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Phone:: (023) 8059 5857
Email:: R.S.Edwards@soton.ac.uk

Professor Rosalind Edwards PhD

Professor of Sociology, Co-director, ESRC National Centre for Research Methods

Professor Rosalind Edwards is Professor of Sociology within Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Southampton.

Rosalind is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and a founding and co-editor of the International Journal of Social Research Methodology. She has researched and published widely in the areas of family life and policies, as well as studying and writing about research methods.

Research

Publications

Teaching

Media

Contact

Research interests

Rosalind’s research interests are centred on:

how to think about and conceptualise family lives - theory
how best to conduct studies into family lives – research methods
what goes on in people’s family lives and the ideas and assumptions shaping family policies - substance

She takes a critical sociological approach coupled with feminist relational perspectives to address and understand theory, methods and substance, and is especially in how these are shaped by gender, social class, race/ethnicity and generation, within geographical, political and historical contexts.

Rosalind’s current and recent research projects include:

An ESRC-funded project on Parental Social Licence for Data Linkage for Service Intervention: The research provides a comprehensive, dynamic and multifaceted understanding of parental social licence for and trust in operational data linkage and analytics that can inform public understanding, policy development, and practices in the field of family intervention.
An EU-funded Twinning project, where Rosalind and other methods experts at Southampton will collaborate with colleagues in Tallinn, Bamberg and NIKA universities, on the ‘YouthLife’ project, which aims to bridge qualitative and quantitative approaches to life course research and advance mixed methods design for the new Estonian Longitudinal Study of Youth, as well as fostering mutually advantageous networking and exchanges of knowledge between all the international partners.
A UKRI-ESRC International Networking Grant, working with Indigenous and non-Indigenous research colleagues in New Zealand, Canada and the UK to produce a set of resources to support researchers who are embarking on Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnerships to think about their methods, assumptions and behaviour. Resources include a comic, illustrated audio discussion and informative blogs: www.indigenous.ncrm.ac.uk

Two projects on ‘BigQual’: working across qualitative longitudinal studies

a feasibility study that has developed a ‘breadth-and-depth’ method for working across large amounts of qualitative data, and
a study linking innovation in method and pedagogy to provide a set of resources for teaching and learning about the ‘breadth-and-depth’ method. Big Qual Analysis: Innovation in method and pedagogy webpage.

Troubled families and inter-agency collaboration, conducted in partnership with Family Action.

Rosalind welcomes applications for PhD study in families, research methods and related areas.

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Articles

Books

Gillies, V., Edwards, R., & Horsley, N. (2017). Challenging the politics of early intervention: who's 'saving' children and why? Policy Press.
Holland, J., & Edwards, R. (Eds.) (2014). Understanding families over time: research and policy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Edwards, R., & Holland, J. (2013). What is qualitative interviewing? Bloomsbury Academic.
Edwards, R., Ali, S., Caballero, C., & Song, M. (Eds.) (2012). International perspectives on racial and ethnic mixedness and mixing. (Relationships and Resources). Routledge.
McCarthy, J. R., & Edwards, R. (2011). Key concepts in family studies. SAGE Publications.
Duncan, S., Edwards, R., & Alexander, C. (Eds.) (2010). Teenage parenthood: what’s the problem? Tufnell.
Edwards, R. (Ed.) (2008). Researching families and communities: social and generational change. (Relationships and Resources). Routledge.
Edwards, R. (Ed.) (Accepted/In press). Researching Familities and Communities: Social and Generational Change. (Relationships and Resources). Routledge.

Book Chapters

Conferences

Creative Media and Artefacts

Edwards, R. (Author). (2010). BBC Radio Wales programme 'Sibling Rivalry', episode 1. Digital or Visual Products, BBC Radio Wales.
Edwards, R. (Author). (2010). BBC Radio Wales programme 'Sibling Rivalry', episode 2. Digital or Visual Products, BBC Radio Wales.
Edwards, R. (Author). (2010). BBC Radio Wales programme 'Sibling Rivalry', episode 3. Digital or Visual Products, BBC Radio Wales.
Edwards, R. (Other), & Liver, G. (Other). (2009). Interview about sibling relationships on Graham Liver’s morning programme, Leeds, 1st June. Digital or Visual Products, BBC Radio Lancashire.

Letters/Editorials

Edwards, R., Moewaka Barnes, H., McGregor, D., & Brannelly, T. (2020). Supporting indigenous and non-indigenous research partnerships. The Qualitative Report, 25(13), 6-15. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol25/iss13/2
Edwards, R., & Brannelly, T. (2017). Approaches to democratising qualitative research methods. Qualitative Research, 17(3), 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794117706869

Reports

Bauer, E., Houlston, C., Coleman, L., & Edwards, R. (2012). An academic and voluntary sector collaboration to facilitate relationship support for ‘mixed’ couples and families. London South Bank University.
Giillies, V., & Edwards, R. (2011). An historical comparative analysis of family and parenting: a feasibility study across sources and timeframes. (Families & Social Capital Research Group Working Paper; No. Working Paper 29). London South Bank University.

