Dr Olga Fotakopoulou

Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology, Academic Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Athena Swan Lead.

Email:: olga.fotakopoulou@bcu.ac.uk

Olga is a developmental psychologist and is interested in human development from birth to adolescence with a special interest in socio-cognitive, emotional and pro-social development. She has worked as a researcher of children’s development since 2004 and as a counsellor in various educational and clinical settings.

Olga has been teaching and leading different modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level in her capacity as a lecturer in Developmental and Educational Psychology. She has always been interested in advancing students’ development according to their personal needs and to prepare them with skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity.

Olga leads the Lifespan Development module (PSY 7061), offered to MSc students and delivered entirely online in two semesters. She also leads the MSc Psychology Dissertation (PSY 7057) in the spring semester. Olga contributes to the Educational Psychology module (PSY 5026) which is offered to Level 5 students.

Areas of Expertise

Qualifications

Memberships

Teaching

Research

A new research project investigating the ways young children in England, Scotland, Australia and USA watch and engage with digital content on YouTube and YouTube Kids has been initiated in collaboration with Dr Jane O’Connor, Dr Alex Wade and Dr Shannon Ludgate from the School of Education and academics in the University of Strathclyde, Macquarie and Monash.

Given the increasing amounts of time young children spend viewing these platforms (especially during the pandemic), and related concerns around the commercial algorithms which direct their viewing choices, this research aims to understand how young children make choices about what videos to watch and to explore the extent of their comprehension of the constructed, ‘unreal’ nature that characterises a large proportion of these videos, particularly those presented by children (micro-celebrities). The first paper of the project reporting on the findings of the exploratory study with the title: Resisting hyperreality?: talking to young children about YouTube and YouTube Kids has been submitted to Contemporary issues in Early Childhood.

In collaboration with universities in nine countries, conducting the Digicross project led by The Arctic University of Norway, funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The development of the information society has made it necessary to reflect on the means by which the next generations of teachers are prepared for their work in the school and non-formal education system. This international project is taking place in nine countries in Europe and Asia and explores digital skills, pedagogies and attitudes towards technology use and literacy among educators, teachers and students.

In collaboration with Dr Catherine Baker from ADM (Birmingham School of Art), Dr Thanos Tsirikos (Leading spinal surgeon), Dr Nina Morris (Human Geographer), developing the Backbone project which has been funded by the British Scoliosis Research Foundation. The aim of this project is to use art as a form of interdisciplinary research practice to measure the impact of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis on wellbeing and body perception. The research aims to contribute to a better understanding of alternative treatments towards improving quality of life in young females, advancing scoliosis research priorities 2 and 10.

Since 2021, running the Erasmus+ DigiSMARTS project (UK, Italy, Finland, Cyprus, Serbia), led by Professor Geraldine Lee-Treweek, which is designed to provide an excellent quality, free to access, open educational platform, delivering knowledge and skills on how to use and implement innovative creative digital arts projects and activities for youth workers across Europe.

Since November 2020, running the Erasmus+ CHECK IT HE, led by Professor Geraldine Lee-Treweek, which aims to enhance HE response to hate and extremism on HEI campuses, by building capacity, knowledge and skills, bringing together innovative projects and practices in the field. The CHECKIT HE Consortium is made up of teams from UK, Turkey, Serbia, Portugal, Cyprus and Finland and recognises that tertiary education has a vital role to play in supporting tolerant, civically engaged societies.

By adopting a multidisciplinary method with Dr Emma Tecwyn (York St John University) and Dr Catherine Baker (School of Art), developed the ‘Drawing a scientist’ project exploring children’s representations of scientists and understanding of science. Collected data with school aged children (5-12 years of age) on the Family Inspired day and during half term holidays at the Science Museum of Birmingham. In the framework of the Volunteer Research Assistantship Scheme, undergraduate students were trained and contributed to the data collection and analysis; with the aim to publish findings with students in co-authored journal articles and organise an exhibition with children’s creations in collaboration with the Science Museum and share their achievements with their families and community.

Since November 2019, co-leading with Professor Geraldine Lee-Treweek the Erasmus+ EMBRACE HE project, which is a 36-month project specially designed to help address problems of mental health and lack of well-being in students in Higher Education. The Consortium of the EMBRACE HE (UK, Serbia, Spain, Greece, Lithuania) led by BCU brings together models of innovative best practice and embedded curricular, extracurricular, pedagogical, pastoral and collaborative activities (with Students’ Unions, external stakeholders etc.), to address student mental illness and wellbeing, with a unique open access toolkit training model.

