Research in the School of Education

summer 2012

iNSIDEp7 Researcher Profi le Sue Ralph, visiting Professor supporting Education PhD students and research bids

p8 News & Events Research updates from the School of Education

p14 PhD News Updates from our PhD students

Policy Issues in the Early Years(Critical Issues in the Early Years)

Professor Denise Hevey recently collaborated with Emeritus Professor, Early Years, Linda Miller from the Open University in order to edit a ground-breaking new book on policy issues. What makes this book different is that many of the original chapters were written by those actively involved in policy- making as key civil servants or government advisers or heads of major voluntary organisations. The scope of the book is wide ranging, from the policy implications of brain research and interventions, to supporting young children and families growing up in poverty and social disadvantage, to national strategies for curriculum and regulation and to marketisation or democratisation of services at national and international levels. The purpose of the book is to raise awareness of practitioners and professionals in the early years’ sector of a range of current policy issues, and to help them to become ‘policy literate’ drawing on examples from Scotland, Canada and former Soviet Bloc countries. The opening and closing chapters focus on the current notion of evidence-based policy making, and question whether this refl ects the reality of how policy is developed and made. It concludes with a reconceptualisation of policy evaluation in terms of testing against four enduring principles: -

‘Whether seen as a market commodity, a means of democratic empowerment, or the best start for all children, early years’ services refl ect national values and political judgements. Policy making is relevant to all who work in early childhood care and education, and this book provides excellent insights and support to help practitioners develop the analytical skills that will make them “policy literate’.

- Dame Gillian Pugh, Chair, National Children’s Bureau

‘A surprisingly accessible and interesting read, so if you want to feel more ‘policy literate’, and need to get ‘clued up’ on current issues affecting early years this book is the ideal read for you.’

- Martine Horvath, Early Years Educator

Child centredness - does the policy put young children’s needs at the centre and value them for who they are now rather than what they might become?

Democracy - does the policy encourage the active participation of young children and their carers/ practitioners in taking decisions?

Equality and equity - does the policy value diversity and inclusion and allow all young children the opportunities and support to develop to their full potential?

Professionalism - does the policy promote appropriate training, respect professional judgement and support a culture of continuous improvement?

Miller, K. And Hevey, D. (2012) Policy Issues in the Early Years. London: SAGE

WELCOMEResearch communities in universities up and down the country are in the fi nal stages of putting in place their submissions to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which is designed to identify world class research activity and to promote its growth and sustainability.

www.facebook.com/TheUniversityofNorthampton

@SoEUniNorthants

UniNorthamptonSoE

The present issue of RiSE captures some of this rich diversity and is indicative of how far we have come. It evidences the involvement of a much wider group of researchers within the school, and illustrates the growing tendency for colleagues to engage in research and consultancy at local, regional, national and international levels. But as with previous issues of the Newsletter, these are merely examples of the kinds of work being undertaken. Research is now more fi rmly embedded in the repertoire and expectations of a community of educational professionals who are driven by a commitment to ensuring that their efforts will ‘make a difference’.

Within the School of Education, these plans, being led by Professor Richard Rose, provide evidence of the rapid expansion in the subject-range, international orientation and practical application of the work undertaken by staff members, students and research associates. Indeed, it is fair to make the point that the research profi le of the School of Education is unrecognisable from that previously submitted for scrutiny to the predecessor of the REF – the now-defunct Research Assessment Exercise.

2 | CONTENTS www.northampton.ac.uk/education

CONTENTS

3 Research Lecture

4 Research Updates

Follow us

7 Researcher Profi le

8 News & Events

12 Research Publications

14 PhD News

The visit was arranged subsequent to the work undertaken collaboratively by the School of Education, ASEPA and the University of Adelaide. This focussed on the educational needs of students with special educational needs within the newly developing Australian Curriculum.

The Baroness Warnock is the author and chair of the Warnock Report. This was commissioned in 1974 by the English government. Its brief was to review educational provision for students with special educational needs who were of school age.

Delegates reported that this was a most enjoyable, informative, interesting and stimulating event. It was, according to one, “An opportunity to listen to one of the most signifi cant fi gures in the fi eld of policy-making in special educational needs”.

It was noted that Lady Warnock said some very positive things about the

Australian Special Education Principals Association Lecture “Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future”

University, in particular about its role in special and inclusive education. Professor Philip Garner indicated that “I think it was appropriate that our partners and colleagues from the region, who were substantially represented in the audience, heard these comments – especially from such an eminent public fi gure.”

