Bonny Hartley

Dr Bonny Hartley BSc Hons, MSc, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychology

Dr Bonny Hartley joined the School of Human Sciences as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2015.  She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Kent and has previously held positions at Plymouth University and the University of Kent.

Bonny’s research has an interdisciplinary focus, integrating theories and methods from the sub-disciplines of social, developmental, and educational psychology.  She is particularly interested in academic gender stereotypes among children and adults, and issues of inequality in education.  In 2016, Bonny was awarded a prestigious British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship to fund her current programme of research examining masculinity norms and boys' academic underachievement.  Bonny aims to make an impact through collaborations with schools, educational professionals, and policy makers. Her research has gained interest in the media, including The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Kent, and BBC Newsround.

Alongside her research fellowship, Bonny supervises MSc and PhD students, and provides research-led lectures.

Posts held previously:

  • 2012-15: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychology, Plymouth University (European Commission FP7 funded project)
  • 2009-12: Doctoral Researcher (PhD) in Psychology, University of Kent (ESRC 1+3 funded)

Responsibilities within the university

  • Research Fellow
  • Supervision of MSc and PGR students
  • Ad hoc/research-led lectures on undergraduate and postgraduate courses

Awards

  • 2016-2023: British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Award “Masculinity norms and boys' academic underachievement” (£259,047.24)
  • 2020: Institute for Lifecourse Development Early Career Researcher Travel Bursary Competition (£800)
  • 2019: University of Greenwich Research Funding (£3,000)
  • 2016-2017: University of Greenwich Early Career Research Excellence Award (£5,000)
  • 2015-2016: University of Greenwich Early Career Researcher Competitive Travel Bursary Award (£1,000)
  • 2008-2012, ESRC 1+3 (MSc+PhD) Competition Studentship: Why boys will be boys: A stereotype threat account of boys' academic underachievement

Recognition

Reviewer for scientific journals:

  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
  • British Journal of Educational Psychology
  • Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
  • Child Development
  • British Journal of Social Psychology
  • Learning and Instruction
  • Social Development
  • Environmental Education Research

Member of the Steering Group for the Royal Society and British Academy’s “Educational Research Forum: A future agenda for educational research” (2019-2020) https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/rs-ba-educational-research/Educational-research-forum_note.pdf

Research / Scholarly interests

Bonny's research focuses on gender stereotyping and barriers to girls’ and boys’ educational achievement.  She studies gender stereotypes and norms about academic effort, achievement and intellectual ability among school children and adults.  She is particularly interested in the endorsement and development of such beliefs and attributions; their effects on effort, achievement, motivation, behaviour, and peer relations; and interventions to reduce such stereotypes and their negative effects.

Her PhD examined the self-fulfilling nature of societal stereotypes about gender and academic engagement in contributing to boys' lower educational achievement.  Her current research (funded by a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship) involves working with schools to better understand and challenge stereotypes and norms surrounding girls’ and boys’ achievement.

In previous research positions, Bonny has worked on a range of social, developmental, environmental and educational projects, including research on sexism, prejudice reduction, and international environmental education/attitudes/behaviours (regarding plastic and marine litter).

Key funded projects

  • British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Award: Masculinity norms and boys' academic underachievement, 2016-2023
  • ESRC 1+3 (MSc+PhD) Competition Studentship: Why boys will be boys: A stereotype threat account of boys' academic underachievement, 2008-2012

Key funded projects

  • British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship Award: Masculinity norms and boys' academic underachievement, 2016-22
  • ESRC 1+3 (MSc+PhD) Competition Studentship: Why boys will be boys: A stereotype threat account of boys' academic underachievement, 2008-2012
  • ESRC: Advanced Quantitative Methods Training Stipend, 2008/2009

Recent publications

Article

Hartley, Bonny L. , Pahl, Sabine, Veiga, Joana, Vlachogianni, Thomais , Vasconcelos, Lia , Maes, Thomas , Doyle, Tom , d'Arcy Metcalfe, Ryan , Öztürk, Ayaka Amaha , Di Berardo, Mara (2018), Exploring public views on marine litter in Europe: Perceived causes, consequences and pathways to change. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 133 . pp. 945-955 ISSN: 0025-326X (Print), 1879-3363 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.05.061).

Hartley, Bonny L. , Pahl, Sabine, Holland, Matthew, Alampei, Iro , Veiga, Joana M. , Thompson, Richard C. (2018), Turning the tide on trash: Empowering European educators and school students to tackle marine litter. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Marine Policy, 96 . pp. 227-234 ISSN: 0308-597X (Print), 1872-9460 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.02.002) NB Item availability restricted.

Lee, Ellie , Sutton, Robbie M., Hartley, Bonny L. (2016), From scientific article to press release to media coverage: advocating alcohol abstinence and democratising risk in a story about alcohol and pregnancy. Taylor & Francis. In: , , , . Taylor & Francis, Health, Risk & Society, 18 (5-6) . pp. 247-269 ISSN: 1369-8575 (Print), 1469-8331 (Online) (doi: http://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2016.1229758) NB Item availability restricted.

Veiga, Joana M. , Vlachogianni, Thomais, Pahl, Sabine, Thompson, Richard C. , Kopke, Kathrin , Doyle, Thomas K. , Hartley, Bonny L. , Maes, Thomas , Orthodoxou, Demetra L. , Loizidou, Xenia I. (2016), Enhancing public awareness and promoting co-responsibility for marine litter in Europe: The challenge of MARLISCO. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 102 (2) . pp. 309-315 ISSN: 0025-326X (Print), 1879-3363 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.01.031) NB Item availability restricted.