About
Dr Charis Voutsina is Associate Professor within Southampton Education School at the University of Southampton. Charis specialises in Early and Primary Mathematics Education with expertise in the teaching and learning of early mathematics concepts, the development of mathematical reasoning and problem solving strategies, and children’s understanding and use of mathematical symbols. She also has an interest in researching the initial and continuing professional development of teachers. Charis has expertise in the use of qualitative methods within different research designs such as, case studies, microgenetic research, longitudinal qualitative studies, and phenomenography. She has supervised more than ten doctoral students to successful completion.
Roles and responsibilities include:
Doctoral Programme Director (2022 - present)
Doctoral Programme Associate Director and PGR Admissions Tutor (2021-2022)
Member of the Faculty of Social Sciences Ethics Committee - Ethics reviewer (2017-2021)
Advanced Programmes and MSc Education Programme Director (2015-2017)
MSc Education Admissions Tutor (2013-2017)
Charis is a doctorate supervisor and teaches on masters and postgraduate initial teacher training programmes.
She is a member of the Editorial Board for the academic journal Research in Mathematics Education (RME), as well as member of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM) and the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI).
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Early and Primary Mathematics Education
- Learning and Teaching issues in the Early and Primary School Years
- Teacher Education and Development
- Young children's learning and development
Current research
Cultural rules and uses of written numerals in children’s everyday environments”, (2021-2023), funded by The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2019-330).
This research project, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, aims to trace and analyse the development of preschool children’s understanding of the cultural rules that govern the use of written numbers in everyday contexts, alongside the development of their own, written mathematical notations longitudinally, over their transition from Preschool to Reception.
Wild Citizens!- enabling children to become environmental citizens
This is a project funded by the University’s Public & Community Engagement (PCE) Development Fund through the Public Engagement with Research Unit.
The Wild Citizens! project encourages and supports primary school children to become active citizen scientists and environmental citizens by focusing on wildlife in their school grounds.
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Supervision
Current PhD Students
Teaching
Charis teaches and supervises students on the following programmes:
MSc Education
PhD Research Training Programme
PhD/iPhD supervision
PGCE
Biography
Charis Voutsina has taught in primary schools and early years settings in Greece and England. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Patras, Greece and a Postgraduate degree (Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies) in Systems of Learning and Systems of Evaluation from the University of Aix-Marseille I in France. Charis completed a PhD in Mathematics Education at the University of Southampton. In 2004, she was awarded an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship which allowed her to further extend her PhD research on young children’s problem solving approaches in mathematics and the processes of procedural and conceptual change that underpin the development of children’s problem solving strategies.