Angela W. Little is

Professor Emerita ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

at the

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to m ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. She is known for her work in primary education policy and practice in

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

as well as education planning, program evaluation and assessment. In particular she has focussed in seven main areas: *

Education for All The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

and the

Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...

* Multigrade education * Globalisation and education * Qualifications, motivation and aspirations * Education in Sri Lanka * Education in China * Education and development She has been adviser to various governmental, multilateral and non-profit organisations on education policy, planning and evaluation, including SIDA, the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

DFID , type = Department , logo = DfID.svg , logo_width = 180px , logo_caption = , picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg , picture_width = 180px , picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...

, the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

AusAid Australian Aid is the brand name used to identify projects in developing countries supported by the Australian Government. As of 2014 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been responsible for Australia's official development ...

and others. Her country experience includes work in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, Japan and China. Little was Professor of Education and

International Development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...

at the Institute of Education, University of London between 1987 and 2010. She was previously a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

Institute of Development Studies The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is a think tank affiliated with the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, and based on its campus in Falmer, East Sussex. It delivers research and teaching in the area of development studies, an ...

at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

. Little is

Honorary professor Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...

and

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

, advisory professor at

East China Normal University East China Normal University (ECNU) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Shanghai, China. It was formed in 1951 by the merger of the Great China University (est. 1924) and Kwang Hua University (est. 1925) and origin ...

and

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...

at the University of Sussex. She is a founding member of the London International Development Centre. She chairs the International advisory group for the

Young Lives {{refimprove, date=March 2018 Young Lives is an international research project on childhood poverty that was established in 2000 and is coordinated by a team based at the University of Oxford's Department of International Development (Queen Elizabe ...

longitudinal study A longitudinal study (or longitudinal survey, or panel study) is a research design that involves repeated observations of the same variables (e.g., people) over short or long periods of time (i.e., uses longitudinal data). It is often a type of obs ...

of 12,000 children in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. She is a member of the

Academy of Social Sciences The Academy of Social Sciences is a representative body for social sciences in the United Kingdom. The Academy promotes social science through its sponsorship of the Campaign for Social Science, its links with Government on a variety of matters, a ...

and trustee of the United Kingdom Forum on International Education and Training. Little is the author and/or editor of numerous books and monographs, six special journal issues, many journal articles, book chapters and reports. She has been involved in the direction of two films – The Diploma Disease (with

Ronald Dore Ronald Philip Dore (1 February 1925 – 14 November 2018) was a British sociologist specialising in Japanese economy and society and the comparative study of types of capitalism. He was an associate of the Centre for Economic Performance at t ...

, released 1982) and The Qualification Chase (1996)

Biography

Little was born in

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...

in 1949. She attended the

Rushen Rushen ( ; gv, Rosien), formally Kirk Christ Rushen, is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of the same name. A ...

Primary School and the

Castle Rushen High School Castle Rushen High School is a co-educational secondary state school located in Castletown on the Isle of Man for pupils from the south of the island and from the nearby Parish the Calf of Man. Isle of Man school system The Isle of Man has six ...

, one of the first

comprehensive schools A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

in Britain. From 1968 to 1971 she read

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

Surrey University The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. The instituti ...

where she graduated with a

first class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

degree. She went to volunteer as a teacher of mathematics with

Voluntary Service Overseas Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) is a not-for-profit international development organization charity with a vision for "a fair world for everyone" and a mission to "create lasting change through volunteering". VSO delivers development impact throug ...

Ijebu Ode Ijebu-Ode is a town in Ogun State, South Western geopolitical zone in Nigeria, close to the A121 highway. The city is located 110 km by road north-east of Lagos; it is within of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Ogun State and p ...

, Nigeria. Subsequently, she attended the

and the University of Sussex to embark on a career in education and

international development International development or global development is a broad concept denoting the idea that societies and countries have differing levels of economic or human development on an international scale. It is the basis for international classifications ...

Contributions to education and development

Little is well known in the field of international and comparative education for her approach to

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

perspectives alongside the

structural A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such a ...

approaches of sociology and economics. This involves questioning conventional behavioural assumptions in the

used in analysing the processes of policy formulation and implementation, particularly at the levels of international agenda-setting and national adoption. The approach is perhaps best illustrated in her extensive body of work around '

Education For All The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

' – a goal in whose pursuit Little has invested considerable intellectual and professional endeavour. Little adopts an inter-disciplinary perspective, drawing concepts from development studies, social psychology, economics and sociology yet rooted in observation, experience and insight at the

grass roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

level. Her analyses emphasises

alongside

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

, resisting an approach implicit in much comparative work which subordinates the personal, local and national to the universal and global and assumes North-South conceptual transferability, paying little attention to context. Little views the interactions in the process of learning from the perspective of the learner and those in the process of development from the perspective of the actors and structural forces at the local and national levels. Her 1988 inaugural professorial lecture, ''Learning from Developing Countries'', encapsulates the key tenets of her approach and remains both an influential contribution to the field and a key frame of reference for her own work. In the 1994 book ''Beyond Jomtien: Implementing Primary Education for All'', Little presents a range of initiatives from the 1970s and 80s which pre-dated the 1990 World Conference on

