Creating a Safe Environment for Disparity in Attainment Research to Take Place. Mr Pliny Soocoormanee Dr Arinola Adefila Dr Debra Cureton Mrs Jaswinder.

Creating a Safe Environment for Disparity in Attainment Research to Take Place.

Mr Pliny SoocoormaneeDr Arinola AdefilaDr Debra CuretonMrs Jaswinder Sekhon

Outline

• Brief Research Overview

• Ethical Considerations

• Creating a Safe Research Environment

• Methodology

• Tools for Data Collection

• Evaluation of Methodology

Tools for Data Collection

Research Stream 1: Institutional data

Identifying modules with no disparity – highlighting good practice

Research Stream 2: Student data

What students say help or impede their achievement

Research Stream 4: Dissemination

How to get a Good Degree Guide, Methodologies & Frameworks

Research Stream 3: Action research with staff

Evaluation of interventions identified by staff to eradicate the gap

Exercise• Work in small groups and discuss:

– Should we tell the students about the attainment gap at the point of recruitment?

– Should we recruit white students in research that looks at why less BME students attain a ‘good degree’?

– Should we recruit university wide or only from modules where changes are being implemented?

Ethical Considerations

Do NO Harm

Students

Students Lecturers

Institutions

When to inform BME

students about the attainment

gap

Is it ethical not to include

white students?

How to ethically

investigate bad practice?

Is it ethical to engage

students in solution

finding who wont

experience the benefits

of the change?

How to ensure no

harm is done to the

institutions involved?

Creating a Safe Research Environment

• The research methodology aims to:– actively empower the students’ voice– educate the students about the issue– be a safe space for students to be comfortable

to disclose in– be egalitarian– be engaging

Methodology

Research Tools

Revising with

friends –

study groups

Library is always

Noisy!

Evaluation of Methodology

CORA Useful

Sense of Community

Empowered students

Contact Details• Dr Debra Cureton – Project Manager

University of Wolverhampton d.cureton@wlv.ac.uk

• Dr Arinola Adefila – Project Manager Coventry University ab0191@coventry.ac.uk

• Mr Pliny Soocoormanee – Project Worker University of Wolverhampton pliny@wlv.ac.uk