Vicky's research and teaching spans over twenty-five years,  in this time she has developed a national and International reputation for research in Adult Education and Literacy. As such, Vicky has developed considerable expertise in Adult Education and Literacy and is deeply committed to challenging inequality through critical and emancipatory approaches to education, widening participation, inclusion, community action and engaging in research with a strong social justice agenda. 

Alongside Rob Smith, Vicky led the ground-breaking Transforming Lives project (Smith and Duckworth, 2022) which exposed the benefits of education throughout life.  

Vicky was a member of the 2019 Lifelong Learning Commission and is a founder member of Right2Learn.