Ben Styles

MA PGCE PhD
Senior Statistician
b.styles@nfer.ac.uk
+44 (0)1753 637446

Ben is working on a number of evaluation and test development projects including a randomised trial of the Rapid Writing initiative for Pearson and development of the 3rd edition of the Group Reading Test for GL Assessment. He has recently written a book chapter on quantitative evaluation techniques employed in educational research and is finalising a guide to running randomised controlled trials for educational researchers. He is link statistician to the Slough branch of the Research, Evaluation and Information Department. This involves writing the statistical aspects of bids to evaluate educational initiatives.

Prior experience and professional background

MA in Natural Sciences followed by Postgraduate Certificate in Education. PhD in neuroscience including many applications of statistics. Since joining the NFER, Ben has worked on multi-level modelling projects including the Northern Ireland Curriculum Cohort Study and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. He has also produced new census-based variables for use as an alternative to the traditional free school meals measure of deprivation.

Ben is a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, holds their Higher Certificate in statistics and awaits the results from his last Graduate Diploma paper. He is on the editorial board of two journals: Effective Education and Educational Research.

Main research interests

Research methods and statistics, Science education, School improvement, Widening participation, Further education, Higher education.

Other research interests

Randomised control trials (RCTs), use of analogy in science education, German.

Selected publications

Miller, S., Connolly, P., Odena, O. and Styles, B. (2009) A Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of Business in the Community’s Time to Read Pupil Mentoring Programme. Report to client. [Available online].

Schagen, I., Lopes, J., Rutt, S., Savory, C. and Styles, B. (2006). Evaluating Patterns of Post-16 Provision. London: Learning and Skills Network.

Ridley, K., White, K., Styles, B. and Morrison, J. (2005). Factors Affecting Applications to Oxford and Cambridge - Repeat Survey. Final Report.

Smith, P., Styles, B. and MORRIS, M. (2007) Evaluation of RAPID. Report to client.

Sturman, L., Ruddock, G., Burge, B., Styles, B., Lin, Y. and Vappula, H. (2008). England's achievement in TIMSS 2007: national report for England. [Available online].

Styles, B. (2008) Moving on from free school meals: national census data can describe the socio-economic background of the intake of each school in England. Educational Research, 50, 1, 41-53.

Styles, B. (2009) The Future is Random – Why the RCT should often be the method of evaluation, in Education Science: Critical Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.