In collaboration with Professor Manolis Mavrikis, Dr Farhana Mann (University College London), Prof Fanny Cheung (Chinese University of Hong Kong), working on the project entitled: Using Artificial intelligence and big data to enhance the mental health well-being of children, led by Dr Rosa Kwok and has been funded by the Hong Kong Government.

From 2015-2018, led the Erasmus+ ETHIKA Project (Ethics and Values in Schools and Kindergartens) which was funded with the support of the European Union and the Slovenian National Agency. BCU was an associate partner of the project, representing the UK, along with eleven countries. The ETHIKA project was an ethics intervention, which sought to foster critical thinking skills in children and adolescents, using ethics education to enhance personal development. Findings from the UK are presented in a journal article and a book dedicated to the project.

Since 2014, working with Dr Jane O'Connor from the School of Education and collaborators from Institutions in Australia, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Greece and Portugal on Techno-babies, an interdisciplinary research project about the use of touchscreens by young children (0-3 years of age). The pilot project had received internal funding from BCU and findings of this study have been presented in international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals and books. The team has developed new strands in their research and are currently exploring early years practitioners’ experiences and attitudes about the use of touchscreen technologies by young children and the team are designing the next steps and experiments exploring the impact of using touchscreen technology on various aspects of development.

Postgraduate Supervision

Publications

Papers in refereed journals

Dong, Ch., Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M. (accepted for publication). Chinese Early Childhood Educators’ experiences and confidence related to touchscreen use’. Journal of Early Child Development and Care.
Baker, C., Tsirikos, Th., Morris, N., Fotakopoulou, O., & Parrott, F.(2023). Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: Interdisciplinary Creative Art Practice and Nature Connections. Medical Humanities.
O’Connor, J., Fotakopoulou, O., Johnston, K., Ludgate, S., Kewalramani, S., & Johnston, K. (2023) Resisting hyperreality? talking to young children about YouTube and YouTube Kids. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. ISSN 1463-9491
McDonald, S., & Fotakopoulou, O. (2023). The impact of mode of assessment on young children’s mathematical skills: a mixed methods approach. Early Education and Development. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10409289.2023.2260683
O’Connor, J., & Fotakopoulou, O. (2022). Using rhythmanalysis to explore the synchronicities and disruptions in children’s everyday lives in England and Greece during the 2020 lockdown. Methodological Innovations.
Dardanou, M., Unstad, T., Brito, R., Dias, P., Fotakopoulou, O., Sakata, Y., O’Connor, J. (2020). Use of touchscreen technology by 0-3 year old children: Parents’ perspectives in Norway, Portugal and Japan. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy.
Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M., Dardanou, M., Unstad, T., & O’Connor, J. (2020). ‘Early childhood educators’ attitudes and beliefs around the use of touchscreen technologies by children under three years of age in England, Norway and Greece’. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal.
Georgiadou, Tr., Fotakopoulou, O., & Pnevmatikos, D. (2018). Exploring bioethical reasoning in children and adolescents using focus groups methodology. SAGE Research Methods case psychology.
O’Connor, J. & 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.
Georgiadou, Tr., Fotakopoulou, O., & Pnevmatikos, D. (2015). Adolescents' preferences for organ allocation: The role of empathy and altruism in allocation judgments. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 12 (13), 310-323.
Fotakopoulou, O., & Markoulis, D. (2011). Points of convergence between socio-moral reasoning and the conception of key political ideas. Psychology, 18 (4), 440-467.
Casasanto, D., Fotakopoulou, O. & Boroditsky, L. (2010). Space and time in the child’s mind Evidence for a cross-dimensional asymmetry. Cognitive Science, 34 (3), 387–405. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21564218

In the pipeline

Fotakopoulou, O., & O’Connor, J. (in submission). Understanding the concept of the scientist.
Fotakopoulou, O. & Page, D., Begum, S., & Mogra, I. (in submission). Exploring moral values in primary school children in England. Psychology in the Schools Journal.

