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Dr Karen Orr

Research Assistant

Room 22
6 College Green
School of Education
Queen's University Belfast

Email: karen.orr@qub.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)28 9097 3809
Fax: +44 (0)28 9097 5066

Research

Research Research interests: Psychology and education, with a specific focus on attitude measurement, educational programme evaluation, and children’s rights-based approaches to research methodology. 

Methods: Randomised controlled trials, psychometrics, focus groups, interviews, and observations – encompassing children’s rights-based approaches.


Current Research Project

A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Evaluation of the ‘Prison to Peace’ Educational Programme.   This project is based within the Centre for Effective Education at the School of Education, and is funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM).


Additional roles

Contribution to PGCE teaching: Delivering workshops, facilitating tutorials and marking coursework Administrative: Member of the ethics committee


Publications

Selection of publications and reports

Orr, K., & McGuinness, C. (In print). What is the ‘learning’ in games-based learning? In Boyle, L., Hainey, Y., Baxter, G., Moreno-Ger, P. (Eds.). Psychology, Pedagogy and Assessment in Serious Games.  IGI Global

Orr, K., & McGuinness, C. (In progress).  The reliability and validity of the ‘My feelings when playing games’ scale.

Stewart-Knox, B., Kuznesof, S., Robinson, J., Rankin, A., Orr, K., Duffy, M., et al. (2013). Factors influencing European consumer uptake of personalised nutrition. Results of a qualitative analysis. Appetite, 66, 67-74.

Ballantine, A., Stewart-Knox, B., Orr, K., Robinson, J., Duffy, M., Kuznesof, S., & Frewer, L. (2012). Consumer attitudes towards personalised nutrition: What do consumers want? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 71, E116 doi:10.1017/ S0029665112001735.

Orr, K., & McGuinness, C. (2008). 3D games-based learning environments in Northern Ireland classrooms: What do the teachers and pupils think of this technology?   In Proceedings,  2nd European Conference on Games-Based Learning. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, p 357-364.

Orr, K., & Mc Guinness, C. (2008). Games-based learning in education: A review of the literature. Prepared for the ‘Games-Based Learning in the Classroom Evaluation Project 2007-2008’, a collaborative project between Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), Caspian Learning and BECTA. Link to Executive Summary -  http://wiki.ict-register.net/index.php/Games_Based_Learning_in_the_Classroom_Evaluation_Project_2007_-_2008