Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Studies

I joined the University of Bedfordshire in 2010 as a Research Fellow with the Tilda Goldberg Centre. I currently lecture on the BA in Applied Social Studies, with an emphasis on teaching quantitative skills to social scientists.

My current research involves evaluating the Child Trafficking Advocates programme for the Home Office. Previously I have worked on an evaluation of systemic units as an approach to delivering children's services in local authorities.

I have also been involved in the evaluation of two randomised controlled trials: one looking at using Motivational Interviewing techniques in child and family social work; and the other promoting the early signs of breast cancer in older women.

Other projects include developing the capacity of quantitative knowledge and skills within social research under two ESRC funded projects: training social work academics across the country to teach quantitative research; and developing a shared common curriculum for quantitative teaching.

Qualifications

• PhD Computational Cognitive Neuroscience - University of Hertfordshire
• BSc (Hons) First Class - University of Hertfordshire

Teaching Role

• Current Issues in the Human Services: Developing a Critical Perspective
• Human Services Today: Critical Perspectives on Policy and Practice
• Research Approaches
• Dissertation Supervisor
• Personal Tutor

Research Interests

• Quantitative skills
• Evidence Based Research
• Randomised Controlled Trials
• Child and Family Social Work
• Child Trafficking

Recent Research Projects

• Evaluating the Child Trafficking Advocates Trial
• Evaluating the use of Motivational Interviewing in Child and Family Social Work
• Evaluation of Systemic Units as an approach to delivering children's services
• Promoting the early presentation of breast cancer symptoms in older women

Recent Publications

• Forrester D, Westlake D, McCann M, Thurnham AJ, Shefer G, Glynn G, & Killian M, (2013) Reclaiming Social Work? An Evaluation of Systemic Units as an Approach to Delivering Children's Services: Final report of a comparative study of practice and the factors shaping it in three local authorities. Available here
• Forrester, D., Weslake, D., McCann, M., Thurnham, A., Shefer, G., Glynn, G. and Killian, M. Summary: Reclaiming Social Work? An evaluation of systemic units as an approach to delivering children's services. Available here
• Huttunen K H, Pine KJ, Thurnham AJ, & Khan C, (2013) The changing role of gesture in linguistic development: A developmental trajectory and a cross-cultural comparison between British and Finnish children. Journal Psycholinguistic Research, 42(1), 81–101
• Preston-Shoot, M., McKimm, J., & Thurnham, A.J., (2012) Outcomes of Law Teaching in Social Work Education: Further Findings from a Cohort Study, Social Work Education, 1, 1-19
• Galvani, S., & Thurnham, A.J., (2012) Social Policy and Substance Use. Chapter in Social Work with Adults. Ed Davies, M., Palgrave Macmillan
• Huttunen, K. H., Pine, K. J., Thurnham, A. J., & Khan, C. (2012) The changing role of gesture in linguistic development: A developmental trajectory and a cross-cultural comparison between British and Finnish children. Published 20.3.2012 Online first Journal Psycholinguistic Research. IF 0.509 (2010)
• Forbes, L.J.L., Atkins, L., Thurnham, A., Layburn, J., Haste, F., & Ramirez, A.J., (2011) Breast cancer awareness and barriers to symptomatic presentation among women from different ethnic groups in East London, British Journal of Cancer, 105(10), 1474-9
• Galvani, S., Forrester, D., Glynn, G., McCann, M., Guppy, A., Hemsley, C., Hillson, M., & Thurnham, A.J., Social Work Services and Recovery from Substance Misuse: A Review of the Evidence, The Scottish Government, ISBN 978 1 78045 085 8 (Web publication), Crown Copyright 2011
• Linsell L., Burgess C.C., Forbes, L.F., Kapari M., Thurnham, A., & Ramirez A.J. (2010) Validation of a measurement tool to assess awareness of breast cancer, European Journal of Cancer, 46(8), 1374-1381
• Thurnham, A.J., Forbes, L.J.L., Linsell L., Burgess C.C., Kapari M., & Ramirez A.J., An intervention to promote early presentation in breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Abstract and presentation at the COMPASS Collaborative Annual Scientific Meeting 5 June 2009
• Thurnham, A.J., Done, D.J., Davey, N., & Frank, R.J., A Model of Dopamine and Uncertainty Using Temporal Difference. Abstract published in proceedings of International Conference on Schizophrenia Research, Colorado Springs, Colorado, March 28 – April 1 2007
• Thurnham, A.J., Done, D.J., Davey, N., & Frank, R.J., How Do Computational Models of the Role of Dopamine as a Reward Prediction Error Map on to Current Dopamine Theories of Schizophrenia? In proceedings of XXV111 Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, 2006a, p2263-2268, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
• Thurnham, A.J., Done, D.J., Davey, N., & Frank, R.J., A Model of Dopamine and Uncertainty Using Temporal Difference. In proceedings of XXV111 Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society, 2006b, p2257- 2262, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
• Thurnham, A.J., Done, D.J., Davey, N., & Frank, R.J., A Computational Model of Dopamine for Reward Prediction Error and Uncertainty. Poster presented at the 10th International Conference on Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, May 17-20, 2006
• Thurnham, A.J., Done, D.J., Davey, N., Frank, R.J. & Doughty, O.J., Schizophrenia, Dopamine and Temporal Difference Learning. Abstract published in proceedings of The International Conference on Schizophrenia Research, Davos, Switzerland, February 2006
• Thurnham, A.J. & Pine, K.J. (2006) The effects of single and dual representations on children's gesture production. Cognitive Development. 21(1), 46-59

Contact Details

University Square
Luton, Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
United Kingdom

E: angela.thurnham@beds.ac.uk