About

I am a critical Developmental Psychologist who specialises in qualitative methods. My research interests centre on (1) the ways in which the co-production of artwork in educational settings shapes children’s understanding and experiences of the visual arts, (2) people's connection to nature and (3) maternal wellbeing.

Research interests

My research interests centre on -

The ways in which children and young people co-create art in educational contexts and the role that different education systems have in shaping children's experiences and understandings of art.

People's connection to nature. 

Experiences of breastfeeding beyond infancy.

Recent publications

• Furlong, R., Harvey C., Holland F. and Hallam J.  (2025) “I came here and it flows”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of low-income residents’ experiences with allotment gardening Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. vol 104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2024.128646 

• Furlong, R., Hallam, J. & Barnes, C.  (2024). Conservation volunteers’ experiences of connecting with nature during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Discover Psychology 4, 30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00144-3

• Jackson, J.E., Hallam, J. and Safari, R., (2024). Mothers' experiences of negative interactions with health professionals when breastfeeding beyond 1 year. Journal of Family and Child Health, 1(2), pp.58-62. https://doi.org/10.12968/jfch.2024.1.2.58

• Jackson, J., Hallam, J. & Safari, R. (2025) Negative experiences of breastfeeding beyond the infancy age of one year in public – a deductive content analysis of a cross-sectional global sample. BMC Women's Health 25, 412. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03704-4

• Jackson, J., Safari, R. and Hallam, J. (2022). A narrative synthesis using the ecological systems theory for understanding a woman’s ability to continue breastfeeding. International journal of health promotion and education. Doi/full/10.1080/14635240.2022.2098162 

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Psychology - Staffordshire University
• Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching - University of Derby
• PhD - A Critical Analysis of Art Education in English Primary Schools - Staffordshire University

Recent conferences

I have presented research findings from a community based research project conducted with Urban Wilderness. These presentations focused on the role that child led and arts based interventions had in connecting young people to nature. The presentations were made at conferences such as the valuing nature conference held at the Royal society, the playful planet conference held in Bristol and the nature connections conference held at the University of Derby.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach qualitative research methods on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. This teaching focuses on how we can explore people's experiences through analysing talk and written text. 

My other main teaching commitments centre on Developmental Psychology and I teach this subject area at undergraduate level.