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Ros McLellan

Position/Status

Associate Professor in Teacher Education and Development / Pedagogical Innovation

Director of Learning & Teaching

E-mail Address

rwm11@cam.ac.uk

Phone

01223 767663

Qualifications

  • PhD in Science Education (King's College, London)
  • MPhil in Psychology of Education (Cambridge)
  • PGCE in Secondary Mathematics (Cambridge)
  • MA in Social and Political Sciences, specialising in Social Psychology (Cambridge)

Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations

  • British Educational Research Association (BERA)
  • British Psychological Association (BPS), including the Education Section

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Profile

Ros taught psychology and mathematics in the secondary schooling sector for a number of years before joining the Faculty. Her background is in psychology and she is a graduate member of the British Psychology Society. She has always been interested in student motivation and her Masters and Doctoral projects were in this area. In recent years, she has also worked on a number of projects focusing not only on achievement motivation but also on student wellbeing, mathematics anxiety, and creativity.

Ros enjoys working collaboratively with practitioners to develop and refine strategies that make a real difference to teaching and learning in the classroom and is interested in teacher learning. Until recently she coordinated the Researching Practice MEd course, and continues to be a member of that teaching team. In recent years she has also lead school-university collaborations, initially locally to Cambridge and later with a network of schools in Kazakhstan.

Ros is currently a British Educational Research Association Council member, and part of the organisation's Leadership Team where she Chairs the Publications Committee. She is also a co-convenor of the European Educational Research Association Network 8: Health and Wellbeing Education.

Academic Area / Links

  • Teacher education & development
  • Pedagogical innovation
  • Social psychology

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Research Topics

  • Student wellbeing
  • Achievement motivation
  • Mathematics anxiety
  • Teacher learning in relation to motivation / similar topics
  • Self-efficacy
  • Gender and achievement

Prospective PhD Applications

I have extremely limited capacity for doctoral supervision and will only be seeking 1 new doctoral student for entry in 2025. I will only consider supervising projects that 1) relate to the research topics listed above and 2) take a psychological perspective. If you are interested in applying you will need to have a draft proposal before contacting me.

Current Research Projects

Charting the Impact of UKSA Programmes

Hard to Reach Services, Not Hard to Reach Children

Recently Completed Research Projects

Developing a Theory of Change for the UKSA Residential Programme

Collaboration between Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, and Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University, to examine Kazakhstan school students’ well-being and engagement

Understanding the Origins and Experience of Mathematics Anxiety in primary and secondary school pupils

Health and Wellbeing across Transition

The Impact of Transition on Primary Pupils’ Wellbeing

The Impact of Creative Partnerships on Student Wellbeing

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Course Involvement

  • Transforming Practice Masters Route
  • Doctoral supervision

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Publications


Cornelissen, F., McLellan, R. & Daly, A. (2024). Developing research networks in schools: The role of network intentionality and research engagement. Frontiers in Education, 9:1413128. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1413128

Katsantonis, I., Barrado, B., McLellan, R., & Gimenez, G. (2024). Subjective Well-Being and Bullying Victimisation: A Cross-National Study of Adolescents in 64 Countries and Economies. Child Indicators Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-024-10147-0

Zhou, W., & McLellan, R. (2024). "No changes, but I become more positive mentally": A Mixed-methods Study of the Impact of a Combined SEL and MBP on Behavior Change and Academic Achievement among Chinese Adolescents. Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice and Policy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sel.2024.100038

Zhou, W., & McLellan, R. (2023). The Effectiveness of Taught, Self-help Mindfulness-based Interventions on Chinese Adolescents’ Well-being, Mental health, Prosocial and Difficult Behavior, and Coping Strategy. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12517

Wong, S. L., & McLellan, R. (2023). Adolescents' motivation to use social network sites from a psychological needs perspective. Journal of Adolescence, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12276

