Research

PCRE people

Physical Culture Research in Education members.

University of Edinburgh members

Dr Shirley Gray, Group Lead

Dr Shirley Gray is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education. Her research interests are around physical education curriculum and pedagogy, and previously she has explored the practices and learning of physical education teachers in relation to gender, social and emotional learning, pupil motivation and decision-making in games. 

Photo of Shirley Gray

Dr Nicola Carse

Dr Nicola Carse is a Lecturer in Physical Education. Her research interests are around primary physical education, physical education curriculum and pedagogy, teacher education and practitioner enquiry. 

Photo of Nicola Carse

Dr Murray Craig

Dr Murray Craig is a Teaching Fellow in Physical Education. His main research interests focus on digital technology use in PE, in particular teachers' motives for using digital technologies, as well as understanding the underlying factors that affect their habits and practices with it. Murray is also interested in both curriculum and talent development, examining how the concepts from each field can inform and support the other.

Photo of Murray Craig

Denise Dewar

Denise McGee-Dewar is a teaching fellow in Physical Education. Denise recently completed an MSc Research; her project focussed on the initial teacher education, induction and post-induction experiences of new PE teachers in Scotland from a phenomenological perspective. Her research interests include teacher education and developing critical thinking in PE.

Photo of Denise Dewar

Dr Deb Holt

Dr Deb Holt is a Lecturer in Mental Health Promotion in Education. Her research interests include exploring how schools enact the Health and Wellbeing curriculum, whole-school approaches to social and emotional wellbeing promotion, teacher- and student-teacher-positive mental health and any specific elements of positive mental health promotion in education. 

Deb Holt

Dr Andrew Horrell

Andrew Horrell is the Director of Undergraduate Studies and a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education. His current research interests include: curriculum development and enactment, health and wellbeing policy and practice, physical education teachers’ lives and careers and initial teacher education.

Phot of Andrew Horrell

Dr Mike Jess

Dr Mike Jess is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education. His personal interests focus on the relationship between complexity thinking, ecological perspectives and professional practice.

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Wilma Irvine

Wilma is a Teaching Fellow in Primary PE: MA Physical Education Programme Coordinator Year 1 whose main area of research is 3-14 Primary Physical Education.

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Dr Sarah MacIsaac

Dr Sarah MacIsaac is a Lecturer in Physical Education. Her research interests lie within the sociology of health, the body and physical education. Her research explores contemporary body-related culture amongst young people, looking specifically at social media use.

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Dr Justine MacLean

Dr Justine MacLean is a Lecturer in Physical Education. Her research interests are within the social and cultural practices in physical education; in particular how pupils, students and teachers can develop their potential within the educational environment.

Photo of Justine MacLean

Dr Paul McMillan

Dr Paul McMillan is a Lecturer in Physical Education. His two main research interests include the investigation of teaching and professional learning. 

Photo of Paul McMillan

Karen Munro

Karen Munro is a Teaching Fellow within the School of Education and Sport. Her research looks at teachers' vision, in particular student teachers', with the aim to track their vision in a longitudinal study.

 

Brodie Runciman

Brodie Runciman is a Teaching Fellow in Physical Education. 

 

 

Dr Gary Standinger

Dr Gary Standinger is a Teaching Fellow in Physical Education. His research focuses on:

  • student feedback literacy

  • self-regulated learning
  • assessment
  • student agency
  • youth voice
Headshot of Gary Standinger

Vince Coleman

Vince is a PhD student and his research focuses on the area of trauma-aware practice in the context of physical education. 

 

Stephanie Hardley

Stephanie Hardley is a PhD candidate within the School of Education and Sport. Her research focuses on understanding how Scottish schools conceptualise, support, and promote mental, social and emotional health and wellbeing for disadvantaged students. 

 

Chenqi Wang

Chenqi is a PhD student exploring digital health and body cultures among Chinese students studying in the UK.

 

Chenxi Yin

Chenxi's PhD focuses on meaningfulness within youth sport with a specific interest in parkour.

 

PhD study

If you are interested in PhD study with any of our members, click on the link to their profiles or visit our Supervisors and Topics page to learn more about their areas of research interest and availability to supervise. 

Supervisors and topics

Associate members

Name Affiliation

Dr David Aldous

Edith Cowan University

Dr Anna Bryant

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Dr Maria José Camacho-Miñano

University of Complutense, Madrid

Dr Oli Hooper

Loughborough University

Professor David Kirk

University of Strathclyde

Cara Lamb

University of Strathclyde 

Dr Dillon Landi

University of Strathclyde

Professor Emma Rich

University of Bath

Dr Rachel Sandford

Loughborough University

Dr Julie Stirrup

Loughborough University

Elaine Wotherspoon

University of the West of Scotland

Professor Paul Wright

Northern Illinois University