Year of graduation: 2022
Supervisors: Dr Karen Jones & Dr Catherine Foley
Research focus: The research explored whether senior categories of teaching fellowships such as the National Teaching Fellowship (NTF), HEA Principal Fellowship (PFHEA) and HEA Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) provide opportunities to support career progression for women with teaching focused roles in a prestige economy which has traditionally favoured research achievements. In carrying out this study, which drew on visual and narrative methods, research participant’s broader career journeys were also explored.
Reasons for choosing to do the EdD degree at the University of Reading: I wanted to study part-time, whilst working, and an EdD (rather than a PhD) programme provides a structure that is specifically designed to support people to do this. EdDs encourage you to research an aspect of your own professional practice, and for me, that was a major appeal – being able to study and work at the same time, with each informing the other. Being part of an EdD cohort also appealed to me, because PhD study can be lonely. The EdD programme at Reading is carefully scaffolded so that you gradually move towards independent research and thesis writing, supported by two supervisors.
Career since graduation: I am an academic developer at my institution and my research provided many insights into issues around gender and recognition, progression and prestige. I graduate next week, so in some ways it is early days for me, but I started learning from day one of the EdD programme and it remained an incredibly enriching experience throughout. Since my viva, I have been invited to present my research at two institutions and a next step is to write up my research and findings for a journal article.