Hongjuan Zhu BA, MA

Researcher

Summary

I joined Sheffield Hallam University in January 2022, after working at the University of Sheffield. My research interests focus on children's academic attainment, behaviour, mental health, wellbeing, and the professional development of maths and science teachers. I am also passionate about music education, children's engagement with music, and its impact. I have extensive experience in both quantitative (randomised controlled trials) and qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, case studies), which allows for a comprehensive approach to complex educational issues. Currently, I lead a study on the impact of music activities on university students' wellbeing and work on high-profile projects funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, the Youth Endowment Fund, the Institute of Physics, and Sheffield Hallam University. My publications cover diverse topics, including secondary maths practice, the 14-19 curriculum, STEM learning, and continuing professional development for physics teachers, with a focus on improving educational outcomes and supporting teacher development.

About

I joined Sheffield Hallam University in January 2022, after previously working at the University of Sheffield. My research focuses primarily on the education of children and young people, with particular attention to their academic attainment, behaviour, mental health, and wellbeing. I am also deeply interested in the professional development of Mathematics and Physics teachers. In addition, I have a strong passion for music education and the psychology of music, with a particular focus on children's engagement with music and its effects on mental health and wellbeing.

As a mixed-methods researcher, I have extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, which allows me to take a comprehensive approach to exploring complex educational issues. My quantitative expertise includes designing and conducting randomised controlled trials, and using statistical software such as SPSS and R for data analysis. In addition to my quantitative skills, I am highly proficient in qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and case studies, and in using NVivo to conduct thematic analysis to draw meaningful insights from qualitative data. This combination of methods enables me to capture both the breadth and depth of research questions, providing a more holistic understanding of the topics I study.

Currently, I am engaged in a range of exciting research projects. I am the project Principal Investigator for a study funded by the Sheffield Institute of Education Seedcorn Fund, investigating the impact of music activities on the psychological wellbeing of university students. I am also involved in several high-profile projects, including the evaluation of the specialist knowledge for teaching Mathematics programme, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, as well as the Reach Evaluation Efficacy and the Positive Pathways Project Evaluation, both funded by the Youth Endowment Fund. In addition, I am working on the Physics education research club project and the Physics’ teacher educator professional development programme, both funded by the Institute of Physics. I am also involved in internally funded projects, including the trauma-informed heatmap project and the climate change and sustainability education project.

My recent publications reflect my diverse research interests. I was a project manager and researcher on the secondary maths practice project. I also contributed to the development of the generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum project, where I led international case studies covering countries such as Estonia, New Zealand, Ontario, Singapore, China, and the Netherlands. Additionally, I have worked on research related to the Institute of Physics’ continuing professional development programs for physics teacher educators, the Physics early career professional learning programme, the STEM Ambassador programme, and the evaluation of the regional implementation leads programme. My work continues to focus on improving educational outcomes for students and supporting the development of teachers.

Research

Recent Publications and Reports:
• Boylan, M., Zhu, H., Jaques, L., Birkhead, A. & Rempe-Gillen, E. (2024). Secondary maths practice review. Education Endowment Foundation. Retrieved from: Secondary maths practice review | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)
• Pullen, C., Boylan, M., Boodt, S., Zhu, H., & Clarkson, L. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Summary report. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_Report_2024_WEB.pdf
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Estonia international case study. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Estonia.pdf
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Pullen, C., Boylan, M., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - New Zealand international case study. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_NewZealand_WEB.pdf
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Ontario international case study. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Ontario.pdf
• Zhu, H., Pullen, C., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Singapore international case study. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Singapore.pdf
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Netherlands international case study. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Netherlands.pdf
• Perry, E., Halliday, J., Bullough, A., Zhu, H., & Hotham, E. (2024). Studying the Institute of Physics’ continuing professional development programme for Physics Teacher Educators. Institute of Physics.
• Willis, B., Maxwell, B., Stiell, B., Stevens, A., Clark, L., Rutgers, D., Clarkson, L., Wolstenholme, C. & Zhu, H. (2023). Regional Implementation Leads in Cornwall and Bristol: pilot evaluation. Education Endowment Foundation. Retrieved from: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/projects/ril-evaluation-report.pdf?v=1704204626
• Perry, E., Booth, J., Bullough, A. & Zhu, H. (2023). Research into the Institute of Physics’ Early Career Professional Learning Programme Report. Sheffield Hallam University. Retrieved from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/32700/
• Bevins, S., Price, G., Zhu, H. & Brodie, E. (2022). Young people and STEM - Young people’s perspectives on the STEM Ambassador scheme and STEM more widely report. STEM Learning. Retrieved from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32343
• Zhu, H. & Pitts, S. (2021). When the music stops: the effects of lockdown on amateur music groups. Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing (Special issue). ISSN 2515-981X. Retrieved from: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/181340/

