Beth Woollacott

I am a postdoctoral research associate in the Centre for Early Mathematics Learning here at Loughborough University. My role predominantly involves investigating how we can improve the effectiveness of communication between researchers and practitioners.

I completed an undergraduate mathematics degree at Royal Holloway, University of London in 2017, before beginning my research journey at Loughborough University via a 1+3 Masters (Social Science Research Methods and Education) and PhD (Mathematics Education) ESRC-funded studentship. This studentship was collaborative with Oxford University Press, affording me opportunities to explore how research and practice fit together from the offset. I focussed on upper secondary mathematics textbooks, investigating their instructional design, and how students use and read them in the context of how they are authored.   

My main research focus is the research-practice gap, aiming to understand how to improve communication between education researchers and practitioners. I am particularly interested in mixed methods research, adopting a pragmatic approach to research design. I have also maintained my interest in mathematics textbook design and how students read mathematics from my PhD research. I am always open to collaboration so please feel free to get in touch.