Personal statement
Dr Sosu is a Senior 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.
Dr Sosu is the lead author of the influential Joseph Rowntree Foundation report on Closing The Attainment Gap In Scottish Education (http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/education-attainment-scotland-full.pdf), and the research on Widening Access to Higher Education for Students from Economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds: What Works and Why? (https://pure.strath.ac.uk/portal/files/55895221/Sosu_etal_2016_widening_access_to_higher_education_for_students_from_economically_disadvantaged_backgrounds.pdf ) funded by the Scottish Funding Council.
Dr Sosu is a Centre for Health Policy Fellow in the Centre for Health Policy at Strathclyde University.
Teaching
As well as supervising PhD and Masters students, I teach on the BA in Education, PGDE, MSc Early Years Pedagogue and MEd Inclusive Education programmes. My contributions cover the following areas:
Poverty, Social Class and Educational Achievement
Learning Theories
Memory
The Role of Social and Emotional Interaction in Child Development
Collaborative Learning
Development of Scientific and Mathematical Knowledge in Childhood
Educational Policy
Social Issues in Education
Research Methods
Research interests
My primary research focus is on the relationship between poverty and developmental outcomes. I am interested in understanding the mechanisms by which socioeconomic circumstances and experiences of poverty influence educational attainment and psychological outcomes across the lifespan. I harness the power of large longitudinal datasets to aid our understanding of these mechanisms. My goal is to undertake research that drives policies and practices which can improve outcomes for those experiencing adversity nationally and internationally.
Specific Research Interests:
- Childhood and Family–poverty and its effects on developmental outcomes; social mobility; parental beliefs (inc. aspirations)
- Methodology – quantitative methods; structural equation modelling; secondary data analysis; longitudinal designs; psychometrics; mixed methods
- Teacher Education –teacher effectiveness; teacher expertise; pedagogical innovations
Professional activities
- Poverty and developmental outcomes: Understanding and supporting families to thrive
- Speaker
- 24/1/2018
- British Psychological Society Psychology of Education Annual Conference
- Participant
- 26/10/2017
- Poverty and children’s educational outcomes: What do psychological theories have to offer? - Presentation of ‘Psychology in the Pub’ event
- Speaker
- 26/10/2017
- Child Development (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 1/7/2017
- External Examiner (Ph.D.), Trinity College Dublin
- Examiner
- 17/3/2017
- Scottish Funding Council, Access and Inclusison Commitee (External organisation)
- Advisor
- 2017
more professional activities
Projects
- Evidence into Action: Promoting Equitable Access to Quality (PEAQ) Educational Experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator)
-
- Period 01-Feb-2018 - 31-Jul-2018
- Nurturing School Ethos to Improve Educational Attainment
- Cassidy, Claire (Principal Investigator) Holmes, Joanna (Co-investigator) Klein, Markus (Co-investigator) Sosu, Edward (Co-investigator)
- Period 01-Aug-2017 - 31-Mar-2019
- Family background and educational attainment: An investigation into the mediating role of school absenteeism
- Klein, Markus (Principal Investigator) Sosu, Edward (Co-investigator)
- Period 01-Jun-2018 - 30-Nov-2019
- 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)
-
- Period 27-May-2014 - 27-May-2014
- Widening Access to Higher Education -Research Dissemination Conference
- Sosu, Edward (Principal Investigator) Ellis, Susan (Co-investigator)
-
- Period 22-Jun-2016 - 22-Jun-2016
more projects
Address
Education
Lord Hope Building
Lord Hope Building
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