School of Education and Continuing Studies (SECS)

Profile

Responsibilities & Teaching Areas:

I am responsible for teaching in the areas of Developmental Psychology (with a focus on the Early Years) and Research Methods.

Tutor

• FdA Early Years Care and Education ~ with specific responsibilities for the Units Use of Information for Decision Making (level 2) and Cognitive & Psycho-Social Development (level 3).
• BA (Hons) Childhood & Youth Studies ~ with specific responsibilities for the Unit Childhood & Youth Development.
• I also teach Child Development in the School of Health Sciences & Social Work.

Research Interests

• Qualitative research methods, e.g. Discourse Analysis and Grounded Theory, as well as Critical Realist approaches towards Qualitative Research Methods.
• Ideologies and Dilemmas related to Early Day Care, Motherhood and Female Employment (in the Netherlands and UK).
• Constructions of Early Childhood and the Psychology of Education.

Publications

• Sims-Schouten, W., Riley, S.C.E. & Willig, C. (2007) Critical Realism: A presentation of a systematic method of analysis using women's talk of motherhood, childcare and female employment as an example. Theory & Psychology, Vol. 17(1): 127-150.
• Riley, S.C.E., Sims-Schouten, W. & Willig, C. The Case for Critical Realist Discourse Analysis as A Viable Method In Discursive Work. Theory & Psychology, Vol. 17(1): 137-144.
• Riley, S.E., Schouten, W. and Cahill, S. (2003) ‘Exploring the dynamics of subjectivity and power between researcher and researched ‘Forum for Qualitative Social Research, 4 (2).
• Sims-Schouten, W. (2000), ‘Child care services and parents’ attitudes in England, Finland and Greece’ In: Pfenning, A. and T. Bahle (Eds.), Families and Family Policies in Europe. Comparative Perspectives. Frankfurt/New York: Peter Lang, 270-289.

Conference Papers

• Sims-Schouten, W, ‘Ideological and Dilemmatic Talk of Childcare, Motherhood and Female Employment.’ Poster presented at the Open University Staff Development day, Lyngford House (conference centre), Taunton, 12th April, 2008.
• Sims-Schouten, W & Riley, S, 'Critical realism: A presentation of a systematic method of analysis using women's talk of motherhood, childcare and female employment as an example.' Paper presented (by Sarah Riley) at the International Society for Theoretical Psychology Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, 20-24 June, 2005.
• ‘Critical Realism and Constructions of Female Employment and Childcare’. International Conference on Critical Psychology. University of Bath, 27-31 August, 2003.
• ‘The Dilemma that is Childcare.’ (Scottish Early Years and Family Network) SEYFN Conference, Early Years Education and Childcare, Parent-Child Relations and Attachment, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, 27th September 2001.
• ‘The Dilemma that is Childcare: Ideologies and Dilemmas with regard to Childcare for the Under Two’s in the Netherlands and England.’ Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology, Oxford, 11-13 September 2001. Published in: Redshaw, M. and Johnson, S. (2001), ‘Abstracts of papers and posters presented at the 2001 Annual Conference of the Society for Reproductive and Infant Psychology.’ Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. Vol.19, No3:275.