Dr Deborah Ralls
This research was led by Dr Deborah Ralls, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow and Lecturer in Education at Newcastle University. Dr Ralls was previously a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, where she completed her PhD.
With an interest in the complex interrelationships around education theory and practice and socio-economic polices, Dr Ralls was the Principal Investigator working on the international comparative research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust: Redefining Education for an Urban Social Solidarity Economy: Becoming Relational.
Thinking Differently about Methods
I’m particularly drawn to the work of the Sociable Weaver Bird, which comes from the savannahs of Southern Africa. These birds work together for the public good, building huge nests that house whole colonies of birds under a communal thatch.
For me, their messy but complex work is a fantastic example of the type of collaborative creative endeavour that I try to achieve through my research methods. It isn’t a straightforward process, but building something with participants is exciting, waiting to see what will emerge. The participants are like the social weaver birds – decision-makers, agents of change and social activists, creating research that can help build better, more inclusive places for us all.
With thanks to Dr Jess Adams from Newcastle University Methods Hub and the Methodological Zoo project.
Recent Publications
Blossom-Ward, M., Hart, S., Kippen, R., Ralls, D., Rubani, N. (2023). The Future Is Ours: Young People and the Inclusive City. In Percy-Smith, B., Thomas, N.P., O’Kane, C. & Twum-Danso Imoh, A. (eds) A New Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation: Conversations for Transformational Change. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/A-Handbook-of-Children-and-Young-Peoples-Participation-Conversations/Percy-Smith-Thomas-OKane-Imoh/p/book/9781032007397
Ralls, D, Lahana, L., Towers, B., T, Johnson L. (2022). Reimagining education during a pandemic: children and young people as powerful educators. In COVID-19 and Education in the Global North: Storytelling as Alternative Pedagogies. (Palgrave). Available at: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-02469-6_1
Ralls, D., Pottinger, L. & Draws, D. (2021) Participatory Mapping in Methods for Change – Impactful social science methodologies for 21st century problems. Barron, A., Browne, A. L., Ehgartner, U., Hall, S. M., Pottinger, L. & Ritson, J. (eds.). ASPECT, (Methods for Change –Impactful social science methodologies for 21st century problems) [onine]. Available at: https://aspect.ac.uk/resources/research-method-participatory-mappin
Haines Lyon, C., Ralls, D. and Stuart, K. (2021) Ethical conundrums in Democratic methodologies [online] Available at: https://anchor.fm/isj [Podcast]
Ralls, D. (2020) Futureproofing an Inclusive Urban Economy: Redefining education policy in our towns and cities. 13 October. Policy@Manchester [online] 11 p. Available at: https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=51534
Ralls, D. (2020), Building back better: rethinking urban futures with children and young people. 27 October. Policy@Manchester [online]. Available at: http://blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/inclusivegrowth/2020/10/building-back-better-rethinking-urban-futures-with-children-and-young-people/
Ralls, D. (2020, Jul 10). Beyond the rainbows: The missing voices of children and young people in this pandemic. LSE Politics and Policy Blog [online]. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/covid19/2020/07/10/beyond-the-rainbows-the-missing-voices-of-children-and-young-people-in-this-pandemic/
The Island School, NYC, Lahana, L & Ralls, D (2020). Virtual Social Action Makerspaces in NYC: Finding Democratic Spaces of Creative Possibility during Lockdown. in Recast: A Co-operative and Radical Education Zine : Volume 1:Lockdown . vol. 1. <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m0Cta_m7qiQ7rp-junIkVvxa1SU2k6Xf> (Zine)
Ralls, D. (2019). Reimagining education policy: Co-operative schools and the social solidarity alternative. In T. Woodin, & L. Shaw (Eds.), Learning for a Co-operative World : Education, social change and the Co-operative College (pp. 154-168). UCL IOE Press. https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781858566801/Learning-for-a-Co-operative-World
Further information about Dr Ralls can be found here.