The challenges and strategies in participation research

The challenges and strategies in participation research

Facilitator: Professor Nick Rowe, Director on Converge RDF Indicator: A1, C1 Programme: PGR Research Skills Programme 2021-22  Theme: Research Ethics and Integrity Session Overview:  In this session we will consider the challenges of, and strategies for, involving people in research who may not have had previous experience. We will look at the arguments for participatory research and its common pitfalls. Nick will share the experience of the Converge Evaluation and Research Team, a group of people with lived experience of mental ill health who undertake external research on issues related to mental health. Learning Outcomes:  Understanding of participatory research and how to address challenges. Gain an insight into conducting participatory research and strategies to employ. This session is taking place on Microsoft Teams and will be recorded. To book a place via Eventbrite please visit: The challenges and strategies in participation research Tickets...
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Transforming creative practice into a creative research project

Transforming creative practice into a creative research project

Session facilitated by Associate Professor Vanessa Corby, Professor of Theory, History and Practice of Art All processes of making be they in the disciplines of creative writing, design, performance, fine art, film or music, I would argue, can be research driven. They engage with a field but find it wanting; there’s a gap to be filled, an itch to scratch, something to be said, an experience to be shared or rearticulated. When that’s not the case, in my experience, there’s a tendency to find the practice wanting, because it can lack conviction, integrity and, to parrot the REF, originality, significance and rigour. Learning Outcomes: This workshop offers strategies to identify, articulate and pursue the research dimensions of practice. As such it will be useful for postgraduate researchers who need to meet the learning outcomes set for their programmes and practice-based staff who work within the definitions of research set by the REF. Rather than present a toolkit of how to academicize your work...
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Reviewing Academic Literature

Reviewing Academic Literature

Facilitator: Study Development Session Overview:  Are you stuck wading through a never-ending stack of articles? Or wondering how to transform your notes into a clear literature review? This session will focus on how to review academic literature effectively, and communicate this in your writing. We will explore how to identify relevant materials, and discuss how to write up this research in a critical way. We will discuss how to include a variety of important elements in your literature review, including: key arguments in the literature, why the scholarship matters, linking ideas/texts together, and how different sources support, disagree and/or develop each other. Learning Outcomes: • Understanding the structure of a literature review and how to summarise and analyse the material. • Learn how to review literature and critically evaluate the content. Book your place via Eventbrite: Reviewing Academic Literature Tickets This session will take place is QS 111...
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Speaking and writing your thesis

Speaking and writing your thesis

Facilitator: Professor John Tribe Session Overview: PhD students devote a huge amount of time to their research methods, data collection and analysis. They are then often left to get on with the writing and sometimes completely overwhelmed by the task of compiling a thesis of 80000 words. But writing requires just as much care as the research itself. This session will discuss the elements of good writing. In fact it will encourage you to take pride in beautiful writing which is a delight to the reader. And we’ll also think about how to make your research presentations engaging too.   Learning Outcomes: 1. Reflect on and improve the writing of your PhD 2. Reflect on and improve the speaking of your PhD This session will be recorded....
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Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling

Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling

Session facilitated by Dr Robert Vaughan A beginners introduction into the popular structural equation modelling software MPlus. This session will introduce beginners to the basic commands and procedures needed to analyses quantitative data using a range of flexible yet powerful analytical techniques. No experience is needed and example results will be provided so that students can refer back to this session with their own data. Learning outcomes: How to upload, save, and open data on MPlus. Basic introduction to the Mplus language. How to interpret basic Mplus output. This session is taking place on Microsoft Teams, and may be recorded....
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Interviewing in qualitative research

Interviewing in qualitative research

Facilitator: Dr Maria Fernandes-Jesus RDF Indicator: A1 Programme: PGR Research Skills Programme 2021-22 Theme: Research Methods Taking place in CD/103 Session Overview: Interviews are widely used as a method for data collection in social and human sciences. This session will give you methodological tools to design and conduct qualitative interviews. Learning Outcomes: After participating in this session students should be able to: Describe and identify different interview types and techniques Design an interview guide Outline the guidelines for conducting interviews in qualitative research Identify what makes a good interview, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of interview studies You can book your place on Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/interview-questions-for-research-tickets-199623919517...
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Theory, media and film

Theory, media and film

Session facilitator: Professor Steve Rawle Session Overview: There are so few academic disciplines as publicly maligned as Film and Media Studies (now often under the umbrella of Screen Studies), despite the centrally of forms of media to our everyday lives. Yet, Media Studies remains a political hot potato. In a discipline where there are also sharp divides between theory and practice, this raises the question of how Film and Media Studies theorises contemporary media cultures and defines its political contribution and impact.  How should you approach systematic searching for theoretical literature? When does theorising stop and critique or other methods begin? This session draws on a near-20-year journey in film and cultural theory, often at the lower-end of cultural distinction. It considers how to approach ‘theory’ as both an object and a critical framework, including: methods for evaluating and synthesising theory; theoretically-informed criticism; the ethics of theory; and generating impact as a theorist.   Learning Outcomes: Identifying appropriate theoretical approaches The pitfalls of theory and theorising To book your place, use this link to Eventbrite here: Book now...
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Transforming Creative Practice into a Creative Research Project

Transforming Creative Practice into a Creative Research Project

Session facilitator: Associate Professor Vanessa Corby, Professor of Theory, History and Practice of Art All processes of making be they in the disciplines of creative writing, design, performance, fine art, film or music, I would argue, can be research driven. They engage with a field but find it wanting; there’s a gap to be filled, an itch to scratch, something to be said, an experience to be shared or rearticulated. When that’s not the case, in my experience, there’s a tendency to find the practice wanting, because it can lack conviction, integrity and, to parrot the REF, originality, significance and rigour. Learning Outcomes: This workshop offers strategies to identify, articulate and pursue the research dimensions of practice. As such it will be useful for postgraduate researchers who need to meet the learning outcomes set for their programmes and practice-based staff who work within the definitions of research set by the REF. Rather than present a toolkit of how to academicize your work to...
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Democratic methodologies – Whose voices are heard?

Democratic methodologies – Whose voices are heard?

At a time of flux in the world when we are seeing democratic decay in a range of countries and environments, democratic methodologies are necessary in research to further democracy on a micro and macro level. This session will explore how we might consider different voices in research and the ethical issues that might arise. Learning Outcomes: 1) Participants will have a good understanding of what Democratic Methodologies are. 2) Participants will understand the need for Democratic Methodologies in a range of research settings. 3) Participants will engage with a range of ethics conundrums. Book now This session will be recorded....
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Text and discourse based analysis

Text and discourse based analysis

Session facilitators: Professor Matthew Clarke, Dr Clare Cunningham and Dr Brett Heasman This session is aimed at researchers interested in considering text and discourse approaches to research. The session will introduce some fundamental theoretical principles common to various discourse analytic approaches and outline how we can view various discourse analytic approaches on a continuum between more social theory oriented approaches and more linguistically oriented approaches. The session will briefly look at political discourse theory as an example of the former, conversation analysis as an example of the latter, and critical discourse analysis as an approach that sits somewhere in the middle. Learning Outcomes: An understanding of the underlying philosophical principles underpinning text and discourse approaches to research An insight into the variety of different approaches to text and discourse analysis An understanding of the methods employed by three key discourse analytic approaches (political discourse theory; critical discourse analysis; and conversation analysis) Book now This session will be recorded...
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