ACRE

Abstract:

The increasing popularity of Outdoor Learning (OL) among schools and the UK government highlighting the relevance of out-of-classroom experience for teachers (DfE, 2006) and the priority for the involvement of children with nature and biodiversity in and out of school (DfE, 2023) informed my PhD research. Given the literature gap addressing Forest School (FS) (n.d., 2016) within Initial Teacher Education, this research explored trainee teachers’ experiences when exposed to FS Level 1 Training and its link with nature connection and self-efficacy. The research aimed to answer the following main questions: “How is the FS Training Level 1 and Qualification experienced by trainee teachers prior to, during and after its occurrence?” and “How is their experience linked to trainees’ previous and current experiences in the natural environment?”. Moreover, the research wanted to uncover any difference between Nature Relatedness (Nisbet, Zelenski and Murphy, 2009) and Teacher-Interaction Self-Efficacy (Veldman et al., 2017) of attending and non-attending trainees to the FS Level 1 Training and pre-and post-attendance for attendees only. Using mixed methods including interviews, observations and measurement instruments for natural connection and self-efficacy of trainee teachers, a longitudinal (Elliott, Holland, and Thomson, 2008) single case study design (Guetterman and Fetters, 2018) was conducted. Trainees’ experiences of FS Training were positive overall, and trainees keen to attend it had higher NR. Lastly, research implications for the UK and overseas HE Institutions keen to offer OL as part of their curricular offer, suggestions for FS Training Level 1 future improvements and policies development are presented.

Abstract:

Student engagement (SE) and effective learning is the heart of most HE teaching. An evolving way in which many HE institutions now try to enhance SE is through partnerships and co-creation via students and tutors working collectively to create rich and experiential teaching sessions. There is currently a wide range of literature in the HE sector labelled as “students as partners” and “co-creation in learning and teaching” (Bovill, 2020).
An increased demand for experiences has led to lecture halls becoming a setting for lecturers to engage students, and to some degree entertain (Smørvik & Vespestad, 2020). Students are showing increasing interest in employing active roles and participating through interaction and collaborative work with educators (Dollinger et.al, 2018). The collaboration process and value co-creation can involve students’ resources such as intellectual capabilities and personalities which can be integrated with institutional resources to create mutual value for both parties. Integrating resources can facilitate experiences that can be a base practice for innovation (Prahalad & Ramaswamy, 2004) and higher levels of SE.
By linking theories of marketing and HE, new ways of thinking focusing on co-creation of value in teaching-learning context will emerge.
This study aims to firstly highlight the significance of co-creation in HE. Secondly, the study aims to fit into two under-researched areas of co-creation in HE. These are: co-creation in large groups or whole class situations; and co-creation using interactive learning (through tools and applications such as Padlet, Kahoot etc). Finally, the proposed study will gather data from educator perspectives on SE when using ILT in classroom sessions.

Abstract:

The aim of this small-scale study was to investigate the impact of university students’ experiences on their mental health using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Recent studies focused on student experiences as statistical data, rather than searching for meaning behind the stories. Rationale for the study included personal experiences of mental health whilst in education, and professional experience from working with young adults with mental health conditions. The study involved 5 students at a university in the Northwest of England who were sampled for their varying experiences of mental health. They each submitted a five-day written journal and attended a one-to-one interview. The data was coded individually, then the samples were compared to generate themes. In journal entries, participants made small mentions of university, but often chose to focus on personal or social aspects of the day. All participants held negative perceptions of mental health and wellbeing (often referring to issues or illness) and only one had directly experienced any stigma surrounding mental health issues. Other participants made mention of indirect views or opinions but had never heard these expressed when disclosing about their mental health. There was a balance of participants who tended towards social stressors and academic stressors, but all sought social support as a means of managing their own mental health, alongside techniques such as taking space or physical activity. This was an exploratory study intended to provide insights into the lives of students during university, through a lens of their experiences of mental health and wellbeing.

Abstract:

Based on the results of a large-scale, mixed-methods enquiry of pre-departure students in China (n=421), this poster explores how different socio-economic groups experience challenges and barriers throughout their pursuit of becoming international students. Although much existing research on student migratory behaviors focuses on exploring the reasons why students choose to study abroad, this project instead focuses on the reasons that prevent participation. Through striking visual timelines that depict how perceived barriers rise and fall through different stages of the pre-departure process, the poster highlights the inequalities in access to international educational pathways. The results highlight significant differences in both the scale and progression of challenges faced by individuals from varying socio-economic levels. The research outcomes raise questions about the purpose and nature of international educational cooperation, questioning whether it is a force for increasing opportunity or entrenching existing inequalities.

