Professor Carol Fuller (Professor of the Sociology of Education at the University of Reading’s Institute of Education) is nominated in the Local Hero category of the 2018 Pride of Reading Awards, which set up to celebrate businesses, initiatives and individuals who make a difference to the community.

Professor Fuller’s Marvellous Mums initiative, which is co-led by Dr. Maria Danos, was a 10-week bespoke programme designed to promote greater confidence and self-efficacy of mothers in Whitley. The project offered weekly sessions featuring goal setting, skills auditing as well as practical support, such as interview techniques.

According to the initiative’s webpage, the idea behind this initiative is drawn from Professor Fuller’s research which focuses on “the role of confidence and attitudes as an internalised feature of self-identity and consequently aspirations and ambitions. Her research also explores the mechanisms by which these can be re-framed. Promoting confidence and self-efficacy via a bottom up rather than top down approach i.e. to promote change from within the individual as opposed to simply telling that individual what they need to change is key. Parents support the development of the confidence and aspirations of their children, it is therefore important that developing these areas within parents are also included in initiatives that seek to develop in young people.”

One participant of the group is quoted saying:

“This group has helped me a lot more than I was expecting if I’m honest. I’m more confident to talk about what I want to do with my life, I do want to get my GCSE grades I need to get me in to teaching (nursery)…with this group I feel I can do it and I have more support to help me get where I want to be. I feel I can speak up for myself. It has helped my anxiety as I came and I met new people and before I wouldn’t do that, and talking about how people have come to where they are has helped me open my eye to know how to get where I want to get and know what to do, but with this group I do now.”

 

 

You can find out the winners of the Pride of Reading awards across all the 17 categories on Friday 2nd November 2018 via its Twitter page and Facebook page. The awards night, to be held in the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre in Reading, will be hosted by Chris Tarrant.

The Institute of Education wishes you luck!

 

 

To learn more about Professor Fuller’s nomination, please visit:

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/meet-the-reading-professor-helping-empower-whitley-mums/

https://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR783885.aspx