Dr Dee Rutgers MA, PhD
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow
Summary
I joined the Sheffield Institute of Education Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Knowledge Exchange (SIRKE) as a Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow in January 2022. My current research interests include bi/multilingualism in education, including EAL and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approaches, and the design and implementation of effective teacher professional development. My research strengths include qualitative study design/methods and systematic evidence reviews, but I also have substantial experience in mixed-method research and quantitative data management and analysis. I am currently involved in SIRKE projects for the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), DfE, Wellcome, and Post-Primarily Languages Ireland, among others.
About
I received my PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge in 2014, with a thesis investigating the effects of bilingual education and CLIL on the further learning of languages (i.e., third language learning).
Since completing my PhD, I have worked on bi/multilingual education in a range of countries, including the Netherlands, Ecuador, the US (Florida) and the UK, exploring the cognitive, psychological, and social implications of bi/multilingualism for education and teacher professional development. This has included teaching undergraduate modules on multilingualism and language pedagogy and supervising MA theses in this area.
Recent projects that I worked on before joining Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in 2022 are the Knowledge Base of CLIL Teaching in Multilingual Primary Education (funded by a British Council ELTRA award); the Role of Multilingual Identity in Foreign Language Learning (Strand 4 of a large AHRC-funded project ‘Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies (MEITS)’; as well as the Teaching professionals Reflecting on Agency in Learning (TRAIL) professional development programme from the Cambridge Centre for Ï㽶ÊÓƵ on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL). At Sheffield Hallam, I am currently supporting various programme evaluation and research projects for the Education Endowment Fund, DfE, and Wellcome.
Work experience
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Fellow, Sheffield Institute of Education Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Knowledge Exchange, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ (2022 – present)
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Associate, Centre for Ï㽶ÊÓƵ on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL), Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge (Aug 2020 – Dec 2021)
Postdoctoral Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Associate on AHRC-funded project ‘Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies (MEITS)’ – Strand 4, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge (Oct 2017 – July 2020)
Visiting Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Scholar, Department of Teaching and Learning, College of Education, University of Florida (Oct 2016 – Sept 2017)
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Associate, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) Ecuador, Laboratorio de Interculturalidad [Interculturality Lab] (March 2015 – Sept 2016)
Teacher-Ï㽶ÊÓƵer (Lecturer) for undergraduate programme ‘Bilingual Pre-school Education’, Universidad de Las Américas (UDLA) Ecuador, Faculty of Education (March 2014 – Feb 2015)
Education
PhD (University of Cambridge)
MPhil Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in Second Language Education (University of Cambridge)
MA Renaissance and Romantic Literature (University of Liverpool)
MA English Language and Culture (University of Groningen, Netherlands)
Teaching
Sheffield Institute of Education
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Subject area
Sheffield Institute of Education
Courses taught
MA TESOL
Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
At Sheffield Hallam, I am currently supporting various programme evaluation and research projects, including for the Education Endowment Fund, DfE, Wellcome and Post-Primary Languages Ireland. I am particularly interested in research that explores the cognitive, psychological and social implications of bi/multilingualism for education, and how we can best support multilingual students through appropriate pedagogical approaches. Effective professional development for teachers is a big part of providing this support, and my current research interests therefore include a focus on the effective design and implementation of teacher initial and continued professional development.
Selected research
Regional Implementation Leads (RILs) in Bristol - Pilot Evaluation
Publications
Journal articles
Gayton, A.M., Evans, M., Fisher, L., Forbes, K., & Rutgers, D. (2025). . Education Sciences, 15 (4).
Rutgers, D. (2024). . Language Awareness.
Bower, K., Rutgers, D., & Quigley, L. (2024). . Frontiers in Education, 9.
Rutgers, D., Evans, M., Fisher, L., Forbes, K., Gayton, A., & Liu, Y. (2024). Multilingualism, Multilingual Identity and Academic Attainment: Evidence from Secondary Schools in England. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 23 (2), 210-227.
Forbes, K., Evans, M., Fisher, L., Gayton, A., Liu, Y., & Rutgers, D. (2024). . Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development.
Fisher, L., Evans, M., Forbes, K., Gayton, A., Liu, Y., & Rutgers, D. (2024). . International Journal of Multilingualism, 21 (1), 418-438.
Forbes, K., Evans, M., Fisher, L., Gayton, A., Liu, Y., & Rutgers, D. (2021). Developing a multilingual identity in the languages classroom: the influence of an identity-based pedagogical intervention. The Language Learning Journal, 49 (4), 433-451.
Forbes, K., & Rutgers, D. (2021). Multilingual identity in education. The Language Learning Journal, 49 (4), 399-403.
Rutgers, D., & Evans, M. (2017). International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20 (7), 788-806.
Reports
Booth, J., Rutgers, D., & Perry, E. (2025). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. /sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/making-change-happen-in-teacher-professional-development
Perry, E., Bevins, S., Booth, J., Boylan, M., Rutgers, D., Stiell, B., & Coldwell, M. (2024). . Wellcome Trust.
Perry, E., de Winter, J., & Hartley, R. (2024). . Ï㽶ÊÓƵ.
Willis, B., Maxwell, B., Stiell, B., Clark, L., Stevens, A., Clarkson, L., ... Zhu, H. (2023). . Education Endowment Foundation.
Bower, K., & Rutgers, D. (2023). . Post-Primary Languages Ireland.
Stiell, B., Willis, B., Clarkson, L., Rutgers, D., McCaig, C., Crossfield, J., & Behailu, A. (2023). School Recovery Strategies: Year 2 findings Ï㽶ÊÓƵ report (January 2023). (DFE- RR1318). DfE.
Rutgers, D., de Graaff, R., van Beuningen, C., & Fisher, L. (2020). The knowledge based of CLIL teaching in multilingual primary education settings. (20.02). British Council.
Presentations
Perry, E., Booth, J., Rutgers, D., Boylan, M., Stiell, B., & Bevins, S. (2023). Making change happen in teacher professional development: Leadership, the school environment and the implementation of professional development. Presented at: British Educational Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Association Conference 2023, Birmingham, UK
Booth, J., Rutgers, D., Byrne, E., & Hotham, E. (2023). Making change happen in teacher professional development: leadership and the implementation of professional development in schools. Presented at: IPDA, Aston University
Postgraduate supervision
I contribute to the Doctorate in Education through the supervision of PhD students in the area of languages and education, including on the MA TESOL