Week 1 of my Laidlaw Research Summer is complete!

It's been exciting getting to know my fellow group members, and seeing how our different skillsets work together. Our research focuses on education, specifically on how trust is built between schools and families/students which is a topic I hadn't really considered. After finishing my first-year at Oxford, I've realised how easy it is to get caught up in the Oxford 'bubble' and not explore the surrounding Oxfordshire areas so this week has been a great way to  widen my perspective.

At the start, our research plans felt very vague but with the support of our Impact Advisor, we've managed to make good progress in our research brief, from reviewing the existing literature to developing a more concrete research question. Working collaboratively has been exciting, and I have learnt the importance of being flexible and open to ideas when working in a group. Being able to communicate with each other and meet regularly has allowed us to make steady progress. 

At first I found it a little difficult to properly get started as I felt that there was so much I didn't know, especially from a non-research background but actually being able to explore our research area has been really interesting. This week has reminded me of why I wanted to be a Laidlaw scholar - being able to conduct meaningful and ethical research in areas that are often overlooked. Already, I feel that I have learnt so much, from strengthening my knowledge in Excel to trying out completely new software such as NVivo to conduct qualitative analysis. This week I have definitely taken on a 'learner' role, especially learning from others in my group and I'm looking forward to Week 2!