We are interested in how children think and learn, primarily from one another but also in the context of the classroom, from teachers, and more generally from others. Our research in this area views learning and development as a fundamentally social process. That is, we believe that one of the best ways to understand how education “works” is to understand more about how children interact and communicate with others, and how they understand their learning relationships.
Within this broad focus we have a number of specific research projects and the team has expertise in several relevant areas. For instance, a major strand of research focuses on mentoring and peer support for individuals who have neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health conditions. We also focus upon peer support, where people receive support from others with similar experiences. In the school contact, this has been looked at in relation to peer support initiatives in schools and cross-age mentoring between university students and school pupils.
In addition to this we have been working on enhancing learning opportunities through collaboration and hands on learning (e.g., engaging with nature).
Current projects:
- Impact of engaging in outdoor science learning on mood and well-being (Dawn Watling & Deborah Harvey)
Past Projects:
- Collaborative writing: Too Many Cooks
- Ethnicity, learning, and children’s interactions at schools
- Parenting peer support
- Peer collaboration
- Psychology mentoring project
- Understanding feedback