Jim McKechnie
Contact Details
Room L123 (Paisley Campus)
Tel: 0141 848 3784
E-mail: jim.mckechnie@uws.ac.uk
staff profile
Professor McKechnie’s primary research area is child employment (also referred to as ‘child labour’), school students employment and the part-time employment of students in the HE sector. The primary focus has been on understanding the potential costs and benefits of such employment experience.
As part of the Child Employment Research Group at the University, he has published extensively in this area. At the international level he was a member of the International Working Group on Child Labour and has participated in numerous conferences on the topic. This work is ongoing and continues to dominate his research interests.
A new research area that Professor McKechnie is involved in focuses on the relationship between behaviour and the built environment. The new school building programme aimed at improving the school estate has provided the opportunity to consider the relationship between school environments and pupils’ behaviour.
Recent research projects include a study for Careers Scotland looking at the link between school students’ part-time employment and career aspirations; the first national study of school students part-time employment in Scotland carried out for the Scottish Executive; a joint project with Cumbria County Council and the NSPCC to investigate the impact of intervention strategies to improve compliance with child employment legislation.
Professor McKechnie is also currently working on a longitudinal study to evaluate the impact of new school environments on pupil’s behaviour and attainment.
Teaching is dominated by developmental psychology and an interest in childhood studies. A particular focus within this area is adolescence and the transitions associated with this period in the lifespan. The impact of social context on development has led to the development of an interest in the construction of childhood and he teaches a module on Culture & Childhood. Research interests led to the introduction of a new module (Psychology: Work Based Learning) which utilises students work experience to understand the application of psychology in work environments.
Selected publications
Books
Goldson, B., Lavalette, M. & McKechnie, J. (eds.) (2002) Children, welfare and the state. London: Sage.
Book Chapters
Stack, N. & McKechnie, J. (2002) Working children. In B. Goldson, M. Lavalette &
J. McKechnie (eds) Children, welfare and the state. London : Sage.
McKechnie, J. (2002) Childen’s voices and researching childhood. In B. Goldson, M. Lavalette & J. McKechnie (eds) Children, welfare and the state. London : Sage.
Edgerton, E., McKechnie, J., Tucker, P., Speirs, D. & Fletcher, S.I. (2002) Understanding participation in home composting: A pro-environmental behaviour? In R.G. Mira, J.M.S. Cameselle and J.R. Martinez (eds.) Culture, quality of life and globalisation: Problems and challenges for the new millennium. A Coruna: Galician Association of Psychological Studies.
McKechnie, J. & Hobbs, S. (2002) Work by the young: The economic activity of school aged children. In M. Tienda and W.J. Wilson (eds.) Youth in cities: A cross-national perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
McKechnie, J. & Hobbs, S. (2004) Relevance, evaluation and dissemination: Childhood studies. In S. Fraser et al. (eds.) Doing Research with Children and Young People. London: Sage.
Edgerton, E., McKechnie, J. & Dunleavy, K.(2005) “Changing schools”: Pupil and staff
assessments of their ‘new’ schools. In B. Martens and A.G. Keul (eds.) Designing Social
Innovation: Planning, Building , Evaluating. Vienna: Hogrefe & Huber.
Hobbs, S. & McKechnie, J. (2006) Child labor. In J. Ciment (ed) Social Issues in America: An Encyclopedia. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
Hobbs, S. & McKechnie, J. (2007) The balance model reconsidered: Changing perceptions of child employment. In B. Hungerland, M. Leibel, B. Milne and A. Wihstutz (eds) Working to be someone. London: Jessica Kinglsey Publishers.
McKechnie, J. & Hobbs, S. (2007) Childen’s work as a preparation for adulthood: A British perspective. In B. Hungerland, M. Leibel, B. Milne and A. Wihstutz (eds) Working to be someone. London: Jessica Kinglsey Publishers.
McEwen, S., Edgerton, E. & McKechnie, J. (2007) The school environment and students’ self esteem and behaviour. In P.D. Bust (ed.) Contemporary Ergonomics. London: Taylor & Francis and the Ergonomics Society.
Journal articles
Edgerton, E. & McKechnie, J. (2002) Student’s views on group-based work and the issue of peer assessment. Psychology Learning and Teaching Journal, 2(2), 76-81.
McKechnie, J. & Hobbs, S. (2002) Child employment in Britain: The prevailing assumptions and the reality. ChildRight, No. 192, December, 17-18.
Tucker, P., Speirs, S., Fletcher, I., Edgerton, E. & McKechnie, J. (2003) Factors affecting take-up of and drop-out from home composting schemes. Local Environment, 8 (3), 245-259.
McKechnie, J., Dunleavy, K. & Hobbs, S. (2005) Student employment and its educational impact: A Scottish study. Scottish Educational Review, 37 (1), 58-67.
McKechnie, J., Stack, N. & Hobbs, S. (2005) Part-time employment of Scottish school students: Towards evidence based policies. Scottish Educational Review, 37 (2), 116-126.
Hobb, S. and McKechnie, J. (2006) Child labor and Behavior Analysis: A case study. Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2 (2), 193-202.
Hobbs, S., Anderson, S. & McKechnie, J. (2007) Protection of children at work. childRight, December/January, cR232, 9-11.
Hobbs, S, Stack, N., McKechnie, J & Smillie, L. (2007) Talking about work: School students’ views on their paid employment. Children & Society, 21, 123-135.
Hobbs, S., McKechnie, J. & Anderson, S. (2007) Making child employment more visible. Critical Social Policy, 27, 415-425.
McKechnie, J., Hobbs, S., Anderson, S., Howieson, C. & Semple, S. (2007) Child
employment : Policy and practice in Scotland. Youth & Policy, 96, 51-63.
Reports
McKechnie, J., Hill, S. & Hobbs, S. (2002) Work and school: Part-time employment amongst senior school students. A report for Renfrewshire Council Education and Leisure Services. Paisley: University of Paisley.
McKechnie, J., Dunleavy, K. & Hobbs, S. (2003) Student employment, academic performance and progression at the University of Paisley. Paisley: University of Paisley.
McKechnie, J., Hobbs, S. & Anderson, S. (2004) Child employment in Britain: What we know and what we need to find out. London: NSPCC.
McKechnie, J., Hobbs, S. & Anderson, S. (2004) School students’ part-time employment: An investigation of career-related issues. Glasgow: Careers Scotland.
McKechnie, J., Hobbs, S. & Anderson, S. (2004) Learning about work? The role of school students’ part-time employment. Glasgow: Careers Scotland.
Edgerton, E. & McKechnie, J. (2004) Glasgow’s PPP School initiative (Project 2002): An evaluation of school environments and their impact on students and staff. Paisley:
University of Paisley.
McKechnie, J., Hobbs, S., Anderson, S. & Simpson, A. (2005) Cumbria’s working youngsters: A 2004 update. Paisley: University of Paisley and Cumbria County Council.
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/eLibrary/Content/Internet/537/689/3866093856.pdf
McKechnie, J., Anderson, S. & Hobbs, S. (2005) Cumbria’s working youngsters: Exploring their experiences. Paisley: University of Paisley and NSPCC
http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/eLibrary/Content/Internet/537/689/38708154156.pdf
Howieson, C., McKechnie, J. and Semple, S. (2006) The nature and implications of the part-time employment of secondary school pupils. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/11/10143236
McKechnie, J., Anderson, S. & Hobbs, S. (2007) Cumbria’s working youngsters: Making the legislation work. London: NSPCC
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/informhub_wda49931.html