Professor David Littlefair

Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor

School: Communities and Education

I am Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for International and Educational Partnerships in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and an internationally recognised figure in the field of Teacher Education (Education).

I lead professional development for teachers nationally and internationally by designing innovative curricula and delivery models via stakeholder co-production with serving teachers and headteachers. Through service on the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers’ (UCET) Executive and CPD Committees, I have influenced policy and practice via the Department for Education, including in areas such as the development of the Master of Teaching and Learning (MTL). I have secured £2.3m in external CPD income to establish a number of learning hubs via university and school consortia in the UK as well as international programmes, such as in provinces of China. I am regularly invited to speak internationally on this work. I have a growing body of research in the field of inclusive education, which involves national and international collaborations with Australia, Germany, and Romania.

I have made significant theoretical and pedagogical contributions to my discipline of teacher education through my pioneering ‘pupil voice’ pedagogical paradigm and strategic leadership of the Inclusive Education Research group. My creation of the Pupil Voice research programme has impacted policy and practice in areas such as Physical Education.

I am always keen to collaborate with colleagues within and outside Higher Education to advance excellence in teaching and to support research on this topic, including via doctoral study.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Exploratory analysis of inter-connected factors related to secondary school absenteeism: Caregivers’ perspectives, Carrick, A., Chen, R., Littlefair, D., Friedman, S., Mulholland, K., Hudson, K., Graham, P., Graham, P., Davies, C., Barker, L., Cordier, R. 1 Jan 2026, In: International Journal of Educational Research
‘Literal torture’: Vulnerability, resilience and young people's experiences of pressure in physical education, Littlefair, D., Jopling, M. 1 Apr 2026, In: British Educational Research Journal
Reliability and affordability: understanding the reasons for UK voters’ support for nationalisation and public control, Littlefair, D., Stark, G., Johnson, S., Atkinson, J., Reed, H., Johnson, E., Johnson, M. 1 Mar 2026, In: Transport Policy
The construct components of self-regulation from a systematic review of self-regulation measures in children and adolescents, Janicaud, N., Chen, Y., McAuliffe, T., So, J., Wilkes-Gillan, S., Littlefair, D., Graham, P., Cordier, R. 1 Mar 2026, In: Current Psychology
UK resident preferences on tax reform: survey-based evidence suggests support for progressive change in the run up to the 2024 General Election, Johnson, E., Stark, G., Moseley, L., Littlefair, D., Atkinson, J., Johnson, M., Reed, H. 18 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Social Policy
What do residents want from a North East Combined Authority transport policy? Evidence from conjoint experimental and adversarially co-produced narrative survey data, Thew, A., Littlefair, D., Stark, G., Reed, H., Johnson, M., Johnson, E. 13 Apr 2026, In: Local Economy
Exploring UK residents’ views on substantive education reform: adversarially co-produced narratives indicate fluidity in support, Hudson, K., Mulholland, K., Croft, E., Benton, P., Stark, G., Littlefair, D., Atkinson, J., Johnson, S., Reed, H., Johnson, E., Johnson, M. 31 Dec 2025, In: Political Research Exchange
Interventions to Improve Connectedness, Belonging, and Engagement in Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Davies, C., Cordier, R., Graham, P., Littlefair, D., Speyer, R., Melo, D. 7 May 2025, In: Education Sciences
Pupil voice as a method in education research: thinking the ‘in-between’, Littlefair, D., Jopling, M. 20 Feb 2025, In: Oxford Review of Education
Pupil Voice in Physical Education and the desire for (in)visibility, Littlefair, D., Jopling, M., Kelly, N. 24 Jul 2025, In: Sport, Education and Society

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Adapting And Refining a School Participation and Connectedness Intervention for Autistic Children in UK Schools, Littlefair, D. (Principal Investigator), RIS Internal Funding, 03/01/23 - 31/07/23, £28,395.00

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Invited talk: IPDA Conference 2025
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: BERA Annual Conference 2023 2023
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: UCET Annual Conference 2023 Leeds 2023
Invited talk: APPG CPD SIG 2022
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: BERA Annual Conference 2022
Invited talk: BERA SIG 2022
Invited talk: Navigating cultural diversity to engage International teachers in best practice professional development. 2018
Invited talk: Research evidenced teaching methods for Primary PE 2018
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Teacher Education Policy in Europe (TEPE) Network, Annual Conference, 2018
Invited talk: Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) CPD Symposium, London, May 2018 2018

PGR Supervision

Jennifer Hicken Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Jennifer Hicken Understanding the Lived Experiences of Neurodivergent University Students: A descriptive phenomenological approach using creative participatory methods to inform policy and support provision in higher education Start Date: 01/10/2025
Fiona Nicholls A School Participation and Connectedness Intervention for Neurodivergent Children in Mainstream UK Primary Schools. Start Date: 01/10/2023
Sophie Johnson What difference can classics make to primary school student self-efficacy? Pupil voice and the power of storytelling Start Date: 01/10/2023
Fiona Nicholls A School Participation and Connectedness Intervention for Neurodivergent Children in Mainstream UK Primary Schools. Start Date: 01/10/2023 End Date: 17/10/2025
Sophie Johnson What difference can classics make to primary school student self-efficacy? Pupil voice and the power of storytelling Start Date: 01/10/2023 End Date: 17/10/2025