives

BSocSc(Hons), MA, MSc, PhD

Room 213 69/71 University Street
School of Education
Queen’s University Belfast

Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 5952
Fax: +44 (0)28 9097 5066
Web:  www.paulconnolly.net
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ProfConnolly

Leadership Roles:

• Director, Centre for Effective Education
• Director, Improving Children’s Lives: An Inter-Disciplinary Research Initiative at Queen’s University Belfast
• Co-Director (with Tony Gallagher), Una – A Global Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity
• Editor, Effective Education (Routledge Journals, Taylor and Francis)

Teaching:

• Critical Perspectives in the Early Years (M-Level Module)
• Quantitative Research: Methods, Data and Theory (EdD Module)
• Experimental and Survey Methods in Educational Research (EdD Module)

Research/Scholarship Interests:

• Diversity and social inclusion in early childhood
• Evaluation of educational programmes and interventions
• Quantitative methods and statistics in educational research

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Current Research Projects:

• Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Effects of the Sesame Tree Outreach Pack on 5-6 Year Old Children’s Attitudes and Awareness (Funder: Sesame Workshop)
• Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Effects of the Media Initiative for Children on 3-4 Year ld Children’s Attitudes Towards Diversity and the Republic of Ireland (Funder: Early Years - The Organisation for Young Children)
• Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Effects of the ‘Eager and Able to Learn’ Programme on 2-3 Year old Children’s Early Dispositions Towards Education (Funder: Early Years - The Organisation for Young Children)

Recently Completed Projects:

• Baseline Survey and Literature Review Focusing on Educational Outcomes Among Primary School Children Living in Disadvantaged Areas in Northern Ireland (Funder: Barnardo’s Northern Ireland)
• Baseline Survey of the Levels of Social Exclusion Among Black and Minority Ethnic Children in the Southern Area of Northern Ireland (Funder:  Southern Area Children and Young People’s Committee)
• Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Effects of Sesame Tree on 5-6 Year Old Children’s Attitudes and Awareness (Funder:  Sesame Workshop)
• Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the ‘Time to Read’  Public Mentoring Scheme Among 9-10 Year Olds (Funder: Business in the Community Northern Ireland
• Naturalistic Study of the Effects of Exposure to the Children’s Television Series Sesame Tree on 5-6 Year Old Children’s Attitudes and Awareness in Northern Ireland (Funder: Sesame Workshop) 

Recent Publications:

• Connolly, P., Kelly, B. and Smith, A. (2009) Ethnic habitus and young children: A case study of Northern Ireland, European Early Childhood Research Journal, 17(2): 217-232.
• Connolly, P. (2009) Developing Programmes to Promote Ethnic Diversity in Early Childhood: Lessons from Northern Ireland. Working Paper No. 52. The Hague, The Netherlands: Bernard van Leer Foundation. View Outline | Download Full Report (PDF 1.78 MB).
• Connolly, P. (2008) A critical review of some recent developments in quantitative research on gender and achievement in the UK, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(3): 249-260.
• Connolly, P. (2008) Race, gender and critical reflexivity in research with young children, in: P. Christensen and A. James (eds.) Research With Children: Perspectives and Practices, Second Edition, London:  Routledge.
• Connolly, P. and Khaoury, R. (2008) Whiteness, racism and exclusion in Northern Ireland: A critical race perspective in: C. Coulter and M. Murray (eds.) Northern Ireland after the Troubles? A Society in Transition.  Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• Connolly, P. (2007) “boys will be boys” ... but in what ways? Social class and the development of young boys’ schooling identities, in: D. Thiessen and A. Cook-Sather (Eds) International Hanbook of Student Experience in Elementary and Secondary School. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
• Connolly, P. and Hayden, J. with Levin, D. (2007) From Conflict to Peace Building: The Power of Early Childhood Initiatives – Lessons from around the World. Redmond, WA: World Forum Foundation (Publication date: 15 May 2007). View Outline.
• Connolly, P. (2007) Quantitative Data Analysis in Education: A Critical Overview Using SPSS. London: Routledge (Publication date: 28 May 2007). View Outline.
• Connolly, P., Muldoon, O. and Kehoe, S.. (2007) The Attitudes and Experiences of Children Born in 1997 in Northern Ireland. Belfast: BBC Northern Ireland.
• Muldoon, O. and Connolly, P. (2007) Sectarianism and Subtle Prejudice in Northern Ireland: A Technical Report on a Survey of the Adult Population Commissioned by BBC Northern Ireland. Belfast: BBC Northern Ireland.

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