Professor Alison Fuller, BA, PhD
| Administrative responsibility | Head of PCET Research Center |
| Office phone | +44 (0)23 8059 8864 |
| Internal extension | 28864 |
| Email | A.Fuller@soton.ac.uk |
| Room number | 32/2001 |
Expertise / Academic Interests
Apprenticeship
Patterns of Educational Participation
Relationship between forms of work organisation, learning and performance
Social theories of learning
Transitions between education and work
Vocational Education and Training
Workplace Learning
Biography
Prior to joining the School of Education at Southampton, Alison Fuller held research and academic posts at the Universities of Lancaster and Leicester. Alison is now Head of the Post Compulsory Education and Training Research Centre at the University of Southampton. She has been conducting funded research in the fields of education – work transitions; vocational education, training and apprenticeship; patterns of adult participation in education, and workplace learning since the mid 1980s and has published widely. Her interests are currently being pursued in three major research projects. Two of these are funded by the ESRC, the first is ‘Non-participation in Higher Education’ (co-directed with Sue Heath, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Southampton, the second is, ‘Learning as Work’ (co-directed with Alan Felstead, University of Cardiff and Lorna Unwin, Institute of Education. Both projects involve leading multi-disciplinary teams including researchers with backgrounds in education, sociology, economics and management. In her third project, she is directing a longitudinal evaluation of ‘Computer Clubs for Girls’ (funded by SEEDA). This initiative aims to increase the numbers of females engaging in IT courses and careers. Most recently, Alison, with colleagues from the Institute of Education, National Institute for Social and Economic Research and the University of Bristol has been awarded ESRC funding to develop the ‘Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies’.
Alison is on the British Educational Research Association’s National Advisory Panel and is an associate of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (hosted at Southampton). She is on the advisory board for the Journal of Education and Work. She is regularly asked to advise policy makers on vocational education and apprenticeship. Most recently she advised the YWCA in its campaign to improve opportunities for disadvantaged young women to participate in apprenticeship and gave oral evidence to the House of Lords enquiry on youth training.
SOE Research Centre Membership
Taught Courses
Principal Publications
Significant Publications
Fuller, Alison, Hodkinson, Heather, Hodkinson, Phil and Unwin, Lorna (2005) Learning as Peripheral Participation in Communities of Practice: a reassessment of key concepts in workplace learning. British Educational Research Journal, 31, (1), 49-68.
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2004) Young people as teachers and learners: challenging the novice-expert dichotomy. International Journal of Training and Development, 8, (1), 32-42.
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2003) Learning as apprentices in the contemporary UK workplace: creating and managing expansive participation. Journal of Education and Work, 16, (4), 407-426.
Fuller, A. (2001) ‘Credentialism, Adults and Part-time Higher Education in the United Kingdom: an account of rising take up and some implications for policy, Journal of Education Policy, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp.233-348
Book Chapters
Fuller, A., Foskett, R., Johnston, B. and Paton, K. (2008) 'Getting by' or 'getting ahead'? Gendered educational and career decision-making in
networks of intimacy. In, Gendered Choices and Transitions in Lifelong
Learning: Part-Time Pathways, Full-Time Lives., National Institute of adult Continuing Education (NIACE). (In Press)
Unwin, Lorna, Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Lee, Tracey, Butler, Peter and Ashton, David (2008) Worlds within worlds: the relationship between context and pedagogy in the workplace. In, The Learning Potential of the Workplace. Rotterdam, Sense Publishers.
