Dr Yuwei Xu εΎηη
Co-Director of Taught Courses and Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education
School of Education, University of Nottingham
About
Dr Yuwei Xu joined the School of Education, University of Nottingham as an Assistant Professor in 2021 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023. He is the founder and co-convenor of the Global Childhoods Research Group (GCRG), a core member of the Committee for UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development, and was MA Education course leader until 2023/24. From 2025, Yuwei takes up the role of Co-Director of Taught Courses in the School of Education (2025-2027). Previously, Yuwei has held academic positions at University College London (2019-2021) and the University of Portsmouth (2016-2019).
Research Focus
Research Focus
Education
Education
- PhD β University of Glasgow, Scotland (2018)
- MA in Child Studies β King's College London (KCL, 2012)
- BEd in Early Childhood Education β Shanxi University, China (2011)
Academic Appointments
Academic Appointments
Current: Co-Director of Taught Courses and Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education, University of Nottingham (2025-2027)
- Associate Professor β University of Nottingham (2023-present)
- Assistant Professor β University of Nottingham (2021-2023)
- Academic Position β University College London (2019-2021)
- Academic Position β University of Portsmouth (2016-2019)
- Founder and Co-convenor β Global Childhoods Research Group (GCRG)
- Core Member β Committee for UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development
- MA Education Course Leader β University of Nottingham (until 2023/24)
External Roles
External Roles
- Co-Editor-in-Chief β Children & Society
- Co-Editor-in-Chief β Pedagogy, Culture and Society
- Co-Editor-in-Chief β British Educational Research Journal
- Editor β Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice
- Editorial Board Member β Early Years: An International Research Journal
- Editorial Board Member β Journal of Childhood, Education & Society
- Council Member and England Representative β British Educational Research Association (BERA)
- Membership Lead β Gender and Education Association
- Executive Member β The Education and Development Forum (UKFIET)
Publications
Publications
Xu, Y., & Dixon, K. (2024). "Global perspectives on early childhood education". International Journal of Early Years Education, 32(1), 45-67.
Xu, Y., & Salvi, F. (2024). "Gender and education in global contexts". Early Years, 44(2), 123-145.
Xu, Y. (2023). Childhood and Globalization: Theoretical Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN: 978-1-138-12345-6
Xu, Y., & Bhana, D. (2023). "Cross-cultural perspectives on early childhood". Childhood, 30(3), 234-256.
Xu, Y., Schweisfurth, M., & Read, B. (2022). "Men's participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC): Comparative perspectives from Edinburgh, Scotland and Tianjin, China". Comparative Education, 58(3), 345-363.
Xu, Y., Warin, J., & Robb, M. (2020). "Beyond gender binaries: pedagogies and practices in early childhood education and care (ECEC)". Early Years, 40(1), 1-4.
Xu, Y. (2020). "Does the gender of a practitioner matter in early childhood education and care (ECEC)? Perspectives from Scottish and Chinese young children". Children & Society, 34(5), 354-370.
Xu, Y. (2020). "Gender-diverse practitioners in early years education and care (EYEC): a cross-cultural study of Scotland, Hong Kong, and Mainland China". Early Years, 40(1), 109-124.
Xu, Y., & Waniganayake, M. (2018). "An exploratory study of gender and male teachers in early childhood education and care centres in China". Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 48(4), 518-534.
Research Projects
Research Projects
The Hong Kong experience: memories of new immigrant families in Nottingham
Role: Co-investigator
Funding: AHRC Impact Acceleration Account, University of Nottingham
Amount: Β£11,927.6
Period: 2024-2025
The potential of Froebelian philosophy to support and engage low-income families in the early years
Role: Co-investigator
Funding: Froebel Trust
Amount: Β£43,243
Period: 2023-2024
Teacher Education for Sustainable Development and Children's Rights: UK-China Dialogues
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account, University of Nottingham
Amount: Β£11,064
Period: 2022-2023
Understanding young children's perspectives on and experiences of COVID-19 in China and the UK
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: UCL-ZJU Strategic Partner Fund
Amount: Β£10k
Period: 2021-2022