Chapters in edited books

O’Connor, J., Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M and Fridberg, M. (2019). ‘Parents’ perspectives on the use of touchscreen technology by 0-3 year olds in the UK, Sweden, Australia and Greece’. In Palaiologou, I. and Gray, C. (Eds). Early Learning in the Digital Age: Digital Pedagogy and Early Childhood. London: SAGE
Fotakopoulou, O., & Mitchell, K. (2017). The Value Friendship: Collecting data in UK. In Feiner, Franz & Krammer, Johann & Pack, Irene & Resnik, Mojca & Straßegger-Einfalt Renate (Hg.), wert(e)voll wachsen. Ethische Bildung für eine nachhaltige, dialogische Zukunft, (pp. 183-190). Graz: LogoMedia.
Fotakopoulou, O., & Simms, D. (2017). The Value Respect: Collecting data in UK. In Feiner, Franz & Krammer, Johann & Pack, Irene & Resnik, Mojca & Straßegger-Einfalt Renate (Hg.), wert(e)voll wachsen. Ethische Bildung für eine nachhaltige, dialogische Zukunft, (pp. 191-195). Graz: LogoMedia.
Faniglione, D., Fotakopoulou, O., & Lowe, G. (2017). Psychology students as co-creators in designing an innovative case-study based learning resource. In: J. Branch, S. Hayes, A. Hørsted and C. Nygaard, eds. Innovative teaching and learning in higher education. United Kingdom: Libri Publishing, pp. 257–268.
Kioseoglou, G. (2013). Associations between adolescents’ political reasoning, socio- moral reasoning and cognitive competence. In A. Mpaka, D. Moraiotou, L. Figgou, E. Gonida, & V. Deliyianni, (Eds.), 10th Scientific Annals of School of Psychology. Thessaloniki.
Markoulis, D., & Fotakopoulou, O. (2012). The development of moral reasoning in children. In H. Bezevegis & S. Hatzichristou, Psychopaidia. Athens: Pedio. University of Athens (in Greek).
Fotakopoulou, O. & Markoulis, D. (2009). Distribution of water: Adolescents’ approach on an adults’ problem. In M. Dikaiou, E. Georgaka & A. Xenikou (Eds.), 8th Scientific Annals of School of Psychology, (pp. 253-291). Art of Text: Thessaloniki. (in Greek)