Fiona Forbes added: “The accolades from Baroness Lady Warnock about

The School of Education and The University of Northampton, in association with the Australian Special Education Principals Association (ASEPA), was delighted to welcome Baroness Warnock, who presented a lecture entitled “Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future” at our institution on the 21st June 2012. The Baroness was welcomed to the University by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, and Fiona Forbes, President ASEPA-Australia.

the University and the part you are playing in special and inclusive education is echoed from our country. The contribution the University has played in research that is shaping work on the Australian Curriculum for students with SEND, in partnership with our association, is signifi cant and ongoing. ASEPA looks forward to our continued partnership.”

RESEARCH LECTURE | 3

Researching Continuing Professional Development in the Early Years

European Bidding Success

RESEARCH UPDATES | 54 | RESEARCH UPDATES www.northampton.ac.uk/education

In April last year Professor Denise Hevey was invited to contribute to a European comparative study of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the Early Years sector as the England country expert.

The University Ambassadors’ scheme was developed as part of the HE-School Engagement agenda. The idea behind the project is to recruit a group of undergraduate students who, after a period of training, would be placed in a local primary school. They would work with pupils to: improve reading skills; act as role models; spread the message about the value of education, and to develop and deliver projects designed to motivate and inspire young people. Each student would be paid to contribute 40 hours of work to local schools and volunteer 20 hours of their own time in order to complete the training programme.

30 students were recruited from across the 6 University schools. They were trained by a number of staff both from the School of Education and from the primary schools in which they would ultimately be placed.

This training included:

• teaching and learning strategies

• behaviour management

• presentation skills

• lesson and activity planning

• safeguarding

• child protection

• disclosures

• guided reading

The research team includes Emma Sims, Zhou Yu and two undergraduate students who are on the URB@N scheme. The impact will be assessed through the use of questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The project is being evaluated through both quantitative and qualitative research.

The aim is to assess the impact of this project on:

i. The Undergraduate students appointed to the role of ‘University Ambassador’

ii. The Primary schools in which the Ambassadors are placed

The University Ambassadors were asked to complete a questionnaire before their training began and then again at the end of the training. The questionnaire is being used to assess the efficacy of the training in terms of preparing students to deliver activities in school. In addition, qualitative data is being collected

through the use of focus groups. 12 of the ambassadors joined focus groups and were questioned about the training programme and their hopes and aspirations for the programme. Following the completion of their time in school, the focus groups will meet again. It is hoped that these discussions will reveal the extent to which their expectations were met and give us useful insights into the impact of the programme on the Ambassadors.

The school-based mentors for the projects were interviewed about their expectations and hopes for the project prior to the ambassadors being deployed in their schools. At the end of the project the mentors will be interviewed for a second time and the impact of the programme assessed through analysis of their responses.

Early indications suggest that the Ambassadors themselves have gained a lot from the programme. They report how fulfilling they have found their work with young people and many have negotiated to spend extra time in their host school. The full results of the research will be available later this year. If the programme is shown to have had a positive impact, the scheme will be doubled in size next academic year.

In addition to extensive desk/internet- based research, the project involved drawing up a questionnaire for a small sample of key stakeholders such as national regulatory bodies and major providers of CPD, including Local Authorities and voluntary organisatons. Each was invited to provide their own definition of CPD and to comment on the importance of CPD to individual practitioners and to the sector.

Responses were received from Ofsted, the General Teaching Council, the General Social Care Council, the Children’s Workforce Development Council, the National Childminding Association and the

The School of Education has been successful in winning a competitive tender to evaluate the £7million European Framework Programme Science in Society 2010, being delivered jointly by ECB/ingenious. The project aims to orientate young people towards STEM careers by reinforcing links between schools and industries through a range of STEM-related education activities. Major multi-national science &

The University Ambassadors’ pilot project – an impact study

National Teachers Union, amongst others, together with a sample of eight Local Authorities from the East Midlands. Analysis showed no simple consensus around how to define CPD, but most definitions included one or more of the following elements:-

• Personal development and advancement;

• Practice improvement ;

• Organisational/ sector benefits.

