Dr Linda Evans
Reader in Education
Interests
Educated at Stand Grammar School for Girls (in Whitefield, Manchester) I became an academic in 1990 after a 15-year career as a primary school teacher. Before coming to Leeds I was senior lecturer in education at the University of Warwick. I enjoy European travel and learning foreign languages, and as a French student many years ago spent a period of study at the University of Dijon in Burgundy (now the Université de Bourgogne). I remain a fluent French speaker and I speak reasonably fluent German. I am a lifelong Manchester United supporter.
Qualifications
- Teacher's certificate (with distinction), University of Manchester
- Diploma in Mathematical Education
- B.Ed (hons.) class I, Lancaster University
- MA in Education, Lancaster University
- PhD, University of Warwick
- Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF) level C1
Research
My substantive research interests lie in the broad field of professionalization, professional development and educational leadership and management, with a strong focus on the higher education sector. I also have expertise in qualitative research methods; my latest book, 'Reflective Practice in Educational Research', offers guidelines for developing advanced research skills. A list of all my publications can be accessed through a link at the foot of this page. I can offer postgraduate research supervision in the following areas, in which I have researched and published widely:
- morale, job satisfaction and motivation (of education professionals)
- professional development
- professionalisation
- professionality and professionalism
- teacher recruitment and retention
- educational leadership and management
- teaching and learning in higher education
- academic practice and working life in the higher education sector
- qualitative research methodology
- researcher development in HE
Current research students
- ALENEZI, Omeir
- ALKANDARI, Eisa
- BERTANI-TRESS, Maria
- LLOYD, Paul
- OBENG, Daniel
My research analyses generally incorporate consideration of broadly philosophical-related issues and questions; in particular, I set great store by conceptual clarity and definitional precision. I have, for example, developed conceptual and ontological analyses and definitions of: morale, job satisfaction, motivation, professionality, and teacher development, which highlight the relationship as well as the distinctions between each of these. Much of my work has taken me into the field of occupational psychology and I have drawn extensively on the literature in this field in developing my analyses of work-related attitudes. My conceptually-based critique of Herzberg's two factor theory (or motivation-hygiene theory) incorporates my own theoretical perspectives on job satisfaction.
My work on education professionals' morale, job satisfaction and motivation has been significantly influenced by Eric Hoyle's work on ‘extended-restricted' professionality, which has served as a focal point for my development of theory. Much of my research has involved examination of workplace cultures and work contexts and the incorporation into my analyses of a micro-political dimension, in order to uncover the complexity of interaction of different factors that influence individuals' work-related attitudes and professional development. I have formulated theoretical models of the processes of achieving job satisfaction and high morale in individuals, and of the part played by motivation in activating these processes. My contribution to the field of educational leadership and management has been to present the comparatively neglected perspectives of the 'led' or 'managed' and use these as a basis for the development of theory and recommendations for leadership and management policy and practice. I have developed an ‘extended-restricted' continuum that is applicable to the educational research profession, arguing for the need for a pervasive culture of ‘extended' professionality, reflected by a concern to develop advanced research skills and incorporate more rigour into research methodology.
I am currently working on a theoretical model of the professional development process in individuals, which is a natural extension of my conceptual and ontological analyses of teacher development. Alongside this I have recently begun to examine the development of research cultures and research leadership in HE. To develop this work I am once again stepping outside the boundaries of educational studies and educational theory, this time drawing not only on occupational psychology but also on sociological theory - in particular, Margaret Archer's writing on culture, structure and agency, and her morphogenetic theory.
Professional associations and learned societies
I am a member of:
- the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE) - member of SRHE council
- the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA)
- the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE)
- the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) - member of the BELMAS national council
- the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- the International Professional Development Association (IPDA)
Recent
- At the BELMAS annual conference in Sheffield (July 3-5) I presented a paper, Developing education professionals: understanding concepts and processes, on Friday 3rd July.