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Expansive and restrictive learning environments. In, Evans, Karen, Hodkinson, Phil, Rainbird, Helen and Unwin, Lorna (eds.) Improving Workplace Learning. London, Routledge. (Improving Learning
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Older workers' learning in changing workplace contexts: perceptions of barriers and opportunities. In, Tikkanen, Tarja and Nyhan, Barry (eds.) Promoting lifelong learning for older workers: an international review., Centro Europeo para el Desarrollo de la Formación Profesional, CEDEFOP, 257-270
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2004) Does apprenticeship still have
meaning in the UK? The consequences of voluntarism and sectoral change. In, Hayward, G. and James, S. (eds.) Balancing the Skills Equation: Key Issues and Challenges for Policy and Practice. Bristol, The Policy Press, 101-115
Journal Articles
Fuller, A., Paton, K., Foskett, R. and Maringe, F. (2008) 'Barriers' to
participation in higher education? Depends on who you ask and how. Journal of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, forthcoming (In Press)
Fuller, A. and Paton, K. (2008) Widening participation in higher education: mapping and investigating the stakeholder landscape. Journal of Access, Policy and Practice, 6, (1) (In Press)
Heath, Sue, Fuller, Alison and Paton, Karen (2008) Network-based
ambivalence and educational decision-making: a case study of
'non-participation' in higher education. (In special issue: Challenges of Diversity for Widening Participation in UK Higher Education). ResearchPapers in Education, 23, (2), 219-229.
Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Jewson, Nick, Unwin, Lorna and Kakavelakis, Konstantinos (2008) Personal and collective identities at work. Studies in the Education of Adults (In Press)
Fuller, A., Unwin, L., Felstead, A., Jewson, N. and Kakavelakis, K. (2007)
Creating and using knowledge: an analysis of the differentiated nature of
workplace learning environments. British Educational Research Journal, 33,
(5), 743-759. (doi:10.1080/01411920701582397)
Fuller, A. (2007) Mid-life 'transitions' to higher education: developing a
multi-level explanation of increasing participation. Studies in the
Education of Adults, 39, (2), 217-235.
Unwin, Lorna, Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Bishop, Dan, Lee, Tracey,
Jewson, Nick and Butler, Peter (2007) Looking inside the Russian doll: the interconnections between context, leaning and pedagogy in the workplace. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 15, (3), 333-348
Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Jewson, Nick, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Unwin, Lorna (2007) Grooving to the same tunes? Learning, training and productive systems in the aerobics studio. Work, Employment & Society, 21, (2), 189-208
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2007) What counts as good practice in contemporary apprenticeships? Evidence from two contrasting sectors in England. Education and Training, 49, (6), 447-458.
Beck, Vanessa, Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Increasing risk in the 'scary' world of work? Male and female resistance to crossing gender lines in apprenticeships in England and Wales. Journal of Education and Work, 19, (3), 271-289
Fuller, Alison (2006) Participative learning through the work-based route: from apprenticeship to part-time higher education. European Journal of Vocational Education, (37), 68-81
Beck, V., Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. "Safety in stereotypes?: (2006) The impact of gender and ‘race’ on young people’s perceptions of their post-compulsory education and labour market opportunities", British Educational Research Journal Vol. 32:5 667-686
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2005) ‘Older and Wiser?: workplace learning from the perspective of experienced employees’, International Journal of Lifelong Education, Vol. 24, no. 1: 1-19
Fuller, A., Hodkinson, H., Hodkinson, P. and Unwin, L. (2005) ‘Learning as Peripheral Participation in Communities of Practice: A reassessment of key concepts in workplace learning’, British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 31, no. 1: 49-68
Fuller, A., Beck, V. and Unwin, L. (2005) The Gendered Nature of Apprenticeship: Employers’ and young people’s perspectives, Education and Training, Vol. 47, No. 4/5: 298-311
Felstead, A., Fuller, A., Unwin, L., Ashton, D.,Butler, P., Lee, T., and Walters, S. (2005) , Surveying the scene: Learning Metaphors, Survey Design and the Workplace Context, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 18, No. 4
Fuller , A. and Unwin, L. (2004) ‘Young People as teachers and Learners in the Workplace: challenging the novice-expert dichotomy’, International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 8, no. 1: 31-41
Fuller, Alison and Unwin, Lorna (2004) "Young people as teachers and learners: challenging the novice-expert dichotomy." International Journal of
Training and Development, 8, (1), 32-42.
