I spent Monday morning visiting one of the primary schools we collected data from. We spoke with the headteacher and a teacher who oversaw the Oxford pilot study. They noted the gradual improvement in student engagement and adapting as the study progressed. I found it incredibly insightful to have visited the primary school, and to have interacted with the students there. It gave me a more comprehensive overview of what we are researching and the people our research directly impact.
After our GIA meeting with our supervisor on Tuesday, I spent Wednesday working on stakeholder mapping for our project. We identified core, direct, indirect stakeholders, and their interest, influence, effect, and risks to the project, as well as any conflicting interests. My group had a discussion about whether to classify certain stakeholders into secondary or tertiary stakeholders, or into primary or secondary stakeholders. The white paper ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ was beneficial in complementing both our stakeholder analysis and the school visit.
The most hectic morning I had was Thursday, when the door to my accommodation broke, and I couldn’t leave the building. Thankfully I was able to access Zotero on my laptop. I made good use of time by exploring the key functions of the application whilst waiting for the door to be fixed.
It was great to meet Laidlaw scholars from around the world on Thursday night, when we played Junkyard Golf together. I got to speak to a few Laidlaw scholars from the US. It was a lovely team building activity and I enjoyed getting to know what other scholars are doing their research projects on!
Volunteering at the Powerhouse Games and visiting Blackbird Leys on Friday was an amazing opportunity to actively engage with the local community and see the people who strive to empower their communities. I especially appreciated how the Powerhouse Games promote inclusivity (making sure no one was “left on the bench”), and how welcoming Communi-Tea in Blackbird Leys was. Across the last two weeks, the times when we got to step out of the lab and into the communities are my favourite – there’s something immensely motivating about interacting with community members.
A fruitful week! Looking forward to diving into the datasets and seeing how our research contributes to broader discussions around educational development.
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Hi Kelly,
Thank you for another engaging reflection. I really enjoyed reading it. It captures not only what you have been doing, but also your enthusiasm for engaging directly with schools and communities.
I particularly liked your observation that the moments outside the lab - visiting schools, volunteering at the Powerhouse Games and spending time in Blackbird Leys - were among the most motivating. That highlights an important aspect of research: whilst analysis and literature reviews are essential, it is often direct engagement with people that reminds us why the research matters in the first place.
Your discussion of stakeholder mapping was also encouraging. Many people think of stakeholder analysis as simply an administrative exercise, but your reflection hints at something more important: organisations operate within complex networks of relationships, where different groups have different priorities and sometimes conflicting interests. Recognising and navigating those relationships is an important leadership skill as well as a research skill.
One area I'd encourage you to develop in future reflections is to pause occasionally and ask yourself why your observations matter. For example, you mention that student engagement and adapting improved over the course of the pilot. What might explain that? Similarly, why is community engagement so motivating? Taking that extra analytical step will strengthen your reflections and help you develop as a researcher.
Finally, I noticed a common thread running through your week: inclusivity. Whether discussing the school's work, the Powerhouse Games ensuring no one was 'left on the bench', or the welcoming atmosphere at Communi-Tea, you repeatedly noticed people creating environments where others could participate and belong. That made me wonder whether one of the characteristics of effective leaders is their ability to create spaces where others feel included, valued and able to contribute. As your project progresses, it might be interesting to reflect on how those seemingly small actions shape organisational culture and community outcomes.
I'm looking forward to seeing what insights emerge as you begin analysing the data over the coming weeks.
Best wishes,
Ben