The range of activities identified as CPD varied from basic first aid to post-graduate qualifications. The study concluded that it was difficult

to define Continuing Professional Development in England because the workforce was still in the process of professionalization, and, despite the successful introduction of Early Years Professional Status there was, as yet, no standard, mandatory requirement for Initial Professional Development. The England report was submitted for translation in October and an overall report of the EU comparative project has since been produced in German (contact denise.hevey@northampton.ac.uk for more info). Professor Hevey is waiting to find out whether the overall project will be turned into a book in English!

BY EMMA SIMS

technology companies are partners in the project.

The School of Education’s successful evaluation plan, being led by Professor Philip Garner with inputs from colleagues in the School, will assess the management and implementation of the whole project, paying particular attention to the Work Package activities which form a major element in the project itself. Northampton’s distinctive

focus, and one of the reasons for its selection to undertake this prestigious work, was that it considers each of five elements which are critical to demonstrating Quality European Project Management: Relevance, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Impact and Sustainability.

The evaluation, which will be tackled in three distinct phases, will run until January 2014.

6 | RESEARCH UPDATES www.northampton.ac.uk/education

The University of Northampton Initial Teacher Training team was delighted when some of our BA (Hons) Early Years Education (QTS) students volunteered as research assistants for a national study focused on ‘The Early Years Foundation Stage through the Daily Experiences of Children’. The project was commissioned in 2011 by TACTYC (the Association for the Professional Development of Early Years Educators) and was directed by Professor Janet Moyles with Maulfry Worthington, both of whom are highly regarded early years’ experts.

Early Years Teacher Training Students:Researchers in our Partnership Settings

Following required ethical protocols, the students’ partnership settings were asked if they wanted to take part and several signed up. Our students then tracked individual children’s activities throughout the course of a morning; Professor Moyles described the quality of our students’ observations as ‘excellent’.

The study’s outcomes indicated the importance of well trained reception teachers who understand the relationship between effective play and learning: key aims of our BA (Hons) Early Years Education (QTS)

programme. Over the past year, the study fi ndings have provided an evidence base for TACTYC’s discussions with government regarding the development of the revised EYFS, due in settings from September 2012, as well as the Nutbrown Review on early education and childcare qualifi cations. You can read more about this research at www.tactyc.org.uk/occasional-papers.asp

Vishakha Joshi, Louise Carey and Lisa Blackwood (BA (Hons.) Early Years Education QTS) share their experiences of collecting data as student research assistants for ‘The Early Years Foundation Stage through the Daily Experiences of Children’ Project, directed by Professor Janet Moyles with Maulfry Worthington

Why did you volunteer? ‘I couldn’t turn down such an amazing opportunity to be able to take part in such an interesting study!’ (Louise)

‘I felt it would be an experience that would enhance my professional development.’ (Lisa)

What did you have to do?‘Every fi ve minutes I recorded what the child was doing and whether it was adult led or child initiated. I used the format provided which had an example (this made it easier) to conduct the observations.’ (Vishakha)

‘Observe two children every fi ve minutes throughout a morning, noting my observations.’ (Lisa)

Was there anything you found particularly challenging about the experience?‘It was quite a challenge to make sure I was including the most relevant information possible.’ (Louise)

‘Observing every fi ve minutes was challenging.’ (Lisa)

‘There was not anything that I found particularly challenging as everything was explained clearly’ (Vishakha)

What did you enjoy about the experience?‘It enabled me to understand the effects practitioners have on children’s development and understanding.’ (Vishakha)

‘It was an interesting insight into the experience of a child in a reception class and I was happy to be contributing to such eye-opening research.’ (Lisa)

‘I love to observe children’s independent play; to sit back and watch them imaginatively create their own worlds with no interruptions from adults. It helped remind me why I love working with children so much.’ (Louise)

Would you do it again?‘I would defi nitely participate again. The experience has enabled me to take part in research which can makea difference.’ (Vishakha)

‘Yes! I would welcome more opportunities to be involved in further research projects as I feel this is a key element of teaching.’ (Lisa)

‘Yes. I really enjoyed the experience and would urge more early years’ students and professionals to be a part of such research.’ (Louise)

Professor Janet Moyles

RESEARCH UPDATES | 7

Phase 1Early on, the ILT Research Team decided to focus on four key areas:

• Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) – research has shown developing appropriate strategies and support for SEND results in enhanced provision for all pupils

• Physical Education (PE) as a specialist subject (practical and theoretical area of learning)

• Key stage 3 to develop support for option-based subjects

• Personal Learning & Thinking Skills (PLTS) which can be used cross curricular in the long term.

