Postgraduate student experience: identity, belonging and attainment
The overarching aim of this project is to undertake an in-depth examination of postgraduate students’ teaching and learning experiences in a multicultural learning context, with a focus on the ways in which student identity can shape student experience, their sense of belonging and impact their academic attainment.
Outcomes from the project will inform and develop pedagogy and practice on the ECS postgraduate taught programmes.
The key research questions that will guide the project are:
- In what ways does the postgraduate student identity shape their learning experiences in their MA programmes?
- How does student identity and the learning environment impact on students’ sense of belonging and academic attainment?
- In what ways can pedagogy and practice respond to student voice and need for change?
The participants will comprise approximately 70 postgraduate students enrolled in 6 MA Education & Society programmes offered in the School of Education, Communication and Society (MA Education, Policy and Society, MA Education Management, MA Education, MA STEM Education, MA Education in Arts and Cultural Settings, MA International Child Rights Development) which together consist of over 350 students.
This study arises from a small scoping research project which began prior to the pandemic in 2018 – 2020 with the aim of exploring postgraduate students’ experiences of teaching and learning in ECS, to help staff improve and develop their teaching practice in response to students’ learning needs. As the project continued, the researchers identified the importance of how the students positioned themselves in a multicultural postgraduate learning space, how they constructed their learning identities and how they interacted with their peers to support their learning.
Publications
Mili, & Towers, E. (2022). How postgraduate university students construct their identity as learners in a multicultural classroom. Teaching in Higher Education, 1-17.
Conferences
Teaching and Learning seminar, University of Reading, Institute of Education 'How postgraduate university students construct their identity as learners in a multicultural classroom' March 2023.
Hybrid symposium, University of Oxford, 'The awarding gap: quantitative and qualitative perspectives' November 2022.
Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) Conference, School of Education, Communication & Society, King's, 'Postgraduate student learning experiences' October 2022.
Teaching Forum, ECS, King's, 'Exploring how postgraduate students make sense of their learning with peers and students in the teaching and learning space' November 2019.
Student Seminar Series for MA Education & Society students: October 2019, October 2020, October 2021, March 2023.
Publications
Mili, & Towers, E. (2022). How postgraduate university students construct their identity as learners in a multicultural classroom. Teaching in Higher Education, 1-17.
Conferences
Teaching and Learning seminar, University of Reading, Institute of Education 'How postgraduate university students construct their identity as learners in a multicultural classroom' March 2023.
Hybrid symposium, University of Oxford, 'The awarding gap: quantitative and qualitative perspectives' November 2022.
Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) Conference, School of Education, Communication & Society, King's, 'Postgraduate student learning experiences' October 2022.
Teaching Forum, ECS, King's, 'Exploring how postgraduate students make sense of their learning with peers and students in the teaching and learning space' November 2019.
Student Seminar Series for MA Education & Society students: October 2019, October 2020, October 2021, March 2023.
Principal Investigator
Emma Towers
Lecturer in Education Policy
Investigator
Mili
Lecturer in Education
Affiliations
Funding
Funding Body: Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy
Amount: £4613.80
Period: February 2023 - July 2024