Katsantonis, I., & McLellan, R. (2023). The role of parent-child interactions in the association between mental health and prosocial behaviour: Evidence from early childhood to late adolescence. International Journal of Behavioural Development, .DOI 10.1177/01650254231202444

Clarke, T., & McLellan, R.. (2023). Associations between children’s wellbeing, mindset and academic attainment in standardized tests of achievement. School Psychology International, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01430343231215836

Katsantonis, I., & McLellan, R. (2023). Person-centred study on higher-order interactions between students’ motivational beliefs and metacognitive self-regulation: Links with school language achievement. Plos One https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289367

Smith, D., & McLellan, R. (2023). Mental health problems in first-generation university students: A scoping review. Review of Education, 11 e3418. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3418

Katsantonis, I., & McLellan, R. (2023). Students voices: A qualitative study on contextual, motivational and self-regulatory factors underpinning language achievement. Education Sciences, 13 804. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13080804

Clarke, T., McLellan, R., & Harold, G. (2023). Beyond life satisfaction: Wellbeing correlates of adolescents’ academic attainment. School Psychology Review, https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2023.2217980

Katsantonis, I., McLellan, R., & Torres, P. (2023). Unravelling the complexity of the associations between students’ science achievement, motivation and teachers’ feedback. Frontiers in Psychology (Educational Psychology Section), 14:1124189. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1124189

Katsantonis, I., McLellan, R., & Marquez, J. (2023). The development of subjective well-being and its relationship to self-esteem in early adolescence. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 42 (2) 157-171 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12436

Anwuzia, E., & McLellan, R. (2022). The role of teachers in adolescents’ career-specific future orientation. Cambridge Educational Research e-Journal, 9 258-270. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90565

Li, J., & McLellan, R. (2021). Is language learning a feminine domain? Examining the content and stereotype threat effect of female-language stereotypes among EFL learners in China. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 66 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2021.101991

Zhou, W., & McLellan, R. (2021). Examining social status profiles with gender, school attended, SES, academic achievement and wellbeing in urban China. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01454-8

Clarke, T., & McLellan, R. (2021). Embracing Arts curricula as integral for children’s wellbeing. Pastoral Care and Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2021.1899271

Jenson, H., Kvalsvig, J. D., Taylor, M., Sibisi, S., Whitebread, D. & McLellan, R. (2020). What counts as learning in play? Uncovering patterns in perceptions of South African early educators. International Journal of Early Years Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2020.1814215

Yu, J., & McLellan, R. (2020). Same mindset, different goals and motivational frameworks: Profiles of mindset-based meaning systems. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 62 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101901

Yu, J., McLellan, R., & Winter, L. (2020). Which boys and which girls are falling behind? Linking adolescents’ gender role profiles to motivation, engagement and achievement. Journal of Youth & Adolescence https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01293-z

Li, J., McLellan, R., & Forbes, K. (2020). Investigating EFL teachers’ gender stereotypical beliefs about learners: A mixed methods study. Cambridge Journal of Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2020.1772720

Winter, L., Hernandez-Torrano, D., McLellan, R., Almukhambetova, A., & Brown Hajdukova, E.,., (2020). A contextually adapted model of school engagement in Kazakhstan. Current Psychology.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00758-5

McLellan, R. (2019). Enhancing Wellbeing: The Necessity and Implications of a Culturally Grounded Interdisciplinary Conceptualisation. The Psychology of Education Review, 43 (2) 37-47.

Yu, J. & McLellan, R. (2019). Beyond academic achievement goals: The importance of social achievement goals in explaining gender differences in self-handicapping. Learning and Individual Differences, 69, 33-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.11.010.

Torres, P., Whitebread, D., & McLellan, R. (2018). The role of teacher regulatory talk in students' self-regulation development across cultures. In V. Grau & D. Whitebread (Eds), Relationships between classroom dialogue and support for metacognitive, self-regulatory development in educational contexts. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 162, 89-114.

Gao, J. & McLellan, R. (2018). Using Ryff’s scales of psychological well-being in adolescents in mainland China. BMC Psychology, 6:17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-018-0231-6.