Conference papers and presentations

Hatzigianni, M., Dardanou M., Fotakopoulou, O., Unstad, T., Dong, C., Brito, R. & O’Connor (2022). Our youngest learners have something to teach us: new perspectives and dilemmas arising from the growing use of digital technologies 74th World Assembly and Conference, Athens, Greece.
O’Connor, J., Fotakopoulou, O., Ludgate, S., Arnott, L., Johnson, K., Kewalramani, S, &.Wade, A. (2021). Hyperreality and the simulation of childhood: using Baudrillard to explore young children’s understanding of micro-celebrity content on YouTube/YouTube Kids. 31st Conference of the European Early Childhood Research Association, Zagreb, Kroatia.
Unstad, T., Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M., Dardanou M., & O’Connor, J. (2021). Home and Kindergarten, two sides of young children’s use of touch-screen technology: An exploration using multiple methodological approaches. 31st Conference of the European Early Childhood Research Association, Zagreb, Kroatia.
Fotakopoulou, O., Page, D., & Mogra, D. (2019). Exploring moral values in primary school children in UK (ETHIKA project). 19th European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens.
Unstad, T., Fotakopoulou, O., Hatzigianni, M., Dardanou, M., & O’Connor, J. (2019). Early childhood educators’ insights in how to integrate the use of touchscreen technologies with children under three years of age in the UK, Norway, Australia and Greece. 30th Conference of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki.
Hatzigianni, M., O 'Connor, J., Dardanou, M., Unstad, T. & Fotakopoulou, O. (2018). Early childhood educators' attitudes and beliefs around the use of touchscreen technologies by children under three years of age. EECERA Conference, 28th August, Budapest, Hungary.
Fotakopoulou, O., Georgiadou, Tr., Kamal A., & Pnevmatikos, D. (2018). Development of children’s concepts of bioethics. In the 48th Annual Conference of the Jean Piaget Society with the topic: The Dynamics of Development: Process, (Inter-) Action, & Complexity, May 31-June 2, 2018, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Burton, B., Fotakopoulou, O., & Aldrovandi, S. Examining the association between risk preference and delayed gratification in young children. International Convention of Psychological Sciences, 23-25 March 2017, University of Vienna, Austria.
Fotakopoulou, O., Mitchell, K., & Mogra, I. EU ETHIKA project: Philosophising with children: the experience of collecting data in UK. 3-7 April 2017, Graz. Austria.
O’Connor, J., Fotakopoulou, O., & Hatzigianni, M. Parents’ perspectives on the use of touchscreen technology by 0-3 year olds in the UK, Greece, Sweden and Australia. EECERA Conference, 29 August-2nd September 2017, University of. Bologna, Italy.
Hatzigianni, M., Fotakopoulou, O., & O’Connor, J. Parents’ and Educators’ views on the use of touchscreen technologies by young children aged 0-3. Early Start Conference on Helping children flourish and realise their potential, 27-29 September 2017. University of Wollongong, Australia.
Fotakopoulou, O., Faniglione, D. & Lowe, G. (2016). Psychology students as co-creators in designing an innovative case-study based learning resource. 14th International Symposium on Innovative Teaching and Learning Practices in Higher Education, Institute for Learning in Higher Education, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Fotakopoulou, O., Williams, J., Mogra, I. & Cuttler, H. (2016). Ethics and ethical practice: Perceptions and awareness in students of Social and Sciences and Education in a UK University. 5th SIG13 Symposium of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction on Professionals' Ethos and Education for Responsibility", University of Salzburg, Austria.
Mogra, I., & Fotakopoulou, O. (2015). Trainee teachers and their tutorial system: a case study. Poster presented at the UKAT -UK Annual Conference, University of Hull, Southampton.
Fotakopoulou, O., Georgiadou, Tr. &. Pnevmatikos, D. (2015). A grounded theory study on children’s bioethical judgments. 17th European Conference of Developmental Psychology, University if Minho, Braga, Portugal.
Fotakopoulou, O., Georgiadou, Tr. &. Pnevmatikos, D. (2014). What school-aged children think about contemporary bioethical dilemmas? Proceedings of the International Conference: Reflections on childhood, School of Education, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Fotakopoulou, O., Georgiadou, Tr. &. Pnevmatikos, D. (2014). Adolescents’ judgments on current bioethical issues. Proceedings of the 4th SIG13 Symposium: Moral and democratic education - Moral Education for a Democratic Citizenship. Verona, Italy.
Fotakopoulou, O., & Kanira, E. (2014). The development of empathy in young children: tracing the roots from early childhood. International Child’s World conference, Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK.
Kanira, E., & Fotakopoulou, O. (2014). Dramatic play and empathy in early childhood. 24th Conference of European Early Childhood Educational Research Association, University of Crete, Crete, Greece.
Fotakopoulou, O., Georgiadou, Tr., Pnevmatikos, D. (2013). Saving life through death: Adolescents’ views on a bioethical dilemma. Proceedings of the 14th ELPSE Conference, University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli.
Fotakopoulou, O., Pnevmatikos, D., Georgiadou, Tr., & Trikkaliotis, I. (2012). Transplantations: Greek adolescents argue about a current bioethical issue. Proceedings of the Symposium of the Early-SIG-13 on Moral and Democratic Education, NLA University College, Bergen, Norway.
Fotakopoulou, O., Pnevmatikos, D.,Nona-Georgiou, St. (2012). Greek adolescents think and argue about the stem-cell research and therapy. Proceedings of the Symposium of the Early-SIG-13 on Moral and Democratic Education, NLA University College, Bergen, Norway.
Fotakopoulou, O. & Markoulis, D. (2009). Points of convergence between socio-moral reasoning and the conception of key political ideas. Proceedings of the 13th Biennial Earli Conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction, UvA. Amsterdam & Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.
Casasanto, D., Fotakopoulou, O, & Boroditsky, L. (2009).Space and Time in the Child’s Mind: Evidence for a Cross-Dimensional Asymmetry. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Amsterdam, NL.
Miklikowska, M. & Fotakopoulou, O. (2009). Family democracy, democratic values, adolescents, political thinking, communication patterns. On line-proceedings of the XXXII Annual Meeting of International Society of Political Psychology, Trinity College, Dublin.
Fotakopoulou, O. (2008). The world of family: parental imprints on the development of political thinking. On-line proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, Sciences Po, Paris.
Fotakopoulou, O. & Markoulis, D. (2008). Political thinking in primary school years: A developmental perspective. On-line proceedings of Symposium of the Earli Sig 13 Moral And Democratic Education, School of Education, Florina.
Pantouli, O. & Fotakopoulou, O. (2008). The concept of gender in natural and social sciences: a quantitative and qualitative analysis. On-line Proceedings of the Conference with the title: From adolescence to adult life, Thessaloniki, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Lada, S., Chatzikonstantinou, K., Fotakopoulou, O. (2008). The concept of gender in natural and social sciences. Proceedings of the Conference on Research Methods of social gender, Rethymno, University of Crete.
Lada, S., Fotakopoulou, O., Chatzikonstantinou, K. (2008). Portraying Gender. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the European Society for the History of Science, Jagellonian University, Krakow.
Fotakopoulou, O. (2007). The development of political thinking: A developmental perspective. On line Proceedings of the 4th ECPR General Conference of Political Psychology, University of Sapienza, Pisa.
Casasanto D., Boroditsky L., Phillips W., Greene J., Goswami S., Bocanegra-Thiel S., Santiago-Diaz I., Fotakopoulou O., Pita R., Gill D. (2004). How deep are the effects of language on thought? Time estimation in speakers of English, Indonesian, Greek and Spanish. Proceedings of 26th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, Chicago.

