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About

I joined Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in January 2022, after previously working at the University of Sheffield. My research focuses primarily on the education of children and young people, with particular attention to their academic attainment, behaviour, mental health, and wellbeing. I am also deeply interested in the professional development of Mathematics and Physics teachers. In addition, I have a strong passion for music education and the psychology of music, with a particular focus on children's engagement with music and its effects on mental health and wellbeing.

As a mixed-methods researcher, I have extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, which allows me to take a comprehensive approach to exploring complex educational issues. My quantitative expertise includes designing and conducting randomised controlled trials, and using statistical software such as SPSS and R for data analysis. In addition to my quantitative skills, I am highly proficient in qualitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and case studies, and in using NVivo to conduct thematic analysis to draw meaningful insights from qualitative data. This combination of methods enables me to capture both the breadth and depth of research questions, providing a more holistic understanding of the topics I study.

Currently, I am engaged in a range of exciting research projects. I am the project Principal Investigator for a study funded by the Sheffield Institute of Education Seedcorn Fund, investigating the impact of music activities on the psychological wellbeing of university students. I am also involved in several high-profile projects, including the evaluation of the specialist knowledge for teaching Mathematics programme, funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, as well as the Reach Evaluation Efficacy and the Positive Pathways Project Evaluation, both funded by the Youth Endowment Fund. In addition, I am working on the Physics education research club project and the Physics’ teacher educator professional development programme, both funded by the Institute of Physics. I am also involved in internally funded projects, including the trauma-informed heatmap project and the climate change and sustainability education project.

My recent publications reflect my diverse research interests. I was a project manager and researcher on the secondary maths practice project. I also contributed to the development of the generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum project, where I led international case studies covering countries such as Estonia, New Zealand, Ontario, Singapore, China, and the Netherlands. Additionally, I have worked on research related to the Institute of Physics’ continuing professional development programs for physics teacher educators, the Physics early career professional learning programme, the STEM Ambassador programme, and the evaluation of the regional implementation leads programme. My work continues to focus on improving educational outcomes for students and supporting the development of teachers.

Ï㽶ÊÓƵ

• Centre for Development and Ï㽶ÊÓƵ in Education
• Social and Economic Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Institute

Recent Publications and Reports:
• Boylan, M., Zhu, H., Jaques, L., Birkhead, A. & Rempe-Gillen, E. (2024). Secondary maths practice review. Education Endowment Foundation. Retrieved from: Secondary maths practice review | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)
• Pullen, C., Boylan, M., Boodt, S., Zhu, H., & Clarkson, L. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Summary report. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_Report_2024_WEB.pdf 
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Estonia international case study. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Estonia.pdf 
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Pullen, C., Boylan, M., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - New Zealand international case study. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_NewZealand_WEB.pdf 
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Ontario international case study. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Ontario.pdf 
• Zhu, H., Pullen, C., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Singapore international case study. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Singapore.pdf 
• Zhu, H., Clarkson, L., Boylan, M., Pullen, C., & Boodt, S. (2024). Generic skills in the 14–19 curriculum: An international review - Netherlands international case study. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: CES_Skills_14-19_CaseStudy_Netherlands.pdf 
• Perry, E., Halliday, J., Bullough, A., Zhu, H., & Hotham, E. (2024). Studying the Institute of Physics’ continuing professional development programme for Physics Teacher Educators. Institute of Physics. 
• Willis, B., Maxwell, B., Stiell, B., Stevens, A., Clark, L., Rutgers, D., Clarkson, L., Wolstenholme, C. & Zhu, H. (2023). Regional Implementation Leads in Cornwall and Bristol: pilot evaluation. Education Endowment Foundation. Retrieved from: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/projects/ril-evaluation-report.pdf?v=1704204626  
• Perry, E., Booth, J., Bullough, A. & Zhu, H. (2023). Ï㽶ÊÓƵ into the Institute of Physics’ Early Career Professional Learning Programme Report. Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Retrieved from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/32700/
• Bevins, S., Price, G., Zhu, H. & Brodie, E. (2022). Young people and STEM - Young people’s perspectives on the STEM Ambassador scheme and STEM more widely report. STEM Learning. Retrieved from: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32343
• Zhu, H. & Pitts, S. (2021). When the music stops: the effects of lockdown on amateur music groups. Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing (Special issue). ISSN 2515-981X. Retrieved from: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/181340/ 

Selected research projects:

Link 1.
Link 2. /sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/generic-skills-in-the-14-19-curriculum-an-international-review
Link 3. /sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/researching-the-iop-physics-teacher-educator-programme
Link 4. /sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/regional-implementation-leads
Link 5. /sheffield-institute-education-research/projects/evaluation-of-youth-perspectives-of-the-stem-ambassadors-programme
Link 6. https://elements.shu.ac.uk/viewobject.html?cid=2&id=184462

Recent Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Grants:
• The Evaluation of Specialist Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Programme (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Education Endowment Foundation, 299k, 2024-2027. 
• Cross-cultural Perspective on the Effect of Music Activity in Maintaining Psychological and Subjective Well-being of University Students (Principal Investigator), Sheffield Institute of Education Seedcorn Fund for International Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Knowledge Exchange, £2K, 2024.
• Sheffield Hallam Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Innovation Fund (SHRIF): Evaluation of Rounds One and Two (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer). Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, £20k, 2024.
• Physics Education Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Club (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Institute of Physics, £6k, 2024. 
• WIPRO Extension Funding for Cohorts 4 and 5 (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), WIPRO, £401k, 2023-2027.
• The Reach Evaluation Efficacy (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Youth Endowment Fund, £278k, 2023-2026.
• The Positive Pathways Project Evaluation (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Youth Endowment Fund, £420k, 2023-2025.
• Secondary Maths Practice Review (Project Manager), Education Endowment Foundation, £49K. 2023-2024.
• Climate Change and Sustainability Education (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, £6K, 2023-2024
• The Trauma-Informed Heatmap: Using Data Visualisation to Mitigate the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Sheffield Hallam Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and Innovation Fund, £49k. 2023-2024.
• Investigating the Long-term Impacts of Additional Subject Specialism Professional Development (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Gatsby, £19k, 2023.
• International Comparative Review of Skills in the 14-19 Curriculum (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), EdPol, £20k, 2023.
• Ï㽶ÊÓƵ into the Institute of Physics’ Teacher Educator Professional Development programme (Ï㽶ÊÓƵer), Institute of Physics, £19k, 2022-2024. 

Publications