Dr Alice Sullivan

    • D.Phil Sociology
      B.A. Philosophy, Politics and Economics
    • Director and PI of BCS70
  • Faculty:
    • Faculty of Policy and Society
  • Department:
    • Quantitative Social Science
  • Centre:
    • Centre for Longitudinal Studies
  • Summary:
    • Alice leads the team responsible for developing the content, design and analysis of the 1970 British Cohort Study. Her research interests are focused on social and educational inequalities, including inequalities of social class, gender and ethnicity. Her published work includes papers on Bourdieu and cultural capital, rational choice theory, private and state schooling, single-sex and co-educational schooling, and education policy. She is interested in longitudinal research methods, the design of survey instruments, and mixed-methods approaches.

      Recent media coverage:
      - Thinking Allowed BCC Radio 4
      - Oxford University admissions favour men, study finds: Guardian
  • Teaching:
    • Alice contributes to survey methods specialist doctoral workshops and research methods teaching throughout the institute, including the Spring and Autumn terms of 'Understanding Education Research'. More.
  • Research:
    • - Causes and consequences of outcomes for young children in Northern Ireland (NI Executive). More
      - Understanding the relationship between taste and value in culture and sport (ESRC, secondment to Department for Culture Media and Sport). More.
      - Single-sex and co-educational schooling: Lifecourse consequences? (ESRC). More
  • Professional Activities:
    • Member of the ESRC Peer Review College (July 2010-)
      External examiner, M.Sc. and M.Phil. Sociology, University of Oxford (2011-2014)
      Affiliate member of Department of Sociology, University of Oxford

      Membership of editorial boards:
      - American Educational Research Journal (2006-2009)
      - British Journal of Sociology of Education (2010-)
      - Longitudinal and Life course Studies (2009-)
      - International Studies in the Sociology of education (2008-)
      - Race, Ethnicity and Education (2006-2011)
  • Research Students:
    • • Laura Whittle, PhD: Growing up in Essex in the 1980s - Class, Culture and Education
      • William Parry, PhD: Investigating the links between childhood exercise experiences and adult exercise behaviour
      • Jen-Ying Li, PhD: Adolescents in Poverty and Secondary School Education in Taiwan

      I am keen to take on Ph.D. students working in areas related to my research interests.
Dr Alice Sullivan

Staff profile

Contact details

  • Email:

  • Postal address:
  • Quantitative Social Science
    Institute of Education University of London
    20 Bedford Way
    London
    WC1H 0AL

  • Office location:
  • Room G09
    55-59 Gordon Square, WC1H 0NU

Publications

  • Sullivan, A., Leonard, D. and  Joshi, H. (2012) 'Single-sex and Co-educational Schooling: What are the social and family outcomes?', Longitudinal and Life Course Studies 3(1) , 137-157.
    Further information    .
  • Sullivan, A. Heath,, A. and Rothon, C. (2011) 'Equalisation or inflation? Social class and gender differences in England', Oxford Review of Education 37(2), 123-138.
    Further information.
  • Sullivan, A., Joshi, H. and Leonard, D. (2011).  'Single-sex schooling and labour market outcomes.', Oxford Review of Education 37(3), 311-332.
    Further information.
  • Sullivan, A., Zimdars, A. and Heath, A. (2010).  'The Social Structure of the 14-16 Curriculum in England.', International Studies in the Sociology of Education 20(1), 5-21.
    Further information.
  • Sullivan, A., Joshi, H. and Leonard, D. (2010).  'Single-sex Schooling and Academic Attainment at School and through the Lifecourse.', American Education Research Journal 47(1), 6-36.
    Further information.
  • Zimdars, A., Sullivan, A. and Heath, A. (2009) 'Elite Higher Education Admissions in the Arts and Sciences: Is cultural capital the key?', Sociology 43(4). ,
    Further information.
  • Sullivan, A. (2008) 'Cultural Capital and Educational Attainment' Gorard, S. (ed), Quantitative Research in Education. London: Sage. First Published in 'Sociology' (2001), vol. 35,n. 4, pp. 893-912
    Further information.
  • Sullivan, A. (2006) 'Students as Rational Decision-Makers: the question of beliefs and attitudes', London Review of Education. Vol. 4, n. 2, p. 271-290.
    Further information
  • Sullivan, A. (2003) 'Cultural Capital, Rational Choice and Educational Inequalities' Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Oxford
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  • Sullivan, A. (2002) 'Bourdieu and Education: How Useful is Bourdieu's Theory for Researchers?', Netherlands Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 38, n. 2, pp. 144-166.
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