Galton, M. & McLellan, R. (2018). A transition odyssey: Pupils’ experiences of transfer to secondary school across five decades. Research Papers in Education, 33 (2) 255-277.

Brown Hajdukova, E., Winter, L., & McLellan, R. (2017). Young people’s conceptualization of their wellbeing: Culturally situated understandings in the context of Kazakhstan. Health, 9 (11), 1542-1566.
https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2017.91111

Blaskova, L., & McLellan, R. (2017). Young people’s perceptions of wellbeing: The importance of peer relationships in Slovak schools. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2017.1342579

Cornelissen, F., McLellan, R. & Schofield, J. (2017). Fostering Research Engagement in Partnership Schools: Networking and Knowledge Creation. Oxford Review of Education, 43 (6) 695-717. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2017.1316251

Kuo, H., Burnard, P., McLellan, R., Cheng, Y. & Wu, J. (2017). The development of indicators for creativity education and a questionnaire to evaluate its delivery and practice. Thinking Skills & Creativity, 24, 186-198.

McLellan, R. (2017). Children and young people’s wellbeing in the school context. In R. Maclean (Ed.), Life in schools and classrooms – Past, present and future. London: Springer.

McLellan, R. & Steward, S. (2015). Measuring children and young people’s wellbeing in the school context. Cambridge Journal of Education, 45(3), 307-332.

Ajaps, S. & McLellan, R. (2015). ‘We don’t know enough’: Environmental education and pro-environmental behaviour perceptions. Cogent Education, 2: 1124490.

McLaughlin, C., Baumfield, V., Cordingley, P. and McLellan, R. (Eds.) (2015). Making a difference: Turning teacher learning inside-out. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

McLellan, R. (2015). Teacher learning in the contemporary landscape: Vignettes of practice. In C. McLaughlin, P. Cordingley, R. McLellan and V. Baumfield (Eds.), Making a difference: Turning teacher learning inside-out. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

McLellan, R. & Galton, M.(2015). The impact of primary-secondary transition on students' wellbeing. Final report to the Nuffield Foundation.

McLellan, R. & Galton, M., with Walberg, M.(2014). The impact of arts interventions on health outcomes: A survey of young adolescents accompanied by a review of the literature. Newcastle: Creativity, Culture & Education.

McLellan, R. & Winter, L. (2014). Teacher identity in a changing educational landscape in Kazakhstan: The explanatory efficacy of Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop’s (2004) framework. In The improvement of the secondary education curriculum of Kazakhstan in the context of modern reforms: Final report. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.

McLaughlin, C., McLellan, R. and Fordham, M. (2014). The role of teachers in educational reform in Kazakhstan: Teacher enquiry as a vehicle for change. In D. Bridges (Ed.), Educational reform and internationalisation: The case of Kazakhstan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Waterhouse, J., McLellan, R., McLaughlin, C, & Morgan, B. (2014). Powerful partnership in a schools-university research collaboration. In T. Stern, F. Rauch, A. Schuster & A. Townsend (Eds.), Action Research, Innovation and Change Across Disciplines: International Perspectives. London: Routledge.

Winter, L., McLellan, R. & Fimyar, O. (2013). Teachers' constructs of their professional identity in a changing educational environment in Kazakhstan. In Internationalisation and reform of secondary schooling in Kazakhstan: Final report. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.

McLellan, R., & Nicholl, B. (2013). Creativity in crisis in Design & Technology: Are classroom climates conducive for creativity in English secondary schools. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 9, 165-185.

McLellan, R., Galton, M., Steward, S., & Page, C. (2012). The Impact of Creative Initiatives on wellbeing: a literature review. Newcastle: Creativity, Culture & Education.

McLellan, R., Galton, M., Steward, S., & Page, C. (2012). The impact of Creative Partnerships on the wellbeing of children and young people. Newcastle: Creativity, Culture & Education.