Amidst a national landscape of changing reform and legislation, one of the biggest challenges has been engaging schools in the research. Many schools agreed on the concept and liked the idea, but were unable to participate due to other pressures.

Progress to date: Phase 1 is currently underway with a few schools trailing the tool. Two presentations have been delivered on the project; one at the SoE Research Conference 2012 and a second at The Teacher Education Advancement Network (TEAN) Conference. Feedback has been very encouraging with the conference organisers sharing that:

“Delegates felt this was a fascinating research project and a very interesting idea; good underpinning theory and rationale embedded in clear educational philosophy. They look forward to seeing prototype of ILT and can see lots of uses in schools.”

The data will be collated in July and Phase 1 of the project completed in August 2012.

Phase 2 has already started with university-wide work on developing a mobile device app in order to take the ILT into schools. Watch this space for future updates.

The Independent Learning Tool (ILT) ProjectIn 2011-12, Anita Devi & the ILT Research team were awarded a research bid. The aim of the bid was to develop the in-house bidding and research skills of academics and the focus of the investigation was to explore “ways in which relationships between teachers/other classroom based professionals and children impact on learning”.

The ILT research team:

Anita DeviPrinciple Investigator 1

Andy SmithPrinciple Investigator 2

Emma WhewellResearcher

Prof. John VisserConsultant

For more information contact:education@northampton.ac.uk

SUE RALPHRESEARCHER PROFILE:

Sue Ralph joined the University in 2007 as a visiting Professor after working at the University of Manchester in the School of Education for 25 years, leading the Master’s programme in Education, Communications and Technology. During this time she developed a body of research which included:

Media reporting of assisted suicide and euthanasia;The history of eugenics from a disability perspective;

• Attitudes of PGCE students towards children with speech and language diffi culties;

• Victorian images of disability;

• Comics and cartoons and disability;

• The creation of positive images of disability in the media;

• The inclusion of disabled people in mainstream advertising in the UK and the USA;

• Disability and humour.

• University PR materials and disabled students

• Methodology; emancipatory research and ethical issues concerned with students with learning disabilities

• Ethical issues in image based research

• Disability and advertising

• Refl ective practice, group dynamics and the identifi cation and management of stress for educational practitioners.

She has published extensively in both national and international journals, spoken at many National and International conferences and taught in countries which include: Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, India, Pakistan, USA, Canada, Cyprus and Sri Lanka.

Sue has wide experience as an educator, having worked in secondary schools in the UK and Uganda, youth and community work and three universities. She is also a qualifi ed counsellor. She currently edits The Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, (JORSEN).

Sue enjoys her work at the University of Northampton, where she supports staff to make research bids and to write and publish papers, and, supervises a number of PhD students. She has seen many changes since joining the University and is proud to be associated with the work of the School of Education.

A sample of publications

Boxall, K. and Ralph, S.M (2010) Research ethics

committees and the benefi ts of involving people with

profound and multiple learning disabilities in research.

British Journal of Learning Disabilities Published online:

26 JUL 2010, DOI: 0.1111/j.1468-3156.2010.00645.x

Farnsworth, V., Davis, P.,

Kalambouka, A., Ralph, S., Shi, X., and Farrell, P. Students’

production of curricular knowledge: perspectives on

empowerment in fi nancial ... for how we defi ne the boundaries

of fi nancial capability education ... Education, Citizenship and Social Justice July 2011 vol. 6

no. 2 153-167 ...

Haller, B., Ralph, S.M and Zaks, Z. (2010) Confronting

Obstacles to Inclusion: How the US news media report on the

neurological disability of autism In Confronting Obstacles to

Inclusion (2010) Edited by Richard Rose: Routledge

American Education Research Association (AERA) Conference news

On April 16 2012, Meanu Bajwa-Patel, one of our PhD students, and Dr Cristina Devecchi, successfully presented interim fi ndings of Meanu’s doctoral study to a roundtable audience. The paper, entitled ‘Nowhere fi ts: Exploring the issues around parental choice and school placement for students with a Statement of Special Educational Needs in England’, was well received. Congratulations to Meanu on her achievement. The AERA conference is a highly competitive one where only around 20% of submissions are chosen to be included in the programme.

