Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
My overarching research interest is the investigation of social and educational innovation. Generally, my work uses design, implementation and evaluation research to study innovative programmes and supports which aim to improve population level social outcomes such as attainment and wellbeing. I have a particular focus on improving attainment and wellbeing outcomes for children and young people in disadvantaged schools or communities. To achieve this, I work extensively with a wide range of stakeholders and utilise my considerable expertise in prevention and early intervention research methods including: programme logic modelling; participatory co-design of interventions; implementation science; psychometrics; and using randomised controlled trials to evaluate intervention effectiveness.
Research Statement
I am an experienced Principal Investigator and research programme leader. I have been awarded research funding of over £5,000,000 to investigate social and educational innovation. Over the last 20 years I have delivered and evaluated evidence-informed programmes in disadvantaged communities with many 1000’s of young people and their families. I have successfully managed over 20 research and practice innovation projects, which have involved the supervision and of more than 20 research fellows, administration staff and PhD students. Please see 'Project' tab above for more information.
I am the Lead for the Innovation Zones (in the Colin and Shankill areas of West Belfast - https://www.qub.ac.uk/social-charter/equality/zones/ ). This Queen's University Social Charter Signature project is a long term (over the last 8 years) and sustained partnership between Queen's and two local disadvantaged communities and the many professionals, organisations, policymakers etc. working within those communities. The work has the aim of increasing the co-production of research evidence, which has the reciprocal benefits of academia investigating more relevant and impactful social issues and communities using more evidence informed approaches for moving towards their social development goals. All of which has the shared outcome of helping people realise their full potential and breaking longstanding cycles of disadvantage. A further intention is that Queen's University and these two communities become beacons of social innovation research nationally and internationally.
As well as leading the work in the Innovation Zones, I am an Extraordinary Associate Professor at Stellenbosch University in South Africa where I work closely with Institute for Life Course Health Research and their Masiphuhlisane Research Centre in the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town. I also act as Trustee of Parenting NI. I am a former Executive Chair of the Children’s Research Network of Ireland and Northern Ireland; and former Operations Manager of Improving Children’s Lives interdisciplinary research initiative at Queen’s. In all these roles, I have initiated and led the organisation of over 30 public engagement events for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. I have written numerous research papers and reports as well as articles that have been featured in national and international media outlets. Please see 'Research Output' tab above for more details.
I also work extensively with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and have conducted many projects that have contributed to their globally recognised Teaching and Learning Toolkit. I am also the Director of a social impact consultancy at Queen's called STRIDE.
Teaching
I am a research supervisor for a number of Doctoral level students (please contact me for current opportunties).
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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R2456SES: Cluster RCT of SMART Spaces
O'Hare, L., Cockerill, M., Stark, P. & Thurston, A.
02/08/2018 → …
Project: Research
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R2383SES: FFT Reciprocal Reading Evaluation
O'Hare, L., Biggart, A., Cockerill, M., Connolly, P., Lloyd, K., McConnellogue, S. & Stark, P.
08/05/2017 → …
Project: Research
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A pilot randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of different spaced learning models used during school examination revision: the SMART Spaces 24/10 model
O'Hare, L., Stark, P., Gittner, A., McGuinness, C., Thurston, A. & Biggart, A., 19 Sep 2023, In: Frontiers in Education. 8, 14 p., 1199617.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile24 Downloads (Pure) -
Common health assets protocol: a mixed-methods, realist evaluation and economic appraisal of how community led organisations (CLOs) impact on the health and well-being of people living in deprived areas
Baker, R., Ahmed, M., Bertotti, M., Cassidy, J., Chipuriro, R., Clewett, E., Donaldson, C., Elders, A., Fenge, L. A., Fox, J., Galway, K., Gildea, A., McGuinness, A., McLean, J., Manoukian, S., Mason, H., Morgan, A., Mulholland, J., O'Hare, L., Patterson, A., & 7 others , 16 Mar 2023, In: BMJ Open. 13, 3, 8 p., e069979.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile13 Downloads (Pure) -
Comparing the effectiveness of two reciprocal reading comprehension interventions for primary school pupils in disadvantaged schools
O'Hare, L., Stark, P., Cockerill, M., Lloyd, K., McConnellogue, S., Gildea, A., Biggart, A., Bower, C. & Connolly, P., 22 Jun 2023, (Early online date) In: British Journal of Educational Psychology. 23 p., e12623.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Downloads (Pure) -
Conversations: using a child centred and bottom-up ‘conversations’ process to improve disadvantaged children’s lives and collective community outcomes
O'Hare, L., 05 Apr 2023.Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review
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School-based relationship and sexuality education intervention engaging adolescent boys for the reductions of teenage pregnancy: the JACK cluster RCT
Lohan, M., Gillespie, K., Aventin, Á., Gough, A., Warren, E., Lewis, R., Buckley, K., McShane, T., Brennan-Wilson, A., Lagdon, S., Adara, L., McDaid, L., French, R., Young, H., McDowell, C., Logan, D., Toase, S., Hunter, R. M., Gabrio, A., Clarke, M., & 4 others , 01 Sep 2023, In: Public Health Research. 11, 8, p. 1-139 139 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile3 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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ARC Accelerator
O'Hare, Liam (Recipient), Stark, Patrick (Recipient) & Gildea, Aideen (Recipient), 2020
Prize: Other distinction
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Activities
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ESRC Festival of Social Science
Laura Dunne (Organiser), Liam O'Hare (Organiser), Karen Orr (Contributor), Leeanne O'Hara (Contributor) & Aideen Gildea (Contributor)
09 Nov 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in Festival/Exhibition
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What Works Global Summit, Ottawa 2023
Liam O'Hare (Presenter), Sarah Miller (Contributor), Laura Dunne (Contributor), Donncha Hanna (Contributor) & Richard Vance (Contributor)
18 Oct 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
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Developing Social Innovation Through Community and University Partnerships: Queen's Innovation Zones
Liam O'Hare (Keynote speaker)
17 Oct 2022Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
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13th Annual School of Education Postgraduate Student Research Conference
Olan Sawangnuwatkul (Presenter), Liam O'Hare (Advisor) & Mel Engman (Advisor)
21 May 2022Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Glasgow Caledonian University
Liam O'Hare (Contributor)
09 May 2022Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
Press/Media
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Article on Spaced Learning Project - Reported in TES (International)
31/03/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Article on Spaced Learning Project - Reported in iNews
31/03/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Article on Spaced Learning Project - Reported in Telegraph
31/03/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
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Article on Spaced Learning Project - Reported in The Times
31/03/2017
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
Impact
Thesis
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Measuring critical thinking skills and dispositions in undergraduate students
Author: O'Hare, L., Oct 2004Supervisor: McGuinness, C. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy
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