Alison Kington is a professor in psychology of education at the University of Worcester. She has worked in a number of research and teaching roles, gaining extensive experience of designing and conducting mixed methods research in education and social psychology. Her research, which is cross-disciplinary in its theoretical and methodological approaches, focuses on the nature, quality and dynamics of educational relationships and identities, and she has a particular interest in the influence of teacher and pupil characteristics on social interactions within the classroom. Alison has published widely in relation to her substantive and methodological interests. She is on the editorial board of BERA’s Review of Education and a member of the BERA College of Reviewers.