Dr Jane Chambers

Head of the School of Education
Head of Department - Secondary

Biography

Dr Jane Chambers is an Associate Professor in Education. Areas of research interest are concerned with the professional identity of teacher educators who have caring responsibilities, and of school-based teacher educators, their work-life balance, and how educational policy influences teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy.

Jane teaches on the Professional Doctorate in Education programme and is a Doctoral research supervisor. She is an experienced external examiner. Jane is a member of the British Educational Research Association and the Chartered College of Teaching.

After completing her MA in Health Promotion and Health Education from the Institute of Education, University of London, Jane completed her MA in Education (Leading Innovation and Change) in 2008 at the University of Surrey. Her research project focused on the academic value of 14-19 vocational subjects. The professional identity of teacher educators was the theme of Jane’s Doctorate in Education (Nottingham Trent University), which she completed in 2017.

Jane was a joint winner of the St Henry Walpole Prize for Teaching and Learning, awarded by St Mary’s, in 2022 for her contribution to work on inclusion within the secondary initial teacher education curriculum, and previously in December 2009 for an innovative approach to cross-curricular learning with PGCE students. In 2021 and in 2024, Jane was awarded the University Inspirational Leader Award.

Jane began her career in education as a secondary teacher of chemistry and biology, and thereafter worked as a Primary Care Trust schools' advisor and as a national public health advisor prior to joining St Mary’s University.

Research

Research profile

Publications

Davey, J. & Chambers, J. (2026) Middle leaders and research-informed professional learning: from beginner teacher to expert colleague. Professional Development in Education, 1-19.
Chambers, J. (2025) Can Pedagogy in Universities be Critical in Edwards-Leis, C. and Price, M. (Ed) Higher Education: A Critical Review. Emerald Publishing
Chambers, J. (2025) Bringing motherhood into the classroom: Why parenting can build careers in Peart, S. (Ed) Socially Just Education in a Socially Unjust World: Challenges, Issues and Opportunities for the Teachers and Educators. Bloomsbury.
Taylor, C. & Chambers, J. (2016) Feasible utopias: one scholarly approach to developing Academic Strategy. Educational Developments, SEDA, 17.2, 8-11
Chambers, J. (2014) Forming a professional identity: Step in, step out and shake it all about, ReflectED: 3, 30-32
Chambers, J. (2014) Professional identity, motherhood and education, in M. James, J. Renowden & J. West-Burnham Rethinking the Curriculum: Embedding moral and spiritual growth in teaching and learning. Bath, Brown Dog Books
Baughen, M., Chambers, J., Gordon, A. L. and Grounds, I. (2011) I’m a subject specialist - get me out of here, Professional Development Today, 14(2) 50-55
Chambers, J., Kelly, M., Millward, L. and Warm, D. (2004) Translating Evidence into Practice; Department of Health. Department of Health, Health Development Agency.
Millward, L., Warm, D. and Chambers, J. (2004) An interim report of the evidence for effective drug prevention research activity and learning to date. Department of Health, Health Development Agency.
Coomber, R., Millward, L., Chambers, J. and Warm, D. (2004) A rapid review of the 'grey' literature on risky behaviour in young people aged 11-18 with a special emphasis on vulnerable groups. Department of Health, Health Development Agency

Conference presentations

Peart, S., Abdulrahman, H., Chambers, J. Meredith, C. (2025) Socially Just Education in the Uk - Contemporary Issues and Opportunities to Interrupt Dominant Narratives, BERA Conference 2025
Davey, J. And Chambers, J. (2024) A research informed approach to the professional identity formation of primary school-based teacher educators, BERA Conference 2024
Keehan, K., Chambers, J., Edward-Leis, C. & Burnard, P. (2023) Becoming with: Extraordinary ways of Being and Doing Post Qualitative Supervision, 8th International Conference on Professional and Practice Based Doctorates: Authentic and Transformative Learning in Practice Based Doctoral Education 2023
Gordon, A.L. & Chambers, J. (2020) Teaching Wellbeing: Research, Pragmatism and Practice; Maudsley Learning & St Mary’s University Wellbeing Conference
Chambers, J. (2019) Professional Identities in Teaching, WomensEd Conference
Chambers, J and Campbell, R. (2019) Action Research in Schools: Making sense of the evidence, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Teaching and Learning Conference
Chambers, J. (2018) The professional identity of teacher educators: the strength of motherhood, BERA Conference 2018
Chambers, J, Glackin, M., Gordon, A.L. & Renowden, J. (2016) Teachers’ wellbeing: approaching it from the outset, BERA Conference 2016
Taylor, C. And Chambers, J. (2015) Feasible Utopias’: one scholarly approach to developing Academic Strategy, Annual SEDA Conference 2015
Chambers, J. And Glackin, M. (2015) Teacher identity, well-being and resilience in teacher education, BERA Conference 2015

Media enquiries

For media enquiries, please contact our Press Office Team by emailing press.office@stmarys.ac.uk.