Dr Mel Hall
Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Education Studies
My profile
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Education Studies and am based in the School of Education where I teach and research. I joined Manchester Metropolitan University in 2017. I am Programme Lead for our BA (Hons) Early Years and Childhood Studies degree. I teach undergraduate research methods and supervise Masters and doctoral students.
My research is centred around exploring aspects of children and young people’s lives – their accounts of health and family life and their education - with a view to informing practice. The applied and interdisciplinary nature of my research has enabled me to share young people’s insights within fields where their views have traditionally been silenced. My research emphasises the need to listen to children and young people, involve them in their education and health care and provide greater support to them in difficult circumstances.
I began my career as a researcher on national evaluations of educational and community initiatives at the National Foundation for Educational Research and then Sheffield Hallam University.
I joined the University of Sheffield in 2006 to undertake my doctoral research for which I sought the perspectives of children and young people receiving treatment for cleft lip and/or palate, using narrative and participatory approaches. I was then a Research Associate on projects which explored young people’s perspectives of dental treatment and dental appearance and health care evaluations.
My interests in health and experience of narrative and child centred approaches led me to my role as a researcher on the Alzheimer’s Society funded study, ‘The Perceptions and Experiences of Children and Young People Who Have a Parent With Dementia’, based in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield. I continue to publish in this area and am looking to take this work forward. I previously carried out research on the motivations and barriers to shared reading with pre-school children as part of an ESRC funded project.
Expert reviewer for peer reviewed journals
- Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal
- Dementia
- Journal of Early Childhood Literacy
- Journal of Early Childhood Research
- Families, Relationships and Societies
- Journal of Illness, Crisis & Loss
- Literacy
- International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry
- Qualitative Research Journal
- International Journal of Research & Method in Education
Prizes and awards
Personal Tutor of the Year 2019, Student Union awards, MMU
Membership of professional associations
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Teaching
How I’ll teach you
My teaching takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on sociology, disability studies, education studies, cultural studies and importantly, empirical research as well as contemporary material. I encourage students to reflect on their own experiences and expertise where relevant and appropriate. Delivery centres around interactive sessions.
I am committed to research based teaching and my extensive career has afforded me a wealth of applied experience to draw upon, as well as knowledge and theory to support student learning and development. My teaching is informed by my substantial knowledge of research design and practice.
Subject areas
Education and Childhood Studies
Research methods
Social policy
Sociology
Supervision
I supervise doctoral students and am happy to hear from prospective students working in sociology, family and personal life, childhood and education.
Complete:
- Smith, G. 2022: “Listening to my readers”: The internal literacies landscapes of children learning to read. PhD, Manchester Metropolitan University. 2nd supervisor.
Current students:
- Algwifly, G. Exploring the community support for mothers of children with different needs: perceptions from Saudi mothers. Expected submission: Principal supervisor.
- Bone, R. Talking to parents about school: a collaborative ethnography in ‘stuck’ schools, White Rose ESRC PhD studentship. Principal supervisor.
- Crosbie, J. Assessment in Higher Education: Teacher and Student Perspectives. Principal supervisor.
- Jacques, M. Being an early childhood professional under inspection: exploring workforce perspectives of quality measurement policy in England. 1st supervisor.
- Jameson, M. Kinship care and parental substance misuse: Developing more effective and responsive services. 2nd supervisor.
- Ormrod, K. Global Citizenship Education in the Food Bank, Expected submission: September 2024. Full-time White Rose ESRC PhD studentship.
- Qazi, M. Exploring levels of engagement of trainee police recruits in university based degree programmes. Principal supervisor.
Research outputs
I have published in the areas of:
- Families and relationships
- Health
- Literacies
- Childhood and youth
- Life course research
- Qualitative research
- Narrative and autobiographical approaches
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Books (authored/edited/special issues)
Hall, M., Levy, R. (2021) Family Literacies: Reading with Young Children. Routledge.
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Chapters in books
Sikes, P., Hall, M. (2021) 'The perceptions and experiences of children and young people who have a parent with young onset dementia.' Understanding Young Onset Dementia: Evaluation, Needs and Care. pp. 88-99.
Hall, M., Pahl, K., Pool, S. (2015) 'Visual Digital Methodologies with Children and Young People: Perspectives from the Field.' Studies in Childhood and Youth. pp. 164-185.
Gibson, B.J., Hall, M. (2014) 'Consumer advertising and the meaning of dentine hypersensitivity.' Dentine Hypersensitivity: Developing a Person-centred Approach to Oral Health. pp. 276-292.
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Journal articles
Hall, M., van Hooff, J. (2024) 'Otherland: accounts of ordinary childless/freeness on Mumsnet.' Families, Relationships and Societies: an international journal of research and debate,
Pahl, K., Scott, F., Hall, M., Kurcikova, N. (2023) 'Editorial: Lockdown literacies.' Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 23(1) pp. 3-7.
Hall, M. (2023) '‘That was our little five minutes of shush…a kiss and cuddle and have our books’: sensory affinities among families during shared reading with children.' Sociology,
Harrison, A., Hall, M., Money, A., Mueller, J., Waterson, H., Verma, A. (2021) 'Engaging older people to explore the age-friendliness of a rural community in Northern England: A photo-elicitation study.' Journal of Aging Studies, 58pp. 100936-100936.
