Prof John Oates
Emeritus Professor of Developmental Psychology
Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
Biography
Research interests
Developmental psychology; early attachment, perinatal mental health, interventions for children and families in disadvantage through poverty, disability and special educational needs. Imagery and Roma rights
Research ethics, and duty of care in performances, film and TV
Teaching interests
Developmental psychology; multi-disciplinary working for family support; Roma rights; digital learning tools; skills development; integrating media; ethnography
Impact and engagement
Consultant author for Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage; co-author of Association of Research Ethics Committee's Framework for University Ethics Review; Member of British Psychological Society Ethics Committee, lead for BPS Code of Human Research Ethics and Media Ethics Advisory Group; core member of Early Support programme team, lead for Developmental Journals; Author and editor for Healthy Child Programme content in NHS e-learning for Health; Member of Hungarian Biztos Kezdet (Sure Start) development team; Lead for MORS-SF perinatal mental health screening tool; Nominated academic BBC-OU Child of Our Time 2001-2012; Advisor to PACEY, UKRIO, Achieving Early; Keyworking guidance and training for England, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova; documentary photography and film-making in Roma communities. Lead author for UKRIO national guidance on research ethics review.
External collaborations
Academy of Social Sciences Research Ethics Group; Health Education England e-learning for Health; Budapest Infant-Parent longitudinal study; ethics reviewer for European Research Council; Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences, Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society; Knight's Cross Order of Merit, Republic of Hungary
Projects
Early Support and Keyworking: Developmental Journal (E-11-024-JO)
This is a 2-yr project to research, test and develop a generic Developmental Journal concept as a series of modules providing a common framework to support parents and professionals in documenting and sharing children’s and young people’s development in key developmental areas, aligned with preschool, primary and secondary curriculum domains and relevant assessment frames.
Collaborative working with Children's Centres: a research and development project. (E-09-033-JO)
1. To systematically gather and analyse evidence from the primary participants and stakeholders (e.g. FNP nurses, Children Centre co-ordinators, teachers, family support workers, health visitors and service users) in the Family-Nurse Partnership pilot programme in the Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust (MKPCT); 2. To develop an understanding of the dynamics of the programme’s links with other services to best provide for families with an infant where there is a need for support; 3. To provide insights into the role of the FNP, in conjunction with other services, in enabling clients to become more autonomous in their access to and use of appropriate services once their programme participation ends; 4. To use the findings of the research project to provide guidance on best practice in facilitating service integration and client uptake of services, both during and subsequent to programme participation.
Publications
Book
Attachment Relationships: Quality of Care for Young Children (2007)
Book Chapter
Ethical Considerations in Psychology Research (2019)
Research Ethics, Children, and Young People (2019)
Ethical frameworks for research with human participants (2006)
Theories of development (2005)
Digital Artefact
Early Years Developmental Journal (2013)
Practice Guide to the Early Years Developmental Journal (2013)
School Years Developmental Journal (2013)
Developmental Journal for Children and Young People with Multiple Needs (2013)
Journal Article
Formulating National Standards for Research Ethics Support and Review: The UKRIO/ARMA Case (2022)
Social constructions of mental health among Romani in Ukraine (2021)
Mothers' Perceptions of Their Infants (2019)
Validation of the Mothers’ Object Relations Scales Short-form (MORS-SF) (2018)
Beyond the ‘red book’: the Early Years Developmental Journal (2013)
Evaluating health visitor assessments of mother–infant interactions: a mixed methods study (2012)
Nutrition and cognition: assessing cognitive abilities in children and young people (2008)
Cognitive and social factors in the development of infants with Down Syndrome (2002)
A screening questionnaire for mother-infant bonding disorders (2001)
Risk factors for infant attrition and low engagement in experiments and free-play (1998)
Other
Physical Artefact
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Generic Ethics Principles in Social Science Research (2013)
Developing through play: A multi-media professional development package (2009)
Reusable learning objects: a multimedia professional development package (2008)