(WCEFA) in

Jomtien Jomtien ( th, จอมเทียน, , ) or Jomtien Beach (, , ) is a town on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand about 165 km south-east of Bangkok in Chonburi Province. It is about 3 km south of Pattaya and is home to high-rise co ...

to universalise access to primary schooling, reminding followers of educational development that donor-led initiatives are only part of the

story. Her 1999 book, ''Labouring to Learn: towards a political economy of education and plantations in Sri Lanka'', combines historical perspective with the seldom heard voice of Indian

Plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

Tamils The Tamil people, also known as Tamilar ( ta, தமிழர், Tamiḻar, translit-std=ISO, in the singular or ta, தமிழர்கள், Tamiḻarkaḷ, translit-std=ISO, label=none, in the plural), or simply Tamils (), are a Drav ...

in Sri Lanka, unravelling their long and painstaking road to

universal education Universal access to education is the ability of all people to have equal opportunity in education, regardless of their social class, race, gender, sexuality, ethnic background or physical and mental disabilities. The term is used both in colleg ...

al access over a period of a century and a half. Little's 2006 book, ''Education for All and Multigrade Teaching: challenges and opportunities'', traces the development of the current form and universal ideal of monograded teaching and argues that the de facto form of schooling for millions of learners and their teachers worldwide continues to be multigraded. She argues that the

movement, alongside national governments, have ignored and continue to neglect this reality. Little argues for a radical reorientation of curriculum development and

teacher education Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they require to perform their ...

in recognition of multigrade systems in the pursuit of

. Little challenges assumptions in

Human Capital Theory Human capital is a concept used by social scientists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skill, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a subst ...

about education and

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

and about motivations for education and learning in her studies of learners and workers in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

. She examines approaches to academic success and failure from across the social sciences, setting them against notions held by learners in a comparative study in the UK and

. Her work on motivation theory challenges the relationships assumed by the Diploma Disease thesis between

intrinsic motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

and

extrinsic motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

. Little's work on the globalisation of education questions the

neo-liberal Neoliberalism (also neo-liberalism) is a term used to signify the late 20th century political reappearance of 19th-century ideas associated with free-market capitalism after it fell into decline following the Second World War. A prominent fa ...

orthodoxy and addresses the neglected but central role of context in the determination of costs and benefits, by way of case studies covering China,

