Dr James Underwood

Dr James Underwood
Assistant Professor

Biography

I am the Academic Director for courses and degrees in English Language Assessment and in Coaching. This diverse portfolio reflects a long and varied career in education. Working with a diverse range of professionals at different stages in their careers, and in their lives, continues to be one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. Before working in universities I spent twenty years working in schools, largely within the state secondary system in England. I was a teacher of English, history, sociology, and the humanities before taking on leadership roles. While still working in schools, I completed my PhD at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. My doctoral research explored how knowledge is shared and how learning occurs within communities that foster positive and supportive environments for their members. This is a still an area of interest for me and one I continue to write and research within as well as teach about. I then, for ten years, took on the role of Principal Lecturer in Education at the University of Northampton. In this role I led a range of innovative degree programmes for teachers, teaching assistants, mentors, coaches and other professionals. Although varied these courses shared the common themes of supporting practitioner research and enabling practitioners’ voices. These are themes that also runs through the courses I lead here within Professional and Continuing Education at the University of Cambridge. 

Research topics

My research interests are varied but share the commonality of using practitioner research to link theory and practice. I am interested in the way that knowledge is constructed and shared within professional communities, and in how supportive environments enable learning. My doctoral research examined these dynamics through the lens of collaborative professional development. I continue to explore the role of coaching and mentoring in education, especially as tools for empowering educators and enhancing reflective practice. I am also interested in student voice, and children’s rights both as fields of study and as pedagogical approaches. Within these over-arching frameworks of practitioner research and student voice I enjoy engaging in research projects over a wide range of topics. Recently these have included publishing articles on: environmental education, dance education, the use of coaching in schools, children's stress coping mechanisms, and adult self-directed learning.

Publications

Journal articles

  • Truong, T. & Underwood, J. (2024). The Stress Coping Mechanisms of Vietnamese Students in Gifted Schools. Cambridge Education Research Journal. 10(1) 84-101., 2024
  • Underwood, J. Truong, T., Tai, L., & Nguyen, T., (2023). Supporting students to adjust to academic culture in the UK. THINK (JAPAN), 1(5)., 2023
  • Underwood. J., Truong, T., Fakile, D., Balfour, B., & Zaman. S., Nguyen, T., & Tai, L., (2022) Teaching about sexual and social consent through peer-coaching dance: a practice insight working paper. CollectivED 14(1)., 2022
  • Underwood, J. & Van, Q. (2021). Social networking platforms and classroom culture. Polish Journal of Educational Studies. 3(73)., 2021
  • Kowalczuk-Walędziak, M., Lopez, A., Underwood, J., Daniela, L. & Clipa, O., (2021). Empowering education professionals with twenty-first century skills through Master’s of Education dissertation/thesis work. Innovations in Education and Teaching International. 6(1)., 2021
  • Underwood. J., Van. Q., & Zhao., I. (2021). Differing interpretations of Janusz Korczak's legacy in schools that take inspiration from his work: a study in four schools in the UK and Canada. East European Journal of Transnational Relations, 4(1)., 2021
  • Underwood, J. & Kowalczuk-Walędziak, M. (2020). International communities of practice: what makes them successful vehicles for teachers’ professional development? Education Studies. 6(1)., 2020
  • Truong, T., & Underwood, J. (2020). Constructing social cohesion in Vietnamese public schools: the methods, and students' forgotten identities. Culture and Education. 4(130)., 2020
  • Kowalczuk-Walędziak, M., Underwood, J., & Barrow, J., (2020). International qualitative research on teacher education: benefits, challenges, and future directions. Culture and Education. 2(128)., 2020
  • Underwood, J., & Truong, T. (2020) Conceptualising teachers’ knowledge when crossing national boundaries. Polish Journal of Educational Studies. 2(72)., 2020

Book chapters

  • Van. Q., & Underwood, J. (2023) Teaching about climate change: the perceptions and experiences of teachers. Imagining Better Education, Durham University Press., 2023
  • Nguyen, T.., & Underwood, J. Trang, N., & Doan, K., (2023). Engendering intercultural competence? The experiences of Vietnamese students in the UK. Imagining Better Education, Durham University Press., 2023
  • Joshevska, M., & Underwood, J. (2023) Teacher Education in North Macedonia: Reforms, Standardisation, and Creating Communities of Lifelong Learners. In The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education in Central and Eastern Europe. Eds: M. Kowalczuk-Waledziak, R, Valeza, M Sablic, I. Menter. Palgrave MacMillan., 2023

Courses Taught