Hall, M., Sikes, P. (2019) '‘It’s just limboland’: parental dementia and young people’s life courses.' The Sociological Review, 68(1) pp. 242-259.
Sikes, P., Hall, M. (2019) 'Too close for comfort?: ethical considerations around safeguarding the emotional and mental wellbeing of researchers using auto/biographical approaches to investigate ‘sensitive’ topics.' International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 43(2) pp. 163-172.
Hall, M., Levy, R., Preece, J. (2018) '‘No-one would sleep if we didn’t have books!’: Understanding Shared Reading as Family Practice and Family Display.' Journal of Early Childhood Research, 16(4) pp. 363-377.
Hall, M., Sikes, P. (2018) 'The impact of parental young onset dementia on children and young people’s educational careers.' British Educational Research Journal, 44(4) pp. 593-607.
Levy, R., Hall, M., Preece, J. (2018) 'Examining the Links between Parents’ Relationships with Reading and Shared Reading with their Pre-School Children.' International Journal of Educational Psychology, 7(2) pp. 123-150.
Sikes, P., Hall, M. (2017) '‘Every time I see him he’s the worst he’s ever been and the best he’ll ever be’: grief and sadness in children and young people who have a parent with dementia.' Mortality, 22(4) pp. 324-338.
Hall, M., Sikes, P. (2017) '“It Would Be Easier If She’d Died”: Young People With Parents With Dementia Articulating Inadmissible Stories.' Qualitative Health Research, 27(8) pp. 1203-1214.
Hall, M., Sikes, P. (2016) 'How do young people ‘do’ family where there is a diagnosis of dementia?.' Families, Relationships and Societies, 7(2) pp. 207-225.
Hall, M., Sikes, P. (2016) 'From “What the Hell Is Going on?” to the “Mushy Middle Ground” to “Getting Used to a New Normal”.' Illness, Crisis and Loss, 26(2) pp. 124-144.
Sikes, P., Hall, M. (2016) '"It was then that I thought 'whaat? This is not my Dad": The implications of the 'still the same person narrative for children and young people who have a parent with dementia.' Dementia, 17(2) pp. 180-198.
Hall, M., Pahl, K., Hackett, A., Kraftl, P. 'Giving up the ‘Good Research Child’.' Qualitative Research,
Patel, N., Hodges, S.J., Hall, M., Benson, P.E., Marshman, Z., Cunningham, S.J. (2016) 'Development of the malocclusion impact questionnaire (MIQ) to measure the oral healthrelated quality of life of young people with malocclusion: Part 1 - qualitative inquiry.' Journal of Orthodontics, 43(1) pp. 7-13.
Rodd, H., Hall, M., Deery, C., Gilchrist, F., Gibson, B.J., Marshman, Z. (2014) 'I felt weird and wobbly. Child-reported impacts associated with a dental general anaesthetic.' British Dental Journal, 216(8)
Pavitt, S.H., Baxter, P.D., Brunton, P.A., Douglas, G., Edlin, R., Gibson, B.J., Godson, J., Hall, M., Porritt, J., Robinson, P.G., Vinall, K., Hulme, C. (2014) 'The INCENTIVE protocol: An evaluation of the organisation and delivery of NHS dental healthcare to patients-innovation in the commissioning of primary dental care service delivery and organisation in the UK.' BMJ Open, 4(9)
Flett, A.M.C., Hall, M., McCarthy, C., Marshman, Z., Benson, P.E. (2014) 'Does the British Orthodontic Society orthognathic DVD aid a prospective patient's decision making? A qualitative study.' Journal of Orthodontics, 41(2) pp. 88-97.
Hall, M. (2013) 'Commentary..' British Dental Journal, 215(7)
Rodd, H.D., Hall, M., Deery, C., Gilchrist, F., Gibson, B., Marshman, Z. (2013) 'Video diaries to capture children's participation in the dental GA pathway.' European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry, 14(5) pp. 325-330.
Hall, M. (2013) 'COMMENTARY.' BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL, 215(7) pp. 341-341.
Hall, M.J., Gibson, B.J., James, A., Rodd, H.D. (2013) 'Children's and adolescents' perspectives on cleft lip and/or palate.' Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal, 50(2)
Porritt, J., Buchanan, H., Hall, M., Gilchrist, F., Marshman, Z. (2013) 'Assessing children's dental anxiety: A systematic review of current measures.' Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 41(2) pp. 130-142.
Hall, M., Gibson, B., James, A., Rodd, H.D. (2012) 'Children's experiences of participation in the cleft lip and palate care pathway.' International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 22(6) pp. 442-450.
Marshman, Z., Innes, N., Deery, C., Hall, M., Speed, C., Douglas, G., Clarkson, J., Rodd, H. (2012) 'The management of dental caries in primary teeth - involving service providers and users in the design of a trial.' Trials, 13
Marshman, Z., Baker, S.R., Bradbury, J., Hall, M.J., Rodd, H.D. (2009) 'The psychosocial impact of oral conditions during transition to secondary education..' European journal of paediatric dentistry : official journal of European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, 10(4) pp. 176-180.
Marshman, Z., Hall, M.J. (2008) 'Oral health research with children.' International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry, 18(4) pp. 235-242.