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and

Publications

; Selected books * 2007,
Education and Development in a Global Era: successful strategies for globalisation
', (with A. Green, S. Kamat, M. Oketch, E.Vickers), DFID, Researching the Issues no 69, London (co-editor with Andy Green and contributor), 2007 * 2006, ''Education for All and Multigrade Teaching: challenges and opportunities'', Springer, Dordrecht (editor and contributor), 2006 * 2003,
Education for All: Policy and planning lessons from Sri Lanka
', Researching the Issues, no 46, DFID, London * 2003, ''Primary Education Reform in Sri Lanka'', Isurupaya, Ministry of Education and Higher Education Publications Department (sole editor and contributor), 2000 (Sinhala and Tamil editions published in 2003) * 1999, ''Labouring to Learn: towards a political economy of education and plantations in Sri Lanka'', Basingstoke, Macmillan Press (English edition), * 1999, ''Education, Cultures and Economics: dilemmas for development'', New York and London: Falmer Press, (co-editor with Fiona Leach and contributor), * 1996, ''Assessment in Transition: Learning, Monitoring and Selection in International Perspective'', Pergamon, Oxford (co-editor with Alison Wolf and contributor). * 1994, ''Educational Innovation in China: tracing the impact of the 1985 Reform'' (with Keith Lewin, Xu Hui and Zheng Ji Wei), Longman. * 1994, ''Beyond Jomtien: Implementing Primary Education for All'' (co-editor with W, Hoppers and R. Gardner and contributor) Macmillan. * 1987, ''Why do Students Learn? A Six Country Study of Student Motivation'', Institute of Development Studies Research Report, Series Rr17, Sussex (sole editor and contributor). ; Selected book chapters * 2012, "Educational Progress among the Indian Tamil Minority in the Plantations of Sri Lanka", in Sleeter, C. et al. (eds.), ''School Education, Pluralism and Marginality: comparative perspectives'', New Delhi, Orient Blackswan Private Limited. * 2007, "Globalisation, Learning and Teaching" in S.Ali and M Rizvi (eds.), ''Quality in Education: teaching and learning in challenging times'', Karachi: the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development. * 2007, ''Paradoxes of Economic and Social Development in Sri Lanka: the Wages of Civil War'', in A. Green, A.W.Little, S. Kamat, M.Oketch and E Vickers, ''Education and Development in a Global Era: successful strategies for globalisation'', DFID, Researching the Issues, no 69, London. * 2003, "Access and achievement in Commonwealth countries: support for learning and teaching in multigrade classrooms", in Matlin, S. (ed.) ''Commonwealth Education Partnerships'' London, TSO, 2003 ; Selected journal articles * 2011, "Education policy reform in Sri Lanka: the double-edged sword of political will", ''Journal of Education Policy'', 26 (4). pp. 499–512. * 2011, Guest Editor of special issue on "The Policies, Politics and Progress of Access to Basic Education", ''Journal of Education Policy'', 26 (4) (Editorial with Keith Lewin pp. 477–482). * 2011, Guest Editor of special issue on "Access, Equity and Transitions in Education in Low Income Countries", ''International Journal of Educational Development'', (editorial with Keith M Lewin), 2011 * 2010 (with others), "The Millennium Development Goals -a cross sectoral analysis and principles for goal setting post 2015", ''The Lancet'', Sept 2010 * 2010, "International and Comparative Education: what’s in a name?", ''Compare'', 40 (6), pp. 845–852. * 2009 (with Andy Green), "Successful Globalisation, Education and Sustainable Development", ''International Journal of Educational Development'', Vol 29, 2, pp. 166–174. * 2008 (with Ricardo Sabates), "Economic Globalisation, Youth Expectations and Social Class: the case of Sri Lanka", International Journal of Educational Development, Vol 28, 708–722. *2008,
Primary Care, Public Service
, ''Review: International Development'' Issue 12, December. * 2007 (with Jane Evans), "The role of UK qualification suppliers in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe: a comparative evaluation", ''International Journal of Educational Development'', 27 (5), pp. 525–541. * 2005 (with Jane Evans), "The growth of foreign qualification suppliers in Sri Lanka: de facto decentralisation?" ''Compare'', 35 (2), 181–192. * 2003, "Motivating Learning and the Development of Human Capital", ''Compare'', 33 (4), 437–452. * 2001, Special issue of the International Journal of Educational Development on the theme of Multigrade Teaching, 21 (6) (guest editor) * 2000, "Development Studies and Comparative Education: context, content, comparison and contributors", Special number Comparative Education for the twenty first century, Comparative Education, 36 (3). * 1992, "Learning and Working: elements of the Diploma Disease thesis examined in England and Malaysia" (with J Sarjit Singh) ''Comparative Education'', 28, pp 181–200. ; Selected monographs * 2011,
Access, Attendance and Achievement in Rural Schools in Sri Lanka
(with H.N.Upul Indika and C. Rolleston) CREATE Pathways to Access Research Monograph No 73, London/Sussex, 2011 * 2010,
The Politics, Policies and Progress of Basic Education in Sri Lanka
', CREATE Research Monograph No. 38, London/Sussex. * 2010,
Access to Elementary Education in India: politics, policies and progress
', CREATE Research Monograph No. 44. London/Sussex. * 2010,
Access to Basic Education in Ghana: politics, policies and progress
', CREATE Research Monograph No. 43, London/Sussex. * 2008,
Education for All: politics, policies and progress
', CREATE Research Monograph, no 13, pp 95. * 2004,
Learning and teaching in multigrade settings
', Background paper for UNESCO EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005 * 1988,
Learning from Developing Countries: An Inaugural Lecture
' Institute of Education, University of London, 1988 * 1982,
Examination Reform and Educational Change in Sri Lanka, 1972–1982: Modernisation or Dependent Underdevelopment?
', Institute of Development Studies Discussion Paper D180, 1982 ; Selected articles in popular press:
Bid for better world starts here
by Chloe Stothart and Jessica Shephard, article mentions Angela Little, Times Higher Education Magazine, 9 March 2007
Where the sums add up to a way out of poverty
– A review of Angela Little's book, ''Labouring to Learn'', Times Higher Education Magazine, 19 May 2000
Global vision takes seed in plantation schools
– Times Higher Education Magazine, 21 April 2000
Reaching For The Top
– new internationalist 122, April 1983

References

External links

Professor Angela Litte's personal website

* – 2009 recording of Angela Little discussing multigrade schooling * – recording of 2010 lecture where Angela Little shows how MDG2's aim of universal primary education overlooks the complexity of improving education. * – recording of Angela Little giving her 1988 inaugural lecture on 'Learning from Developing Countries' at the Institute for Education, University of London.
LIDC-ONE debate: research and advocacy can lead to better development policies
– audio recording of discussion with Angela Little, Chris Whitty an
development advocate
Jamie Drummond {{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Angela Living people Development specialists British educational theorists People in international development Alumni of the University of Sussex 1949 births Academics of the UCL Institute of Education Alumni of the University of Surrey Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London People from Douglas, Isle of Man