McLellan, R., Kirkman, R., Cartwright, S., & Millington, B. (2011). Student Voice in the Secondary School Context: A case study of the benefits of schools, local authorities and higher education institutions working together. In G. Czerniawski & W. Kidd (Eds.), The student voice handbook: Bridging the academic / practitioner divide.

McLellan, R., & Nicholl, B. (2011). 'If I was going to design a chair, the last thing I would look at is a chair'. Product analysis and the causes of fixation in students' design work 11-16 years. International Journal of Technology and Design Education 21(1), 71-92.

McLaughlin, C., Waterhouse, J., McLellan, R., & Morgan, B. (2010). Collabroer dans las recherche: etude de l'action dans un tiers-espace. In P. Masson, V. Baumfield, K. Otrel-Cass & M. Pilo (Eds.), (Re)penser le partneriat en Education / Rethinking Partnership in Education. Lille, France.

McLellan, R. (2009). Analysing quantitative data In E. Wilson (Ed.), School-based research: A guide for education students (pp. 154-170). London: SAGE.

Nicholl, B., & McLellan, R. (2009). ‘This isn’t my project [work]. It’s…just do it…you just do research’. What student voice reveals about the nature of D&T lessons in English schools and the implications this has on their motivation and learning of complex tasks. In A. Jones & M. de Vries (Eds.), International Handbook of Research and Development in Technology Education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Nicholl, B., & McLellan, R. (2008). ‘We’re all in this game whether we like it or not to get a number of As to Cs.’ Design and technology teachers’ struggles to implement the creativity and performativity policies. British Educational Research Journal, 34(5), 585-600.

Nicholl, B., McLellan, R., & Kotob, W. (2008). Understanding Creativity for Creative Understanding. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education

Nicholl, B. & McLellan, R. (2007) The contribution of product analysis to fixation in students' design and technology work. In E. Norman, & D. Spendlove (Eds), The Design and Technology Association Education and International Research Conference 2007. Conference Proceedings. Wellesbourne, The Design & Technology Association, pp. 71-76.

Nicholl, B. & McLellan, R. (2007). Fixated on popular culture and other things: What students can tell us about generating ideas in D&T. In J. R. Dakers, W. J. Dow, & M. J. de Vries (Eds), PATT 18 Pupils attitudes towards technology international conference on design and technology educational research. Conference Proceedings. Glasgow, Faculty of Education, University of Glasgow, pp. 168-175.

Nicholl, B. & McLellan, R. (2007). 'Oh yeah, yeah, you get a lot of love hearts. The Year 9s are notorious for love hearts. Everything is love hearts.' Fixation in pupils' design and technology work (11 to 16 years). Design and Technology Education: An International Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 34-44.

McLellan, R. (2006). The Impact of Motivational 'World-view' on Engagement in a Cognitive Acceleration Programme. International Journal of Science Education, Vol. 28, No. 7, pp. 781-819.


Gray, J. & McLellan, R. (2006). A Matter of Attitude? Developing a typology of boys' and girls' responses to primary schooling. Gender and Education, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 651-672.

Younger, M., & Warrington, M. with Gray, J., Rudduck, J., McLellan, R., Kershner, R., Bearne, E. & Bricheno, P. (2005). Raising Boys' Achievement: Final report. DfES.

Younger, M. & Warrington, M. with McLellan, R. (2005). Raising Boys' Achievement in Secondary Schools: Issues, Dilemmas and Opportunities. Maidenhead, Berkshire, Open University Press.

Warrington, M., Younger, M., & McLellan, R. (2003). 'Under-achieving boys' in English primary schools? The Curriculum Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 139-156.

McLellan, R. (2003). New Ways of Thinking about Raising Boys' Achievement. Topic, Issue 30, pp. 1-6.



Younger, M., Warrington, M. & McLellan, R. (2002). The 'Problem' of 'Under-achieving Boys': some responses from English secondary schools. School Leadership & Management, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 389-405.