The Value of Junior Research Institutes

Enhancing the cultural capital of our graduates as degrees potentially

become symbolic capital

Sadie HuntSadie.hunt@beds.ac.uk Lecturer in DanceBedfordshire Teaching Fellow

Extending our Research Community

• Pilot in 2009 following initial research

• Initial research to find out why students would not take artistic and creative risks in their assessment work?

• The perceived rules and expectations to do well, the assessment criteria and an individuals need to attain highly against said expectations and criteria limits the amount of risk one takes.

To want to do well is human nature

Csibra and Gerley (2007) state that, ‘Humans show a strong and early inclination to interpret observed behaviours of others as goal-directed actions’ (p60).

The jRI initially had two aims:

•To investigate their own practice without the pressure and limitations of assessment•To develop what Angela Brew (2006) calls ‘shared knowledge building communities’. So to become part of the research community within the department.

Findings from the USA

Scheduled research trip,

NCUR conference at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah

Berkeley University of California

Riverside, LA, University of California

Barnard College, Columbia University, New York

CUR – Council on Undergraduate Research, Washington DC

All the universities had established undergraduate research schemes or bureaus, and large dance departments.

Bourdieu identifies three types of cultural capital:

institutionalised cultural capital

objectified cultural capital

embodied cultural capital.

Currently in the jRi there are 6 strands of engagement.

Extending the reach of your research

Experiencing research

Independent research Project

Lunchtime lecture series

Skills enhancing workshops

Alumni

Students can achieve attendance recognition, associate fellowship and fellowship status.

Looking ahead