Jane O'Connor
Reader in Childhood Studies
School of Education and Social Work
- Email:
- Jane.O’Connor@bcu.ac.uk
- Phone:
- 0121 331 6623
Jane started her professional life as a primary school teacher and moved into research due to her interests in social constructions of childhood and children's relationship with the media. Jane's PhD thesis was about child stars and much of her subsequent work has focused on 'exceptional' groups of children and representations of children and childhood in the media. She also researches children’s use of digital technology and educational uses of digital technology more widely. Jane was a senior lecturer in Childhood Studies at the University of Wolverhampton for six years and before that she worked as a visiting lecturer in the education department at London Metropolitan University. She joined Birmingham City University in 2013 as a Senior Researcher and became a Reader in 2015.
Current Activity
- Co-leading the ‘Children, Families and Communities’’ research group (ChiFCo)
- Module leading, teaching and supervising students on the Education Doctorate (EdD)
- Supervising PhD students in Education and Childhood Studies
- Reviewing journal articles
- External examiner for MA(Hons) Childhood at Derby University
- Externally and internally funded project work
Areas of Expertise
- Childhood studies
- Digital technology in education
- Qualitative research
- Creative methodologies
- Academic writing
- Research supervision
- Teaching and lecturing
- Bid writing
- Report writing and evaluations
Qualifications
- 2010 - Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, University of Wolverhampton
- 2006 - PhD 'The Cultural Significance of the Child Star', Brunel University
- 1999 - PGCE Primary (3-11 years), Kingston University
- 1996 - MA in Sociology of Contemporary Culture, University of York
- 1994 - BSc (Hons) Applied Psychology and Sociology (2:1), University of Surrey.
Memberships
- Member of Digital Childhoods SIG, EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association)
- HEA Fellow
Teaching
- Module leader for CP1 on Education Doctorate
- MA in Education – Dimensions of Childhood module
Research
- Enhancing Teacher Education in Vietnam (2021-2022) World Bank funded
- Digidoc, developing international professional doctorates (2021-2024) British Council funded
- Exploring young children’s use and understanding of YouTubeKids
- Exploring children’s everyday lives using rhythm analysis
- Technobabies - 0-3s' use of technology
Postgraduate Supervision
Jane is currently supervising doctoral projects on a range of topics in Education and Childhood Studies including:
- Outdoor learning for children with SEND
- Life story books
- Post and pre care experiences of looked after children
- Educational experiences of refugee and migrant children
- Teaching and learning maths
- Early years student placements
Publications
Books
- O’Connor, J. & Mercer, J. (Eds) (2017) Childhood & Celebrity. Abingdon: Routledge.
- O’Connor J (2008) The Cultural Significance of the Child Star, London: Routledge.
Journal Articles
- Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M., Dardanou, M., Unstad, T., and O’Connor, J. (2020). A cross-cultural exploration of early childhood educators’ beliefs and experiences around the use of touchscreen technologies with children under three years of age. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 28(2)
- Dardanou M, Unstad T, Brito R, Dias P, Fotakapoulou O, Sakata Y and O’Connor J (2020) Use of touchscreen technology by 0-3-year-old children: Parents’ practices and perspectives in Norway, Portugal and Japan. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. 20(3) 551-573. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1468798420938445
- O’Connor, J., Every, S, Lowe, R. and Wolhuter, C. (2018) Evaluating Holiday Kitchen: Capturing children's perspectives on a summer holiday food and activities programme. Social Research Practice Journal, Vol 5 Winter 2018
- O’Connor, J. and Fotakopoulou, O. (2016) A threat to early childhood innocence or the future of learning? Parents’ perspectives on the use of touchscreen technology by 0–3 year olds in the UK. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood 17(2).
- O’Connor, J. (2014) An analysis of British Newspaper Coverage of the Teenage Swimming Gold Medallists at the London 2012 Olympics. Journal of Children and Media. Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2014, pages 95-109
- O’Connor, J. and McDougall, J. (2013) 'Orphans and Rich People': A Critical Analysis of the 'Children's Lives' Exhibition in Birmingham, UK. Children & Society (published first online DOI: 10.1111/chso.12025).
- O’Connor, J. (2012) ‘Is it good to be gifted? The construction of gifted children in the British press.’ Children and Society Vol. 26, Issue 4, pp293-303.
- O’Connor, J. (2011) ‘From Jackie Coogan to Michael Jackson: What child stars can tell us about ideologies of childhood’ Journal of Children and Media Vol.5, Issue 3, pp.284-297.
- O'Connor, J. (2009) 'Beyond Social Constructionism? A Structural Analysis of the Cultural Significance of the Child Star', Children and Society Vol.2, Issue 3, pp.214-225
- O'Connor, J. (2009) 'The Demonisation of Charlotte Church: Media Constructions of a Child Prodigy', Journal of Children and Media Vol.3, Issue 2, pp.136-151
Book Chapters
- O’Connor, J. (2019) ‘Document Analysis’. In Lambert, M. (Ed) Practical Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
- O’Connor, J., Fotakopolou, O., Hatzigianni, M and Fridberg, M. (2018) ‘Parents’ perspectives on the use of touchscreen technology by 0-3 year olds in the UK, Sweden, Australia and Greece’. In Palaiologou, I. (Ed) (2018 forthcoming) Digital Practices in Early Childhood Education: An International Perspective. London: SAGE.
- O’Connor, J. (2017) ‘Appropriate play? Parents’ reflections on 0-3s using touchscreen technology in the home’. In Arnott, L. (2017 forthcoming) Digital Technologies and Learning in the Early Years. London: SAGE.
- O’Connor, J. ‘Children and Media’ in T. Waller and G. Davies (Eds) (2014) An Introduction to Early Childhood 3 Edition. London: SAGE.
- O’Connor, J. ‘The myth of ‘toxic childhood’ in J. McDougall and P. Bennett (Eds) (2013) Myth Today (and Together): Theory under Reconstruction. London: Routledge.
- O’Connor, J. ‘Applying Bourdieu’s concepts of social and cultural capital and habitus to early years research’ in J. Whitmarsh, T. Waller & K. Clarke C (Eds) (2010) Making sense of theory and practice: the Power of Ideas. Abingdon: Open University Press.
Media Work
- November 2016. Interviewed for an article entitled ‘Child stars: Early start or too much too young?’ Jennifer Scott, BBC Online
- April, 2014. Interviewed for article entitled: ‘iBabies: Are tables and smartphones dangerous for tots to use?’ Amanda Killelea, Daily Mirror (12.8.14)
- March, 2014. Interviewed for article entitled: ‘Experts raise alarm over babies addicted to iPads’. Nicola Woolcock, The Times (15.3.14).
- February, 2014. Interviewed for Croatian TV documentary about Child Stardom
- April, 2013. Guest on OnPoint radio show with Tom Ashbrook, ‘From Annette to Bieber – Teen Idols Then and Now’ Guest appearance on US radio show talking about child stardom