The UKLA Research Sub Committee is delighted to announce that two Student Research Prizes have been awarded this year:
UKLA Student Research Prize for Undergraduate Work 2021
Ella Godfroy: Children’s perceptions of diversity and their ability to empathise with characters in picture books.
Nominating supervisor: Ros Steward, University of the West of England
Committee members felt that Godfroy’s dissertation was an excellent example of ambitious undergraduate literacy research, tackling children’s perceptions of diversity and their ability to empathise with story book characters. The study demonstrated excellent awareness of important issues in literacy education. A real strength was the identification of implications for future research and for existing teaching practice. Overall, this was an impressive piece of classroom-based research of real significance at undergraduate level.
UKLA Student Research Prize for Postgraduate work 2021
Lucy Rodriguez León: Literacy Experiences: an exploration of young children’s intentions, identities and affective relations in everyday encounters with texts
Nominating Supervisor: Professor Teresa Cremin, Open University
Comment: Committee members unanimously agreed that this thesis was an excellent example of rigorous and innovative literacy research in the Early Years. We were hugely impressed by its contribution to theoretical conceptualisations of literacy experiences for the young children involved; for the meticulous detail and high quality of the presentation of the work, and for the implications drawn for practitioners. Analysis was undertaken with a ‘forensic eye’ and the detail included clearly illustrated how familiar and new theoretical framings could be incorporated into understandings about children’s lived experiences of literacy, making a meaningful contribution to the field of scholarship in children’s literacy practices.
The UKLA Research Sub Committee would like to extend their congratulations to Ella Godfroy and Lucy Rodriguez León, and all the nominees and shortlisted candidates, for this recognition of their contributions to literacy scholarship.
Do you have student work that you would like to nominate for the UKLA Student Research Prize? Please see the UKLA website for details. Closing date for the award to be made in 2022 is November 1st 2021 – see https://ukla.org/research/student-research-prize/
UKLA Research Sub Committee, April 2021