Selected research projects:

Link 1. https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/secondary_maths_practice_review_xtx.pdf?v=1734515038
Link 2. https://www.shu.ac.uk/sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/generic-skills-in-the-14-19-curriculum-an-international-review
Link 3. https://www.shu.ac.uk/sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/researching-the-iop-physics-teacher-educator-programme
Link 4. https://www.shu.ac.uk/sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/regional-implementation-leads
Link 5. https://www.shu.ac.uk/sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/evaluation-of-youth-perspectives-of-the-stem-ambassadors-programme
Link 6. https://elements.shu.ac.uk/viewobject.html?cid=2&id=184462

Recent Research Grants:
• The Evaluation of Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme (Researcher), Education Endowment Foundation, 299k, 2024-2027.
• Cross-cultural Perspective on the Effect of Music Activity in Maintaining Psychological and Subjective Well-being of University Students (Principal Investigator), Sheffield Institute of Education Seedcorn Fund for International Research and Knowledge Exchange, £2K, 2024.
• Sheffield Hallam Research and Innovation Fund (SHRIF): Evaluation of Rounds One and Two (Researcher). Sheffield Hallam University, £20k, 2024.
• Physics Education Research Club (Researcher), Institute of Physics, £6k, 2024.
• WIPRO Extension Funding for Cohorts 4 and 5 (Researcher), WIPRO, £401k, 2023-2027.
• The Reach Evaluation Efficacy (Researcher), Youth Endowment Fund, £278k, 2023-2026.
• The Positive Pathways Project Evaluation (Researcher), Youth Endowment Fund, £420k, 2023-2025.
• Secondary Maths Practice Review (Project Manager), Education Endowment Foundation, £49K. 2023-2024.
• Climate Change and Sustainability Education (Researcher), Sheffield Hallam University, £6K, 2023-2024
• The Trauma-Informed Heatmap: Using Data Visualisation to Mitigate the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Researcher), Sheffield Hallam Research and Innovation Fund, £49k. 2023-2024.
• Investigating the Long-term Impacts of Additional Subject Specialism Professional Development (Researcher), Gatsby, £19k, 2023.
• International Comparative Review of Skills in the 14-19 Curriculum (Researcher), EdPol, £20k, 2023.
• Research into the Institute of Physics’ Teacher Educator Professional Development programme (Researcher), Institute of Physics, £19k, 2022-2024.

Publications

Journal articles

Zhu, H., & Pitts, S. (2021). When the music stops: the effects of lockdown on amateur music groups. Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing, (Special issue), 1-24. https://www.musichealthandwellbeing.co.uk/musickingthroughcovid19

Reports

Boylan, M., Pullen, C., Boodt, S., Zhu, H., & Clarkson, L. (2024). Generic skills in the 14-19 curriculum: an international review: summary report. Sheffield Hallam University.

Boylan, M., Zhu, H., Jaques, L., Birkhead, A., & Rempe-Gillen, E. (2024). Secondary maths practice review. EEF. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/secondary-maths-practice-review

Perry, E., de Winter, J., & Hartley, R. (2024). A Scoping Study into the Long-term Impacts of Additional Subject Specialism Professional Development. Sheffield Hallam University.

Willis, B., Maxwell, B., Stiell, B., Clark, L., Stevens, A., Clarkson, L., ... Zhu, H. (2023). Regional implementation leads in Bristol. Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/support-for-schools/eef-regional-support/campaigns/regional-implementation-leads-in-bristol?utm_source=/support-for-schools/eef-regional-support/campaigns/regional-implementation-leads-in-bristol&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=site_search&search_term=Regional%20implementation%20leads%20in%20Bristol

Perry, E., Booth, J., Zhu, H., & Bullough, A. (2023). Research into the Institute of Physics’ early career professional learning programme. Sheffield Hallam University, Institute of Education.

Price, G., Bevins, S., Zhu, H., & Brodie, E. (2022). Young people and STEM Young people’s perspectives on the STEM Ambassador scheme and STEM more widely. STEM Learning.

Hongjuan Zhu