NEWS & EVENTS | 9

– Vancouver, Canada

Forthcoming Research Conferences

British Educational Research Association Conference (BERA) 6th September 2012, www.bera.ac.uk

European Conference on Educational Research (ECER) 17th – 21st September 2012, Cadiz, Spain www.eera-ecer.eu

London International Conference on Education (LICE-2012) 19th - 22nd November, London, www.liceducation.org

ICET 2013 : International Conference on Educational Technology, 30th - 31st January, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, www.waset.org/conferences/2013/dubai/icet/

2nd Cyprus International Conference on Educational Research, 13th – 15th February, Ataturk Teacher Training Academy, Lefkosa, North Cyprus www.cyicer.org/

American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference 27th April – 1st May 2013, San Francisco, www.aera.net/

ATINER 15th Annual International Conference on Education, 20th – 23rd May 2013, Athens, Greece www.atiner.gr/education.htm

5th International Research Conference of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement 26th – 28th June, Singapore, www.iea.nl/irc-2013.html

International Montessori Congress 31st July - 3rd August 2013, Portland, Oregon, United States of America, www.montessoricongress.org

8 | RESEARCHER PROFILE www.northampton.ac.uk/education

RESEARCH SEMINARS and drop-in lunch meetings

NEWS & EVENTS | 11

International VisitorPhilip Garner reports that our Centre for Education and Research will be hosting Javier Ortuno, who is an Associate Professor at the University of La Rioja (Spain), from 22nd July until September 2012. Javier is especially interested in children (secondary age) with behaviour problems. He is using his stay to visit a range of settings and to undertake scholarly activity. He will be leading a research seminar here in the School of Education during his stay and is happy to engage actively with anyone who wishes to develop a greater understanding of the Spanish education system. Javier is staying with a local family, close by the University.

10 | NEWS & EVENTS

Inclusion Seminars given in SwitzerlandIn March, Anita Devi delivered a series of seminars at Webster University in Geneva and at the Zurich International School. The focus of the seminars was a whole school approach to inclusion and supporting the needs of children and young people with dual multiple exceptionality (DME) i.e. those who have a special educational need and are considered ‘gifted and talented’. In between the

Towards Inclusive Learning Environments in Vocational Educational Training (VET) This project is funded by the European Community and includes partners from universities and colleges in Finland, Estonia and the Czech Republic. The aim of the project is to create a ‘Roadmap for Inclusion’: a versatile tool for vocational education and training institutions, and further post-16 college and workplace education settings which will be available freely on our website in four languages.

seminars, Anita had the opportunity to visit a number of international schools to see how the international baccalaureate (IB) is delivered to students with special educational needs, as well as discuss further opportunities for consultancy and research work in Switzerland. Anita was invited to Switzerland by the not-for-profi t organisation ASK (All Special Kids).

www.northampton.ac.uk/education

A research seminar, which was a dissemination event, presenting the initial work of this exciting international project, took place in Sulgrave on Friday 15th June.

To fi nd out more about this project, please go to www.tileinvet.net

Widening Access – Seminar Series July 10th

All in HE: EU funded research into validating prior learning for marginalised groups –

This seminar was presented by Anita Devi

www.northampton.ac.uk/education RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS | 13

The strong links between the University and the Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education (IATSE) were much in evidence when Phil, Meanu, Saneeya and Yumy attended the IATSE Conference in Dublin on 7th, 8th and 9th June. This was a practical and informative experience for all. Phil, Meanu and Saneeya gave presentations about their research. Their papers were very well received by a mixed audience of researchers and practitioners and are being reviewed for publication in peer reviewed journals. Delegates exchanged views about their experience of researching and teaching both during questions at the end of each session and at the social reception.

Phil commented: “We were made very welcome by members of IATSE, who were interested to hear about our current research. We also had the privilege of attending presentations by experienced practitioners about their work with children with exceptional needs. This was a most valuable exchange”.

Meanu reported: “I think it was a very good chance for people to exchange knowledge, and from a teacher’s point of view, I think there were lots of sessions about teaching and supporting which I think was really helpful”.

Saneeya said: “The IATSE Conference was an edifying experience and very signifi cant in terms of knowledge exchange for me personally. Learning about various facets of educational support for those pupils with Special Needs in Ireland, and also being able to share my own research with Irish practitioners meant that I came away from the conference with extremely valuable and useful insights”.

Yumy had the following to say about the experience: “I really enjoyed being there as both an observer and a learner. The conference was very useful for me, because I learnt many things about doing research on teaching and supporting SEN students in the mainstream classes”.