Review

Edwards, R., Gillies, V., & White, S. (2019). Introduction: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) - implications and challenges. Social Policy and Society, 18(3), 411-414. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746419000137

Working Papers

Module code	Module title	Role
SOCI6043	Understanding Social Change	Lecturer
RESM6003	Qualitative Methods I	Co-convenor and lecturer
RESM6006	Qualitative Methods II	Co-convenor and lecturer

Rosalind was invited to give oral evident to the ‘Evidence-based early-years intervention’ hearing, House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Committee Room 16, Palace of Westminster, 20 February 2018.
Blog posts on Indigenous and non-Indigenous research partnerships.
‘The methodological chaos of Adverse Childhood Experiences’, International Journal of Social Research methodology blog, posted 28 July 2019
‘Adverse Childhood Experiences are not the answer for policy’, The Social Policy Blog, posted 11 June 2019 - journal’s most downloaded blogpost for 2019
‘ACEs as catch-all’, CRFR Making Scotland an ACE-informed Nation blog, posted 23 April 2019
‘Basic data sharing and our journal’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology blog, posted 17 March 2019
Interviewed for and quoted in an article on adoption of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) by Police Scotland and Scottish criminal justice system, by Christopher Marshall for Scotland on Sunday, 10 February 2019
Interviewed for article on fascination with mixed race children by Buzzfeed journalist Rachael Krishna, 20 September 2018
‘Democratisation vs big data? A dialogue between our editors Ros Edwards and Malcolm Williams, International Journal of Social Research Methodology blog, posted 19 September 2018
Invited expert on sibling relationships, Wellcome Citizen Science Q&A Facebook session, 23 October 2018
The Sociological Review podcast: ‘Brave new brains: Sociology, family and the politics of knowledge’. Interview by Mark Carrigan with Rosalind Edwards and Val Gillies, posted 3 January 2018
Expert background knowledge provided to Jennifer Lipman, freelance journalist, towards article for Optima Magazine on whether there is a right time to have a baby, 20 April 2017

Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Horsley, N. Challenging the politics of early intervention blog, posted 23 August 2017: https://policypress.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/challenging-the-politics-of-early-intervention/

Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Horsley, N. The fluctuating fortunes of the Peck family from 1928 to 1950: a ‘deserving’ case for the Charity Organisation Society, Living the Family blog, posted 14 November 2016: https://livingthefamily.wordpress.com/2016/11/14/the-fluctuating-fortunes-of-the-peck-family-from-1928-to-1950-a-deserving-case-for-the-charity-organisation-society/

Talking head: ‘Family Action – there for families since 1869’ video, first posted 1 September 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAVSrbaKRno&feature=youtu.be

Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Horsley, N. The troubles with and of families across 150 years: the case of COS constructions and interventions, History and Parenting Policy Forum blog: https://arts.leeds.ac.uk/parentingforum/2016/05/24/the-troubles-with-and-of-families-across-150-years-the-case-of-cos-constructions-and-interventions/
Reposted at http://blog.soton.ac.uk/fshs/2016/05/25/the-troubles-with-and-of-families-across-150-years/

Edwards, R., Gillies, V. and Horsley, N. Collecting data about disadvantaged families – preoccupations and possibilities, Discover Society, 5 July 2016: http://discoversociety.org/2016/07/05/collecting-data-about-disadvantaged-families-preoccupations-possibilities/

Caringscapes: Response to death and family relationships in urban Senegal project report, video posted 9 February 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9gKkVAIUI

Collaborative academic/Family Action third sector agency exhibition based on ESRC SDAI project, ‘Families and Hard Times: Reflections on family support from the Long Depression to the Global Crash’, Geffreye Museum, London, 19.11.15, 6.30-8.30pm

Consultant providing advice on background social context to Director and Cast of ‘A Taste of Honey’, The National Theatre, January 2014

(with V. Gillies) Doing it for ourselves: the Women’s Workshop, 20th February 2014, blog publication: http://womantheory.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/doing-it-for-ourselves-the-womens-workshop-ros-edwards-and-val-gillies/

‘What’s a traditional family and do we need it?’, Westminster Faith Debates GCSE and A Level Religious Education teaching resource: http://www.reonline.org.uk/westminster-faith-debates-whats-a-traditional-family-and-do-we-need-it/

Interviewed and quoted: ‘Fathers sought for interracial study’, The Star [Dunedin, NZ], 27 March 2014

University of Otago Podcast for Department of Sociology, Gender and Social Work: Brain science and early years intervention, recorded 4 April 2014: https://unitube.otago.ac.nz/view?m=sK135zNGkBB and https://unitube.otago.ac.nz/view?m=NHPZ5zPl3ZI

University of Otago Podcast for module SOCI 207 Families and Society, recorded 7 April 2014:http://www.otago.ac.nz/sgsw/study/sociology/papers/?papercode=SOCI207#2017

Talking head contribution to ESRC NCRM NOVELLA Node film: ‘Possibilities of Paradata section (19.00—23.35 mins), recorded 5 June/released-posted 30 June 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_ezMGvpm0A&feature=youtu.be

Panellist in the Faculti Live debate: Should we teach parenting?, House of Commons Committee Room 9, 14 May 2014: http://facultimedia.com/downloads/should-we-be-concerned-or-pleased-about-this-interest-in-parenting-and-in-particular-early-intervention/ + http://facultimedia.com/downloads/if-parenting-can-be-taught-what-should-happen-to-parents-who-fail-to-learn-it/ + http://facultimedia.com/downloads/are-we-really-talking-about-poverty-when-we-talk-about-poor-parenting/ posted July 2014.

Paradata in qualitative research, podcast for National Centre for Research Methods, recorded 9 June/posted 14 July 2014: http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/TandE/video/podcasts/view.php/paradata-in-qualitative-research

Email interview with freelance journalist researching feature on mixed race relationships in Britain, 4 November 2014.

Expert background knowledge provided to Sharmini Selvarajah, freelance presenter working with Loftus Productions for BBC Radio 4 programme on couples from different religious backgrounds creating new traditions, 21 January 2015.

Professor Rosalind Edwards
Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom

Room Number: 58/4069

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