Education
PhD Researcher in Education (ESRC 1+3)
Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter
Start date: September 2015
Graduation date: July 2022
Research topic: Understanding teachers’ and pupils’ perspectives on participation in project-based science activities
The emphasis on STEM in schools has led to conflicting pressures on science teachers to deliver high-stakes exam performance and to foster enthusiasm and career aspirations by making science relevant and meaningful to pupils. Some teachers run project-based activities spanning weeks or months, generally in addition to the standard curriculum and often in the ‘gaps’ or neglected spaces of the school timetable. I am using cultural-historical activity theory to understand how such activities develop, the various motives teachers and pupils bring to the activities, why difficulties arise and how (if) they are resolved. Agency is a key theme in my research.
Research supervisors: Dr Nasser Mansour, Dr Lindsay Hetherington
Professional memberships/Positions held:
Member of BERA
Member of the Institute of Physics (MInstP)
PGCE Tutor in Secondary Science at Exeter University (GTA position)
Email: jn326@exeter.ac.uk