- At the 2009 Vitae researcher development conference at the University of Warwick I co-presented (with colleague Jim Baxter) 'How professionalised is the research career?' on Wednesday 9th September.
- At the 2009 ECER in Vienna (September 28th-30th) I presented Theory to Practice in Professional Development: illustrating an essentialist or quidditative model through practical examples, within the symposium: Examining Teachers' Professional Development: perspectives from the UK, Switzerland and Belgium.
Forthcoming
- At the annual conference of the International Professional Development Association, November 27th-28th, I shall present Developing the European researcher: towards 'extended' professionality in the third cycle.
- At the SRHE conference at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, December 8-10, I shall present Location, location, location and acquiring the ideal home: a new conception of academic practice.
- March 18th 2009 - invited plenary address, 'Developing professionalism in health and safety' at the IOSH annual conference in Liverpool.
- October 6th 2009 - 'Morale and job satisfaction in the workplace', invited presentation to the Education Cluster, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa
- October 6th 2009 - 'The role of leaders and managers in developing research capacity in HE', invited presentation to chairs of departments, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa
- October 7th 2009 - 'The role of leadership in professional development', invited seminar paper at the School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg.
- October 8th 2009 - invited keynote address at the University of South Africa's 3rd Annual Teacher Education at a Distance Conference, St George Hotel, Pretoria, Oct. 8-9
- March 4th 2010 - invited seminar at the Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford
- April 22nd 2010 - 'Developing theory in research': invited seminar at the SRHE newer researchers' network, SRHE Office, London
Teaching
My teaching expertise is principally in educational leadership and management and in educational research methods, particularly advanced research skills. I currently teach on the MA in International Educational Management and am responsible for one of its modules: Developing Staff for Institutional Improvement. I also deliver module EDUC5471M (Educational Leadership and Management in the Professions) on the MA in Lifelong Learning.
Selected Publications
PAPERS
Evans, L. (2009). "S/he who pays the piper calls the tune? Professionalism, developmentalism and the paucity of in-service education within the research profession". Professional Development in Education (formerly the Journal of In-service Education), 35 (2), 289-312. (MS Word, 97K). Read Abstract.
Evans, L. and Bertani Tress, M. (2009). "What Drives Research-focused University Academics to Want to Teach Effectively? Examining Achievement, Self-efficacy and Self-esteem". International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 3 (2), 1-17. Read Abstract.
Evans, L. (2009). "Developing research capacity in the social sciences: a professionality-based model". International Journal for Researcher Development (in press), 1 (2), x. Read Abstract.
Evans, L. (2008). "Professionalism, Professionality and the Development of Education Professionals". British Journal of Educational Studies, 56 (1), 20-38. (MS Word, 104K). Read Abstract.
Evans, L. (2002). "What is Teacher Development?". Oxford Review of Education, 28 (1), 123-137.
Evans, L. (2001). "Delving Deeper into Morale, Job Satisfaction and Motivation among Education Professionals: re-examining the leadership dimension". Educational Management and Administration, 29 (3), 291-306.
BOOKS
Evans, L. (2002). "Reflective Practice in Educational Research: developing advanced skills". London, Continuum. Read Abstract.
Evans, L. (1999). "Managing to Motivate: a guide for school leaders". London, Cassell.
Evans, L. (1998). "Teacher Morale, Job Satisfaction and Motivation". London, Paul Chapman. Read Abstract.
Evans, L. and Abbott, I. (1998). "Teaching and Learning in Higher Education". London, Cassell. Read Abstract.
Evans, L., Packwood, A., Neill, S. and Campbell, R. J. (1994). "The Meaning of Infant Teachers’ Work". London, Routledge. Read Abstract.
CHAPTERS
Evans, L. (2003). "Managing Teacher Morale, Job Satisfaction and Motivation" in: B. Davies and J. West-Burnham (Ed.) Handbook of Educational Leadership and Management. London, Pearson Publishers.
Extended list of publications.
This page last updated by Linda Evans on 20th November 2009