Recent Publication on support for Mathematics Leaders

Ems Lord has had a research summary published by CUREE (Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education), entitled ‘Let’s work Together - Supporting Mathematics Subject Leaders Through Clustering’

Ems was invited by CUREE to share the work that she had been doing in Lincolnshire to develop support for mathematics subject leaders who were working in rural areas, where CPD was diffi cult to access. CUREE put the following statement on their website with the commissioned reports: These have been designed with the learning needs of teachers in mind, in order to make them accessible and hopefully inspire teachers to engage with research and maybe even undertake a research project of their own.

Latest books, articles & conference papers Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education (IATSE) conference, Dublin, June 2012

Recent Publication on Mathematics Specialist Programme

Debbie Morgan has had an article published in Mathematics Teaching, the journal for the Association of Teachers of Mathematics. It discusses the approach taken in the development of Northampton University’s Mathematics Specialist Teacher Programme and her related research regarding the impact of the programme.

Recent Publication on SEN Teachers

Philip Garner (with Fiona Forbes, from Western Australia) has recently published ‘Disposable assets. Are special education teachers still needed in 21st Century Australian Schools’ in the NISE Bulletin - Special Needs Education in Japan

Recent Journal Publication

Research conducted by Ken Bland, in partnership with Terri Attwood from Park Junior School Kettering, into the deployment of higher level teaching assistants, has just been published in the journal, Management in Education. The full reference for this paper is:

Attwood, T, & Bland, K. (2012) Deployment and impact of

higher level teaching assistants – how do

small scale local studies fi t into the bigger picture. Management in Education 26 (2) 82 - 88

3rd TEAN Conference – May 2012

Debbie Morgan reported that the theme for this year’s conference was “Creating Effective Teachers”. Dr Caroline Daly, from the Institute of Education (London) delivered the opening key note, encouraging academics and higher education institutions to think outside the box in terms of course design, widening participation and working collaboratively with a range of partners. Debbie Morgan shared some of her research and delivered a snapshot session on ‘Developing Effective Teachers of Mathematics’, whilst Anita Devi and Andy Smith contributed to a seminar session on ‘The paradox of learning: can good relationships between the teacher and the student lead to greater independence of the learner?’

Disability, Capability and Education – Research Seminar

Cristina Devecchi, in collaboration with Sue Ralph, the editor of JORSEN and visiting Professor at the University of Northampton, and Nidhi Singal from the University of Cambridge, organised a seminar entitled ‘Disability, capability and education’ on Friday 16th March. The seminar, hosted at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, was sponsored by Nasen, the Education, Equality and Development research group in Cambridge, and the University of Northampton.

The seminar provided a forum for national and international speakers who are working with the capability approach in relation to issues of disability, special educational needs and education. The seminar, the fi rst of its kind, was well attended, including by members of staff and PhD students from Northampton. The proceedings of the seminar were video recorded and further publications of the papers presented will follow. If you would like more information about the capability approach, or about the themes and issues discussed during the seminar, please contact Cristina (Cristina.devecchi@northampton.ac.uk) for more information.

Keynote address at Conference in India

In February, Richard Rose presented a keynote address to the Fourth North South Global Dialogue Conference in India. This conference bought together NGOs, national politicians and researchers to consider work undertaken in support of the Millennium Development Goal on achieving universal primary education. Richard’s paper ‘Supporting Communities Towards a More Equitable Education System’ was based upon work in which he has been involved with colleagues in Southern India since 2000 and will be available, along with the PowerPoint presentation, on NILE, our online depository, soon, and will be published in the conference report.

A REPORT BY ZHAO YU (YUMY)

Juggling Elephants– A Poster Success Story BY SANEEYA QURESHI

One of the many perks of being a PhD Student at The University of Northampton includes being able to participate in a variety of cross-discipline research seminars and activities. The Annual Research Poster Competition, organised by the Graduate School, is one such event - the aim of which is for students to create posters that explain their research to a mixed audience of non subject-specialists. Indeed, this ability to critically evaluate one’s own work and further disseminate fi ndings is one of the signifi cant characteristics of effective researchers that is also reiterated in the UK Researcher Development Framework.

The competition was a good chance to refl ect on the esoteric nature of my project, and how I should not lose touch with the ground realities of keeping my work comprehensible by those not directly involved with the fi eld of Special Education. As an active researcher, it is easy for me to get caught up in the jargon and array of acronyms that defi ne the arena. Indeed, even more so, since the subject of my research has been acronymed as well – SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) and SEN (Special Educational Needs) being terms that I use in practically every sentence when discussing my project!