(doi:10.1111/j.1360-3736.2004.00194.x)
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2003a ) ‘Learning as Apprentices in the Contemporary UK workplace: creating and managing expansive and restrictive participation,’ Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 16, no. 4: 407-426
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2003b) ‘Creating a Modern Apprenticeship’: A Critique of the UK’s multi-sector, social inclusion approach’, Journal of Education and Work, Vol. 16, no. 1: 5-25
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2003c) ‘Fostering Workplace Learning: looking through the lens of apprenticeship’, European Educational Research Journal, Vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 41-55
Fuller, Alison, Pritchard, Rosalind and Trowler, Paul (2003) Review: Higher Education and social class: issues of exclusion and inclusion by L. Archer, M. Hutchings and A. Ross, with C. Leathwood, R. Gilchrist and D. Phillips. Higher Education Quarterly, 57, (2), 204-210
Fuller, A. (2001) Credentialism, adults and part-time higher education in
the United Kingdom: an account of rising take up and some implications for
policy. Journal of Education Policy, 16, (3), 233-248.
(doi:10.1080/02680930110041042)
Conference Contribution
Fuller, Alison (2007) Opening the 'black box' of workplace learning. In, Europe's Cultures of Workplace Learning, Krems, Austria, 03 Sep 2007.
Jewson, Nick, Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Unwin, Lorna (2007) Repositioning knowledge and skills in a local authority: rationalizing service encounters, enchanting service users. In, 25th International Labour Process Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2-4 Apr 2007. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 34pp.
Lee, Tracey, Fuller, Alison, Bishop, Dan, Felstead, Alan, Jewson, Nick, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Reconfiguring contract research? Career, work and learning in a changing employment landscape. In, SRHE Annual Conference, Beyond Boundaries: New Horizons for Research into Higher Education, Brighton, UK, 12-14 Dec 2006. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 17pp.
Fuller, Alison, Unwin, Lorna, Bishop, Dan, Felstead, Alan, Jewson, Nick, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Lee, Tracey (2006) Situated learning in context: an exploration of the factors influencing workplace learning and 'knowing' in contrasting organisations. In, American Educational Research Association Annual Conference (AERA), San Francisco, U.S.A., 7-11 Apr 2006. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 9pp, 1-9.
Unwin, Lorna and Fuller, Alison (2005) Apprenticeship in the contemporary workplace: the challenge for employers, educators and the State. In, 3rd Annual Conference, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, Ireland, 6-8 May 2005. Ireland, Cork Institute of Technology, 207pp.
Fuller, Alison, Ashton, D., Bishop, Dan, Butler, P., Felstead, Alan, Jewson, Nick, Lee, Tracey and Unwin, Lorna (2005) Who learns what at work? In, 4th International Conference on Researching Work and Learning (RWL4), Sydney, Australia, 11-14 Dec 2005. , 10pp.
Chapters in Edited Books
Fuller, A. (2006) Employment and part-time higher education:
socio-economic and pedagogical perspectives on increasing participation.
In, Tynjala, Paivi, Valimaa, Jussi and Boulton-Lewis, Gillian (eds.) Higher
Education and Working Life: Collaborations, Confrontations and Challenges.
Oxford, Elsevier, 115-128. (Advances in Learning and Instruction).
Monographs
Lee, Tracey, Jewson, Nick, Bishop, Dan, Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Unwin, Lorna (2007) There's a lot more to it than just cutting hair, you know: managerial controls, work practices and identity narratives among hair stylists. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 42pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 8)
Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Unwin, Lorna and Jewson, Nick (2007) Learning, communities and performance: evidence from the 2007 communities of practice survey. Leicester, UK, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, 51pp.
