Keynote Speaker: Professor Richard Pring, Lead Director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and training for England and Wales (Oxford University)

For the last five years, students from the School of Education, University of Birmingham have organised a conference to enable research students to present a paper and encourage other students giving papers for the first time. The fifth conference took place on the 1st July 2006, and included a keynote address from Professor Richard Pring from Oxford University. There was also an expert panel and a ‘writing for publication workshop’ along with a full programme of student presentations. It attracted participants from across the Midlands and beyond with some thirty papers given, posters presented and a delegation approaching the figure of one hundred.

Professor Pring’s keynote was an inspiring address that drew upon examples of his own work from a large scale Nuffield Review. Prof. Pring explored the importance of morality in research and asked some fundamental questions such as ‘what counts as an educated 19 year old?’ He suggested that there were different kinds of explanation found in large-scale surveys and smaller ethnographical studies. This highlighted different ways of knowing and doing and the importance of constantly seeking conceptual clarity in research, so that others might better understand it. Prof Pring’s presentation prompted lively debates that continued after the presentation and were revisited throughout the day.

The Expert Panel gave a refreshing and insightful perspective to the conference. Experts included Dr Angela Creese, Professor Ann Lewis, Dr Jim McGrath and Dr. Steve Rayner who took questions from the floor. Answers provided began to throw light upon some complex issues. These included diverse topics such as the role of research in policy-making and whether it is possible to be objective in research, or whether researchers should seek to objectify the research. Both informal and formal evaluations post conference suggested that opening such dynamic discourses proved a valuable contribution to the conference for all.

A new edition to the conference this year saw Alison Taysum, from The University of Leicester and doctoral student at The University of Birmingham present a window of opportunity to delegates to get published. Her workshop ‘Writing for Publication’ outlined what a paper might look like, how to approach the review process and getting your first publication. It was intended that this workshop might support students working up articles for publication in carefully targeted outlets, including Management in Education, the journal for which Alison is deputy editor.

In the afternoon, the parallel sessions of student presentations offered alternative views on a variety of subjects and methodologies. These included educational disadvantage, Higher Education, Politics, policy and cross-national issues, language, music and adult learners and secondary education. The conference theme of ‘different ways of knowing and doing’ was apparent in all of the students’ papers and posters. The discourses were richer for the fact that the presenters drew from a range of different countries and settings. All those giving papers were invited to submit them to the conference committee who collated and edited them into a book of conference proceedings. This gave some their first proper publication and others valuable editing experience.

Lunchtime enabled delegates to renew old associations and establish new links, and this was continued during the plenary. Colleagues commented on how successful the conference had been, particularly in light of the competition the conference faced from the world cup football and Wimbledon tennis. All in all a very thought provoking day and valuable experience which the student organising conference committee is aiming to recreate in next years PGR students’ conference.

The student conference organising committee would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Steve Rayner and Dr Chris Corcoran for their guidance in all aspects of this conference, and Denise Lees and Helen Joinson for their specialist administrative support.

Alison Taysum, Centre of Educational Leadership and Management, University of Leicester.

Pictures and Quotes

Here are what some people had to say about the conference:

'Very well organised, thank you'

'A great opportunity to be encouraged to chair sessions'

'Ten pounds for a wonderful keynote speaker, good food, worthwhile, well done to everyone in the School of Education'

'I really enjoyed the day and learnt through the presentations and networking'

'Excellent conference…interesting mix of speakers, from a range of contexts and using a range of approaches - interesting and useful to listen to…'

Download a copy of the proceedings [pdf, 1,306 KB]