Professor Liz Washbrook
B.A.(Cantab.), M.Sc.(Bristol)
Current positions
Professor of Quantitative Social Science
School of Education
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
My research draws on the statistical analysis of large and complex datasets to explore a variety of topics relating to family decision-making and trajectories of children’s educational and socio-emotional development over the life course. My work is explicitly inter-disciplinary and I regularly work with colleagues with backgrounds in population health, demography, economics and psychology. One recent strand of work focuses on cross-national comparisons of socioeconomic inequalities in child development. Another strand is methodological, focusing on the development and application of cutting-edge statistical methods for longitudinal data. I am passionate about making the fundamental principles and findings from complex quantitative analyses accessible to non-experts, from policymakers to undergraduate social science students.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
The Development of Inequalities in Child Educational Achievement: A Six Country Study
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
School of EducationDates
01/01/2019 to 30/06/2022
The link between adolescent mental health and educational outcomes: Exploring the potential of machine learning methods in two national contexts
Principal Investigator
Description
This project aims to improve our understanding of the risk factors that link mental health problems in early adolescence to poor outcomes such as failure to pass exams, become engaged…Managing organisational unit
School of EducationDates
01/08/2018 to 31/07/2019
Mental health and educational achievement in UK adolescents
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Educational achievement at the end of compulsory education has strong links with important aspects of adult life such as employment, health, and social functioning worldwide. In the UK, a recent…Managing organisational unit
School of EducationDates
01/10/2017 to 01/03/2019
The changing landscape: diverse friendships and the effects of contextual diversity on youth outcomes
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Within many Western countries and especially in the UK, the social landscape is becoming increasingly ethnically and racially diverse. In 2015, approximately 19% of the resident population in the United…Managing organisational unit
School of EducationDates
01/10/2017 to 31/03/2020
Using Statistical E-books to teach undergraduate students quantitative methods and statistical software
Principal Investigator
Role
Co-Investigator
Description
Background and objectives
With the increased accessibility and volume of electronically available data, the ability to interpret, summarise and even analyse data has become a desired core skill for graduates in…Managing organisational unit
School of EducationDates
01/04/2016 to 01/04/2018
Thesis supervisions
Test-takers’ Cognitive Processes While Synthesizing Multiple Texts and Graphs
Supervisors
‘Here is a long way’. Language learning, integration, and identity
Supervisors
A longitudinal examination of occupational aspirations in middle childhood and adolescence
Supervisors
The evolution of educational access, quality, and gender inequalities in the public education sector in Punjab, Pakistan
Supervisors
A Whole New World
Supervisors
An Examination of the Value of Associate Degree in Hong Kong
Supervisors
Exploring the impact of giving and receiving peer feedback on associate degree students’ Chinese academic writing
Supervisors
Amidst reforms
Supervisors
Internationalisation and intercultural learning
Supervisors
Internationalization of Indonesian Higher Education
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
31/05/2024Depressive symptoms in adolescence and adult educational and employment outcomes
Psychological Medicine
Does Family Structure Account for Child Achievement Gaps by Parental Education?
Population and Development Review
Occupational Aspirations and Academic Achievement
Journal of Social Issues
Cross-national differences in socioeconomic achievement inequality in early primary school: The role of parental education and income in six countries
Inequalities in Resources for Preschool-Age Children by Parental Education
European Journal of Population
Related people
Dr Rebecca Pearson
Senior Lecturer in Psychiatric Epidemiology
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Dr Jo Rose
Associate Professor in Social Psychology of Education
School of Education
Professor Kate Tilling
Professor of Medical Statistics and MRC Investigator
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Dr Jose Lopez-Lopez
Honorary Research Fellow
Bristol Medical School (PHS)
Ms Valentina Perinetti Casoni
Lecturer in Education
School of Education