Fuller, Alison, Unwin, Lorna, Bishop, Dan, Felstead, Alan, Jewson, Nick, Kakavelakis, Konstantinos and Lee, Tracey (2006) Continuity, change and conflict: the role of learning and knowing in different productive systems. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 28pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 7)
Felstead, Alan, Bishop, Dan, Fuller, Alison, Jewson, Nick, Lee, Tracey and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Moving to the music: learning processes, training and productive systems - the case of exercise to music instruction. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 43pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 6)
Bishop, Daniel, Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Jewson, Nick, Lee, Tracey and Unwin, Lorna (2006) Connecting culture and learning in organisations: a review of current themes. Cardiff, Wales, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, 38pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 5)
Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Unwin, Lorna, Ashton, David, Butler, Peter, Lee, Tracey and Walters, Sally (2004) Applying the survey method to learning at work: a recent UK experience. Leicester, UK, Centre for Labour Market Studies, 35pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 3)
Lee, Tracey, Fuller, Alison, Ashton, David, Butler, Peter, Felstead, Alan, Unwin, Lorna and Walters, Sally (2004) Workplace learning: main themes and perspectives. Leicester, UK, Centre for Labour Market Studies, 39pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 2)
Butler, Peter, Felstead, Alan, Ashton, David, Fuller, Alison, Lee, Tracey, Unwin, Lorna and Walters, Sally (2004) High performance management: a literature review. Leicester, UK, Centre for Labour Market Studies, 36pp. (Learning as Work Research Paper, 1)
Felstead, Alan, Fuller, Alison, Unwin, Lorna, Ashton, David, Butler, Peter and Lee, Tracey (2004) Better learning, better performance: evidence from the 2004 Learning at Work survey. Leicester, UK, National Institute of Continuing Adult Education, Leicester
Working Papers
Heath, S., Fuller, A. and Paton, K. (2007) Life course, generation and educational decision-making within networks of intimacy, Working Paper for the ESRC-funded project ‘Non-participation in Higher Education: Decision-making as an embedded social practice’, School of Education, University of Southampton.
Fuller, A. and Paton, K. (2006) Widening Participation in Higher Education: Mapping and investigating the stakeholder landscape, Working Paper for the ESRC-funded project ‘Non-participation in Higher Education: Decision-making as an embedded social practice’, School of Education, University of Southampton.
Other
Rainbird, H., Fuller, A., and Munro, A. (eds) (2004), Workplace Learning in Context, London: Routledge
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2004), Expansive Learning Environments: integrating personal and organisational development, in H. Rainbird, A. Fuller, A. Munro, Workplace Learning in Context, London: Routledge
Fuller, A., Munro, A. and Rainbird, H., (2004), Introduction and Overview, in H. Rainbird, A. Fuller, A. Munro, Workplace Learning in Context, London: Routledge
Fuller, A. Munro, A. and Rainbird, H., (2004), Conclusion, in H. Rainbird, A. Fuller, A. Munro, Workplace Learning in Context, London: Routledge
Unwin, L., Fuller, A. Turbin, T. and Young, M. (2004) What Determines the Impact of Vocational Qualifications: A literature review, RR 522, Nottingham: Department for Education and Skills.
Fuller, A. (2004) Review of Boreham, N., Samurcay, R. and Fischer, M. (eds) Work Process Knowledge, in British Educational Research Journal, vol 30, no 3
Unwin, L. and Fuller, A. (2003) Expanding Learning in the Workplace: Making more of individual and organisational potential, Leicester: NIACE
Fuller, A., Ashton, D., Felstead, A., Unwin, L. and Walters, S. (2003) The Impact of Informal Learning on Business Productivity, London: Department of Trade and Industry
Fuller. A. and Unwin, L. (2002) ‘Developing Pedagogies for the Contemporary Workplace’, in Evans, K. Hodkinson, P. and Unwin, L. eds. Working to Learn: transforming the nature of workplace learning, London: Kogan Page.
Fuller, A. and Unwin, L. (2001) From Cordswainers to Customer Service: the changing nature of apprenticeship in England, monograph, SKOPE: universities of Warwick and Oxford
Fuller, A. and Unwin L. (1999) ‘Credentialism, National Targets and the Learning Society: perspectives on educational attainment in the steel industry,’ Journal of Education Policy, Vol 14, No. 6, pp. 605-617
External Activities
Alison has undertaken consultancies with a range of bodies including the Construction Industry Training Board, the Bus and Coach sector training organisation, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Open University, and the YWCA, as well as a wide range of projects funded by government departments, companies such as United Distillers plc and B & Q plc, and the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Funded Research
Associations
Alison is a member of the British Educational Research Association and has been an elected member of the editorial board for its British Educational Research Association. She is also a member of the American Educational Research Association.
Awards & Memberships
BERA National Advisory Panel