Conference/poster presentations

Poster Presentation on the topic: Who has the priority for transplantation? Adolescents’ moral reasoning on bioethical issues. Joint Cognitive Psychology Section and Developmental Psychology Section Annual Conference, University of Reading, Reading. 6-9 September 2013
Presentation on the topic: Development of altruistic orientation: tracing the roots from the early childhood, 3rd International Conference of Psychological Society of Northern Greece with the topic, Children and youth in changing societies, School of Psychology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, 2-4 December 2010.
Presentation on the topic: The development of altruistic orientation in childhood, at the 2nd Hellenic Conference of Developmental Psychology, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 27-30 May 2010.
Presentation on the topic: How family communicative patterns affect the development of political thinking, at the 12th Panhellenic Conference of Psychological Research, University of Thessaly, Volos. 14-17 May 2009.
Presentation on the topic: Scientist in the picture, Greece 1900-1980. Situated identities – identities of sites, at the 10th Interdisciplinary Conference on Women, Women’s Worlds/ Mundos de Mujeres, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid. 3-9 July 2008.
Presentation on the topic: Developmental changes in the formation of political thinking: endogenous and exogenous factors, at the 1st Hellenic Conference of Developmental Psychology, University of Athens. May-1 June 2008.
Presentation on the topic: Assessing student’s moral judgment competence through MJT, DIT, SROM, at the 2nd International Conference of Psychological Society of Northern Greece on Psychological Assessment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 5-7 May 2007, Greece.
Presentation on the topic: The influence of native language on the perception of time, at the 1st Conference of Psychological Society of Northern Greece University of Thessaly, 21-23 November 2003, Volos.
Presentation with the topic: Depression, Quality of Life and Diabetes Mellitus, at the International Congress on QoL in Clinical Practice, Sani Beach Hotel, Chalkidiki. 5-7 April 2002.
Poster on the topic: Educating students of AUTH on stress management, at the 1st Hellenic Conference of the Greek Society of Psychophysiology, Macedonia Palace, Thessaloniki. 7-10 June 2001.
Presentation with the topic: Evaluating language abilities on Down’s Syndrome, at the 8th Hellenic Conference on Psychological Research, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis. 24-27 May 2001.
Presentation on the topic: Analysing drawings of children with Down’s syndrome, at the 8th Hellenic Conference on Psychological Research, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, 24-27 May 2001.

Invited symposia/workshops/round table discussions

Fotakopoulou, O. (2022) Webinar on the impact of Covid-19 on young people’s lives. Metropolitan College.
Fotakopoulou, O. (2017) Language and motor development in early childhood. Conductive College. NICE-Centre for Movement Disorders, 9 June 2017, Birmingham, UK.
Fotakopoulou, O., Faniglione, D., Alam, L., Green, E., & Chandler, E. (2016) Development of a web-based learning resource for the students of Psychology: from an idea to the actualisation of a project. Peer to peer support. Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences, Birmingham, UK.
McDonald, M. Fotakopoulou, O., Ludgate, S. Lowe, R. (2015) Ethics in research with children, Education Conference, City South, Birmingham City University.
Fotakopoulou, O. Faniglione, D., Hetheringhton, M., Alam, Green, E. Workshop with the title: Development of a web-based learning resource for Psychology students. Faculty Conference on learning and teaching, 10th September 2015, City Centre Campus, Birmingham City University.
Fotakopoulou, O., Cuttler, H., & Wiliams, J. (2014) Workshop with the title: Ethics in Internet-Mediated Research. Faculty Research Conference, 26th June 2015, Pavilions, Birmingham City University.
Fotakopoulou, O. Round table discussion with the topic: Working with on-line research. Interdisciplinary Research Ethics Event, 2nd July 2015, City Centre Campus, Birmingham City University.
Fotakopoulou, O., Cuttler, H., Mogra, I. & Wiliams, J. (2014) Teaching ethics focus groups in ELSS. Workshop presented on the Staff Development Day and in the Centre of Research in Education Conference, Attwood, Birmingham City University.

Book translations

Harley, A. T. (2008). The psychology of language: from theory to practice. [M. Zafeiri, K. Roikou & O. Fotakopoulou, Trans. & R. Pita, Ed. Trans.. Thessaloniki: University Studio Press
Haste, H. (2005) Constructing the citizenship. In D. Markoulis & M. Dikaiou (Ed.), Political Psychology: problems and perspectives (pp. 237-280). Athens: Typothito (G. Dardanos).

Media coverage

Captive of time (2010, 14 March). Vima Science, p. 8-9