In the UK all students who are studying for a Bachelor of Arts with honours degree must complete a dissertation. In the Department for Children and Families (DCF) at UW, we have a very specific idea about the purpose of and manner in which our students carry out their research. Whereas in many Higher Education settings, the importance of collecting empirical data in order to create new knowledge is prioritised, we emphasise different priorities, namely:
- that ethicality is embedded throughout the process
- emphasis on self-improvement and collaboration
In other words, how students conduct their research in relation to others is key.
The standard of our students’ completed dissertations tells us that they understand that those who work with and for children and families need to be ethical and collaborative practitioners. But as researchers, we wanted to find out whether there was further evidence to support this from students and the settings, so we designed a project to find out.
Working with students from outside the DCF as research partners we surveyed our students who had just completed their dissertations and staff at settings where they had undertaken data collection. This is a snapshot of what we discovered:
- In all cases where data was collected, productive discussion took place between the setting and student before they began their research
- Some students showed real sensitivity to the needs of the setting and initiative in their identification of an area of study
- All students reported that they were able to decide on a topic that was potentially beneficial for both themselves and their colleagues in the setting
There were genuine, impactful examples of partnership and knowledge exchange and development between setting, staff, and student. As final year students, these researchers will be graduate leaders of practice and their research projects are an opportunity to rehearse their leadership roles.
You can read the rest of our findings in the article published by the SCHOOL COMMUNITY JOURNAL Spring/Summer 2023 Volume 33, Number 1 available here: https://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/SCJ.aspx . Click on the download option and you will find our article at page 191.
