I am an honorary professor in education at the Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, Faculty of Social Sciences, and emeritus at the University of Aberdeen having previously been reader and senior lecturer in education there. My research embraces social theory and policy sociology. My published studies on inter/professional working, children’s public services, gender and education, poverty and children, and elite schooling are both empirical and theoretical.
I was Director of Research and School Executive member, Director of the Centre for Children’s Services Research and Policy Study and a Scottish Funding Council funded Applied Educational Research Scheme, Schools and Social Capital Network Fellow. I was co-principal investigator and grantholder for a Scottish Universities Insight Institute programme of research on poverty and children; and for two Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded seminar series on inter/professional practice in children's public services. I have been a member of the UK ESRC Peer Review College since its inception in 2010. I am currently on the Editorial Board of the British Educational Research Journal (BERJ) and Child Language Teaching and Therapy (CLTT); and was previously on the Editorial Boards of Scottish Educational Review; Education in the North; British Journal of Special Education; Journal of Research in Special Education; and Support for Learning. I am editor of two books from ESRC funded seminars series which I led: Service Integration in Schools: Research and Policy Discourses, Practices and Future Prospects (Sense, Rotterdam/London) and The Transformation of Children's Services: Examining and Debating the Complexities of Inter/professional Working (Routledge, London/New York), both with Cate Watson.
My research engages with social theory to understand educational and societal connections related to a childhood social justice and equalities agenda. My research is located at the intersections of children's sector transformations; schools, social and multiple capitals; inter/professional knowledge and practice relations; independent schooling and privilege; spatio-temporalities of schooling; and gender, education and social policy.
Current Research
Centre for Child Wellbeing and Protection, University of Stirlng research collaborations. New chapter:
Forbes, J. (2018) Multi-agency working. Scottish Education. The Fifth Edition 2018. Pp748-759. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Leading Women Study (2017-2019) with Professor Claire Maxwell, University of Copenhagen and Professor Elspeth McCartney, University of Stirling. A Scottish Independent Schools Project (SISP) related study on elite schooling, agency and affect. New chapter:
Forbes, J. & Maxwell, C. (2018) ‘Bourdieu Plus: Understanding the Creation of the Agentic, Aspirational Girl Subject in Elite Schools’ in Stahl, G., Wallace, D., Burke, C & Threadgold, S. (2018) International Perspectives on Theorizing Aspiration: Applying Bourdieu’s Tools. Bloomsbury, London.
The Language for All study. Understanding child sector practitioners' knowledge, skills and social and multiple capitals across multiagency pathways for children with speech, language and communication needs (a research collaboration with the University of Newcastle and University of Stirling). New papers:
McKean, C., Law, J., Laing, K., Cockerill, M., Allon-Smith, J., McCartney, E., Forbes, J. (2017) A qualitative case study in the social capital of co-professional collaborative co-practice for children with speech language and communication needs. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 52.4, 514-527.
Forbes, J., McCartney, E., McKean, C., Laing, K., Cockerill, M., Law, J. (2018) Co/productive practitioner relations for children with SLCN: an affect inflected agentic frame. Discourse: Studies in the cultural politics of education, https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2018.1451303
Children and young people's experiences and views of poverty and inequalities: policy and practice implications. Scottish Universities Insight Institute funded research programme. Programme Co-PI with Dr Daniela Sime, University of Strathclyde. Collaboration with Glasgow School of Art, Child Poverty Action Group, and Glasgow City Council. Four related policy briefings publications and seminar series information available at:
http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/Programmes/Equality2015/ChildrensViewsofInequalityPoverty.aspx
Paper: Forbes, J. & Sime, D. (2016) Relations between child poverty and new migrant child status, academic attainment and social participation: Insights using social capital theory. Education Sciences, 6.24, doc: 10.3390/educsci6030024
Article
Elite Girls' 21st Century Schooling in Scotland: Habitus Clive in a Shifting Landscape
Forbes J, Maxwell C & McCartney E (2021) Elite Girls' 21st Century Schooling in Scotland: Habitus Clive in a Shifting Landscape. British Journal of Educational Studies, 69 (3), pp. 287-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2020.1812509
Conference Paper (unpublished)
McCartney E & Forbes J (2021) Social capital in professionals' connections around digital support for children with DLD: beyond the Covid-19 crisis. 1st International Developmental Language Disorder Research Conference (IDLDRC2021), Online, 20.09.2021-22.09.2021. https://thedldproject.com/international-dld-research-conference/
Book Review
Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem (Book Review)
Forbes J (2020) Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem (Book Review). Review of: Engines of Privilege: Britain's Private School Problem. David Kynaston and Francis Green, Bloomsbury. 2019, pp. 336. ISBN: 978-1-3500-4006-9. Scottish Educational Review, 52 (1). http://www.scotedreview.org.uk/online-content/2020/521/
Working Paper
McCartney E, Forbes J, McKean C, Laing K, Cockerill M & Law J (2020) Variation in headteachers' approaches to meeting the needs of primary school children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in one English Local Authority: a systems approach. Unpublished manuscript.