This year, I presented a poster titled “Juggling Elephants”: A Study about

SENCO Impact. The subject covered my PhD work to date around the effectiveness of the SENCO role in primary schools. I am currently in the second year of my research, and so have considerable primary data that I could share with the audience, and consequently, the more tangible aspects regarding the projected impact of my work.

Fortunately, I was able to rise to the challenge of presenting to a non-specialist audience, and, after a detailed examination by the judges about the intricacies of my research, I was awarded the First Prize Certifi cate and £100 presented by the Vice Chancellor. The next step is the Vitae Midlands Hub Regional Poster Competition in Coventry during the Summer. I look forward to the opportunity of multi-disciplinary networking with research colleagues from a vast number of academic institutions in the region.

Professor Philip Garner said about Saneeya’s success; “This is a great feather in the cap for School of Education PhD students”.

14 | PHD NEWS www.northampton.ac.uk/education PHD NEWS | 15

The third annual School of Education PhD student conference took place over 3rd & 4th May 2012 and, once again, the two-day event was a thought-provoking and resounding success. The organising committee had grown in number this year, and comprised fellow SoE PhD students Benny, Carmel, Nichola, Phil and Saneeya, with additional support from Yumy, Josephine and Pam. Not only was the committee larger this year, but, with their increased confi dence and experience, this year’s conference was said to have a more polished feel to it, from the increased use of media to advertise and record the event, to the fl owers (kindly donated by Northgate School Arts College’s Year 12s, supervised by ex-pupil, Rose Clark). Saneeya created this year’s conference website; please do visit our website for next year’s conference, which is already up and running at https://sites.google.com/site/soeresearchconference2013/home.

The conference theme was again ‘Researching Learning & Learning to Research’ and it provided students and staff from the School of Education and beyond with a great opportunity to both present their ideas and hear the ideas of others in the formal setting of the Sunley Conference Centre. Presenters ranged from PhD students in the earliest stages of their research, conducting pilot studies or developing theoretical perspectives, to those who were reporting on their completed doctorates.

This year’s conference again had four keynote speakers: Professor

School of Education (SoE) Research Student Conference 2012BY MEANU BAJWA-PATEL

PhD student support group meetings

The monthly supervisor and PhD student group meetings continue to provide a forum for discussion of methodological matters related to individual projects. These meetings are informal and relaxed but provide opportunities for critical discussion and refl ection around the PhD process. The meetings next year will be held on:

2012

13th September

18th October

15th November

13th December

2013

17th January

14th February

14th March

18th April

All meetings are from 4.30-6pm

Richard Rose, Wendy Messenger from the University of Worcester, Professor Lani Florian from the University of Aberdeen, and, Dr. Jane Tarr and Dr. Nick Clough, from the University of the West of England. The conference was opened on the fi rst day by our Vice Chancellor, Nick Petford, highlighting once again his commitment to research and the funded studentship programme. The second day of the conference was opened by our school’s Associate Dean, Peter Wells, who reminded us all of the importance of research and the search for the truth.

Once again the presentations had an international twist, with Josephine returning to report on her work with teachers in Taiwan, and two of our keynote speakers, Dr. Tarr and Dr. Clough, describing their work setting up community libraries in Zimbabwe. To support their work, we also held a very successful book collection, and have been able to send over 200 books towards their efforts. On their behalf, thank you for this support.

The student presentations began with a fascinating look at Nikki

Woods’ work into Young People, Racism and Crime, and then progressed with Benny Kuruvilla’s update on his work with learning mentors in primary schools. There were also presentations from Andy Smith and Anita Devi, and Eunice Lumsden updated the conference on her work on the Early Years Professional Status, as well as a poster session with staff, MA and doctoral students.

On the second day, Judy Sayers presented a brief summary of her completed doctoral work, and Marie Howley shared some of her postdoctoral research dilemmas with us. Further presentations from students on their research to date were given by: Nichola Kentzer, Abide Zenenga, Saneeya Qureshi, Meanu Bajwa-Patel and Carmel Capewell.

Thank you for your contribution to this year’s conference. Next year’s School of Education Research Student Conference will be held on 9th and 10th May 2013. Please put a note in your diary now. See you there!