Alexandra Nancarrow
PhD
Research Fellow
alexandra.nancarrow@employment-studies.co.uk
Alexandra (Allie) joined IES as a Research Fellow in December 2021. Broadly, her main interests include using a range of quantitative skills to investigate predictors of children’s educational achievement, parent well-being, and early social cognition.
Prior to joining IES, Allie was a Research Associate at the University of York, where she examined gene-environment interplay in early life cognitive development, and a Postdoctoral Scholar at Oregon State University, where she worked on projects related to self-regulation and academic achievement in early childhood.
Allie completed a PhD in developmental psychology with a minor in statistics at the University of Alabama, focusing on the relations among home- and neighbourhood-level factors, parent well-being, and child self-regulation in low-income families. A central theme of her research has been the academic achievement gap, which increases over time and often leads to poor outcomes late in life for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to analysing large, longitudinal secondary datasets, she has experience training and supervising undergraduate student research assistants on large-scale intervention projects with 3- to 5-year-olds, including a two-generation socioemotional intervention and a pretend play intervention. A highlight of her research has been the collaboration of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including sociology, anthropology, education, and psychology.
In addition to publishing in the field of developmental psychology, Allie has provided statistical consulting to a public school district in Virginia and nursing faculty at the University of Alabama. She also has enjoyed communicating research to families, school personnel, and a variety of stakeholders and charities.
Education
2019 | University of Alabama | PhD, Developmental psychology with a minor in statistics |
2016 | University of Alabama | MA, Experimental psychology |
2013 | Trinity University | BS, Neuroscience with a minor in psychology |
Career
2020-2021 | Research Associate | University of York |
2019-2020 | Postdoctoral Scholar | Oregon State University |
2018-2019 | Graduate Research Assistant | University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing |
2014-2018 | Graduate Research Assistant | University of Alabama, Department of Psychology |
2014-2015 | Graduate Teaching Assistant | University of Alabama, Department of Psychology |
2013-2014 | Research Assistant | Virginia Tech |
Research publications
- The impact of wage subsidies on the employment of disadvantaged and/or marginalised young people, Nancarrow A, Muir D, Rosolin B, Orlando C, Newton B, Rowland J, Ott E (CEI), Shlonsky (Monash University), , Youth Futures Foundation , Jul 2023
- The Big Conversation, Nancarrow A, Williams J, Garner O, Cook J , , Institute for Employment Studies , Jun 2023
- Evaluation of the national roll-out of the early career framework induction programmes, Pollard E, Osborne E, Williams C, Williams J, Huxley C, Cook J, Talbot J, Nancarrow A, Garner O, Cetera R, , Institute for Employment Studies / BMG, Mar 2023
- Coaching Early Conversation Interaction and Language (CECIL) Nottinghamshire sustainability evaluation, Dawson A, Garner O, Nancarrow A , , Institute for Employment Studies , Jan 2023
Projects
- Early Talk Boost
- YFF Synthesis of evaluations of ‘systems change’ interventions
- Sutton Trust Early Language project
- Sutton Trust CECIL Phase 2b
- YEUK Evaluation of youth employment frameworks
- Pilot and Feasibility Study for ‘Step Up’
- Systematic review of the impact of summer jobs and education on young people's outcomes
- Focus Groups for Teacher's CPD