Article
Co/productive practitioner relations for children with SLCN: an affect inflected agentic frame
Forbes J, McCartney E, McKean C, Laing K, Cockerill M & Law J (2019) Co/productive practitioner relations for children with SLCN: an affect inflected agentic frame. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 40 (6), pp. 859-872. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2018.1451303
Book Chapter
Bourdieu Plus: Understanding the Creation of Agentic, Aspirational Girl Subjects in Elite Schools
Forbes J & Maxwell C (2018) Bourdieu Plus: Understanding the Creation of Agentic, Aspirational Girl Subjects in Elite Schools. In: Stahl G, Wallace D, Threadgold S & Burke C (eds.) International Perspectives on Theorizing Aspirations: Applying Bourdieu’s Tools. Social Theory and Methodology in Education Research. London: Bloomsbury, pp. 161-174. https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/international-perspectives-on-theorizing-aspirations-9781350040335/
Book Chapter
Forbes J (2018) Multi-agency Working. In: Bryce T, Humes W, Gillies D & Kennedy A (eds.) Scottish Education. The Fifth Edition. 5th ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 748-758. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-scottish-education.html
Book Chapter
Forbes J & Lingard B (2018) 'Assured Optimism in a Scottish Girls’ School: Habitus and the (Re)Production of Global Privilege', British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36, 1, 2015, 116-136. In: Van Zanten A (ed.) Elites in Education, Volume 3: The Fabrication of elite identities in families and schools. Major Themes in Education. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Elites-in-Education/Zanten/p/book/9781138827219
Book Chapter
Assured optimism in a Scottish girls' school: habitus and the (re)production of global privilege
Forbes J & Lingard B (2017) Assured optimism in a Scottish girls' school: habitus and the (re)production of global privilege. In: Kenway J & Koh A (eds.) New Sociologies of Elite Schooling. London: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/New-Sociologies-of-Elite-Schooling/Kenway-Koh/p/book/9781138700666
Article
McKean C, Law J, Laing K, Cockerill M, Allon-Smith J, McCartney E & Forbes J (2017) A qualitative case study in the social capital of co-professional collaborative co-practice for children with speech language and communication needs. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 52 (4), pp. 514-527. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12296
Other
Forbes J & Sime D (2017) My generation: Involving children and young people in decisions that affect them will be the only way to ensure meaningful solutions to address poverty. Children in Scotland, (179), p. 27. http://www.childreninscotland.org.uk/publications-and-resources/children-in-scotland-magazine/children-in-scotland-issue-179
Book Chapter
'Independent' in Scotland: elite by education?
Forbes J & Weiner G (2016) 'Independent' in Scotland: elite by education?. In: Maxwell C & Aggleton P (eds.) Elite Education: International Perspectives. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 29-41. https://www.routledge.com/Elite-Education-International-perspectives/Maxwell-Aggleton/p/book/9781138799615
Article
Forbes J & Sime D (2016) Relations between Child Poverty and New Migrant Child Status, Academic Attainment and Social Participation: Insights Using Social Capital Theory. Education Sciences, 6 (3), Art. No.: 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci6030024
Research Report
Poverty and children's access to services and social participation
Forbes J, Sime D, McCartney E, Graham A, Valyo A & Weiner G (2015) Poverty and children's access to services and social participation. Policy Briefing. Scottish Universities Insight Institute. http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/Portals/50/Children%20&%20YP%20Inequality/PolicyBrief_SUIIProgramme_Services.pdf
Research Report
Poverty and children's education
Sime D, Forbes J & Lerpiniere J (2015) Poverty and children's education. Policy Briefing. Scottish Universities Insight Institute. http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/Portals/50/Children%20&%20YP%20Inequality/PolicyBrief_SUIIProgramme_Education.pdf
Article
Assured optimism in a Scottish girls’ school: habitus and the (re)production of global privilege
Forbes J & Lingard B (2015) Assured optimism in a Scottish girls’ school: habitus and the (re)production of global privilege. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36 (1), pp. 116-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2014.967839
Article
Educating child practitioners: a (re)turn to the university disciplines
Forbes J & McCartney E (2015) Educating child practitioners: a (re)turn to the university disciplines. Discourse, 36 (1), pp. 144-159. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2013.871235
Article
Gender power in elite schools: methodological insights from researcher reflexive accounts
Forbes J & Weiner G (2014) Gender power in elite schools: methodological insights from researcher reflexive accounts. Research Papers in Education, 29 (2), pp. 172-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2013.767369
Book Chapter
Changing children's services: A social capital analysis
Forbes J & McCartney E (2012) Changing children's services: A social capital analysis. In: Hill M, Head G, Lockyer A, Reid B & Taylor R (eds.) Children's Services: Working Together. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 275-287. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84925745858&doi=10.4324%2f9781315833439&partnerID=40&md5=b3b04b13265ceb2a0c6b287d1ddf8539; https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315833439
Article
Forbes J & McCartney E (2012) Leadership distribution culturally? Education/speech and language therapy social capital in schools and children's services. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 15 (3), pp. 271-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2011.608437
Article
Forbes J & McCartney E (2011) Educating Scotland's future together? Inter/professional preparation for schools and children's services. Scottish Educational Review, 43 (2), pp. 39-54. http://www.scotedreview.org.uk/media/microsites/scottish-educational-review/documents/330.pdf
Article
Forbes J & McCartney E (2010) Social capital theory: A cross-cutting analytic for teacher/therapist work in integrating children's services?. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 26 (3), pp. 321-334. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659010369282