Abstract:

This poster seeks to address the awareness of visual literacy practices amongst both Early Career Teachers and established practitioners, with a focus on the resulting impacts on the learner journey when engaging with different phases of education. Using Bourdieu’s notions of Power and Habitus (Bourdieu 1986), the disaffection and disengagement of learners is discussed in relation to traditional teaching practices, and how the development of visual literacy skills can seek to repair damaging historical power relationships that have marginalised students within the classroom.

Drawing upon existing pedagogical approaches for visual literacy such as Statton Thompson’s DIG Method (2019), in addition to the author’s development of visually literate teaching resources in her own practice, it opens discussion for the transfer of critical thinking skills across curriculum areas via the visual literacy skillset.

Abstract

The seminal work of the ‘By Degrees’ project (Jackson, Ajayi and Quigley, 2005) raised awareness of the shockingly low numbers of care-experienced individuals accessing and succeeding in Higher Education (HE). Subsequent research has identified that sector progress has been slow over the past decade (Harrison, 2020; Stevenson et al. 2021), with 13% of care-experienced students accessing HE compared to 43% of their non-care-experienced peers (Office for Students, 2022). To explore why progress has not been more substantial (Harrison, 2019), this paper investigated the working practices of Higher Education institution staff working to increase the low numbers of care-experienced young people accessing and succeeding in University. It presents an analysis of eight semi-structured interviews conducted with staff from different HE institutions in England who work directly with care-experienced students. Activity theory was used to show areas of congruence and contradiction within the participants’ systems of working. The research contends that despite staff members all aiming to support care-experienced students within their institutions, they routinely experience sites of tension within their own activity systems that are impeding their efforts to support students into and through university. If these areas of conflict are addressed, such as building stronger working relationships with internal and external teams and senior leaders, overcoming regulatory restrictions, and improving management of institutional tools and systems, the support processes provided by such individuals are likely to achieve greater success and consequently affect better lived experiences for care-experienced students in HE institutions.

Abstract

Understanding the role of international students’ (IS) perception of internationalization of Higher Education (IoHE) in mitigating culture shock can inform the development of targeted support services, intercultural initiatives, and orientation programs tailored to the needs of specific groups of IS. This study reviews academic literature and seeks to reveal how culture shock could impede acculturation and, amongst others, academic and research abilities, and how the ambiguity, complexity, and non-specificity of certain internationalization strategies could elicit varying perceptions from diverse people. It was observed that although there have been evidenced increase in student mobility in the past decade, there remains scarcity of published studies on students’ perception of internationalization practices and the effectiveness of specific interventions/strategies for them in their universities, and as a significant contribution to this body of research, seeks to challenge the assumption that merely providing a policy context or framework, or funding, on the national or international level can effectively guide universities towards a successful path of internationalization. Based on literature, this research ambitiously seeks to draw attention to how IS’s perception of internationalization strategies relates to the culture shock experienced, and believes that positive perceptions of internationalization can enhance students’ acculturation.

Abstract

My research aims to provide a person-centered approach to providing insight into the perceptions of identity experienced by NEET individuals as they begin their journey towards employment in the tech industry via an adult learning, technology-enhanced (TEL) blended programme on web development. I will use narrative inquiry through the lens of Structural Symbolic Interactionism and Identity Theory. Following a social constructivist approach, this research aims to put the participant at the forefront of all aspects, including research design, striving to give a voice to the marginalised communities with which it is concerned.

My conference poster explores this approach, which is also sympathetic to the intersectionality at play, ensuring the privileged voice, experience and interests are set aside to redistribute power away from the researcher and towards the participants. My aim with this research is to make the process more equitable. While certain aspects of the research are set (such as interviews and focus groups taking place online), what happens within these sessions is not. Co-design allows participants to be involved in the process of this research. Involving the people to whom the research is aimed brings unique but relevant perspectives that the researcher does not possess and helps ensure the approach is suitable for the target audience. This could include how questions are posed, the language used, identifying anything triggering or insensitive and making the questions as accessible as possible, for example. This approach reflects the findings of the YESTEM and Making Spaces Projects run by University College London, which identified value in co-production, including an increase in participant agency and confidence, especially for those from underserved communities.