Research

Barbara has two main research areas: education in Ethiopia and the performing arts in both the UK and international settings. She has also researched educational provision for children who have been excluded from school or refuse to attend. She has co-directed two capacity building projects in Ethiopia’s higher education system, working with six regional universities as well as supporting the development of a doctoral programme at Addis Ababa University. Barbara is currently involved in research on Results Based Aid in Ethiopia for the Department for International Development (DFID).

For more details of the Ethiopian Capacity Building Project, please visit www.ethiopia-ed.net 

Recent Projects

2010 An Evaluation of Education Plus for Norfolk Children's Services

2007-9 Applied educational research for development: building sustainable capacity for higher education in Ethiopia (Co-director with Professor David Bridges ) Department for International Development: DelPHE

2003-8 Ethiopian Capacity Building Project (Co-Director with Professor David Bridges) Department for International Development

2004-5 Musical Dis/Abilities: An Evaluation of the Drake Music Project (Co-Director with Michael Watts) Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation

 

Doctoral Supervision

As a primary supervisor, Dr. Ridley has had 23 doctoral students successfully complete their studies. She currently supervises three students in her role as primary supervisor, and several more as a secondary supervisor. 

She has examined a range of PhD and EdD theses.

List of Publications

Articles

Watts, M. & Ridley, B. (2012) Identities of dis/ability and music British Educational Research Journal, 38:3, 353-372

Ridley, B. (2011) Educational research culture and capacity building: the case of Addis Ababa University, British Journal of Education Studies, 59:3, 285-302

Lebeau, Y., Ridley, B. & Lane, K. (2011) Editorial: Education and social justice in challenging times COMPARE, 41:4, 445-451

Ridley, B. (2009) Articulating the power of dance Power and Education, 1:3, 333-344

Watts, M. and Ridley, B. (2007) Evaluating Musical Disabilities: operationalising the capability approach International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 30:2, 149-162

Watts, M. & Ridley, B. (2006) The Drake Music Project: a capability perspective of dis/ability and musical identities, Taboo: the journal of culture and education. Fall/Winter 2006, 97-105

Ridley, B. (2006) Review of McFee, G. The Concept of Dance Education in Cambridge Journal of Education Vol 36:2 pp303-5 

Edited Journals

Lebeau, Y., Ridley, B. & Lane, K. (guest editors) (2011) Special Issue: Education and social justice in challenging times. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 41(4)

Book Sections

Ridley, B. and Watt, M. (forthcoming 2013) Using capability to assess the well-being of adult learners with dis/abilities in Florian, L. (ed) SAGE Handbook of Special Education, 2nd edition (London: SAGE)

Ridley, B. (forthcoming 2013) Oppression and opportunity in Ethiopian higher education in Watts, M. (ed) Higher Education and the Capability Approach (Oxford: Symposium Books)

Ridley, B. (2000) A good thing even for girls: the role of teacher education in advancing women’s educational aspirations in Ethiopia in Bridges, D. & Zewdie, M. (eds) Secondary teacher Education in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa: The British Council)

Bridges, D. & Ridley, B. (2000) Tradition and Modernity: educational development and teacher training in Ethiopia in Bridges, D. & Zewdie, M. (eds) Secondary teacher Education in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa: The British Council)
 

Dr. Ridley teaches qualitative research methods to students on the MA in Education course, in addition to students following EdD and PhD programmes (in the the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, and also across the Faculty of Social Sciences).

Barbara is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE).


Previous teaching responsibilities have had an ELT and Development focus:

1995-2003      
MA in Education for ELT Professionals (Course Director 2000-3)

1996-1999
MA in Education for Development

1995-2001
Professionalisierungsprogramm fur Fachberater Englisch (East German Language Teachers' Projects) delivered in Germany and UEA, British Council / ThILLM / SALF

1993-1998
Egyptian Teachers' programme (ELT units, Teacher Professional Development, plus Course Director 1996-1998)