Personal statement
Dr Sosu is a lecturer in the School of Education. He has a strong interest in quantitative methods and in addressing educational issues from a psychological perspective. His current research is predominantly focused on exploring how socioeconomic disadvantage influences educational and psychological trajectories from childhood.
Dr Sosu received his PhD from the University of Strathclyde in 2008, and studied for an MSc degree at Lund University, Sweden. His first degree is a BEd (Hons) Psychology (1st class honours) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, followed by a one and half year experience as trainee clinical psychologist. In addition he obtained a postgraduate diploma in psychology (distinction) from the Open University in 2011.
Between 2008 and 2013, he worked for the University of Aberdeen, first as a research fellow on the Scottish Teachers for a New Era (STNE) project and subsequently as a lecturer in Education. During this period, Dr Sosu examined the impact of initial teacher education experiences on students’ cognitive dispositions and the extent to which these dispositions influence their classroom competence.
Research interests
Childhood and Family – poverty and its effects on developmental trajectories in childhood; educational achievement and social mobility; parental involvement (incl. aspirations)
Methodology – quantitative methods; secondary data analysis; mixed methods; longitudinal designs; structural equation modelling; psychometrics
Teaching and Teacher Education – teacher cognition; teacher effectiveness; teacher expertise; pedagogical innovations
I am happy to supervise students with research interest involving any of the above areas.
Professional activities
- European Congress of Methodology
- Speaker
- 27/7/2016
- Exploring the effects of economic deprivation on the trajectory of conduct problems in preschool children
- Contributor
- 23/5/2016
- Govan Law Centre Conference on Underrepresented Groups
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 31/3/2016
- Nurture Groups Network Conference
- Keynote/plenary speaker
- 12/2/2016
- Journal of Social Work (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 2016
- Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 2016
more professional activities
Projects
- Cognitively Guided Instruction
- Moscardini, Lio (Principal Investigator) Sosu, Edward (Co-investigator)
- Period 16-Feb-2016 - 30-Jun-2016
- Closing the poverty attainment gap in Scottish Education
- Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator) Ellis, Susan (Co-investigator)
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- Period 27-May-2014 - 27-May-2014
- Widening Access to Higher Education -Research Dissemination Conference
- Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator) Smith, Lauren (Researcher) Ellis, Susan (Co-investigator)
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- Period 22-Jun-2016 - 22-Jun-2016
- Research Dissemination - Supplementary Grant £4,250
- Ellis, Susan (Co-investigator) Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator)
- Supplementary Research Grant to an earlier Joseph Rowntree Foundation grant of £4815
- Period 15-Apr-2014 - 15-Jul-2014
- Widening Access to Higher Education for Students from economically disadvantaged households: ‘What works’ and why?
- Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator) Smith, Lauren (Researcher) Ellis, Susan (Co-investigator)
- In Scotland, there are significant social inequalities in regards to access to higher education.
Students from the most disadvantaged households are less likely to enter higher education, and when they do, are more likely to go to college rather than university. Research suggests that several factors including poor academic performance and subject choice at secondary school account for this access gap.
Over the last two decades there have been various attempts to tackle the educational access gap associated with poverty in Scotland. A recent flagship approach has been the signing of outcome agreements between higher education institutions and the SFC/Scottish Government. This agreement commits universities and colleges to widen access and increase the proportion of students coming from areas of high deprivation.
Additionally, the SFC has funded the Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) widening access initiatives to help quicken the pace of change. While modest progress has been observed with respect to the increase in number of disadvantaged students entering university and for those attending SHEP initiatives, it's not entirely clear what is facilitating this process.
As far as we're aware, there's currently no systematic documentation of evidence on what makes these programmes successful. Additionally, a starting point to quicken the pace of progress in Scotland is to examine evidence from the wider literature on ‘what works and why’, in order to widen access for disadvantaged students.
Funder - Scottish Funding Council Impact for Access Fund (£116, 314)
- Period 17-Aug-2015 - 17-Aug-2017
- Teacher Education Students' Attitudes to an International Experience.
- Sosu, Edward (Co-investigator) Corrigan, Amanda Jane (Co-investigator)
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- Period 01-Apr-2013 - 01-Nov-2014
more projects
Address
Education
Lord Hope Building
Lord Hope Building
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