How do mature students experience academic reading?

Catherine Bates (Lifelong Learning Centre)

Project overview

Global research suggests that up to 80% of university students do not complete assigned readings, affecting their confidence and academic outcomes. Mature students bring many strengths to their studies, but can be new to academic reading; reading self-efficacy is key to student empowerment, sense of belonging and success. I will use Participatory Action Research method to ask what experiences and perceptions of reading mature students have, how their reading journeys develop on course, and how reading literacies can be embedded into the curriculum. I aim to empower mature students to reflect on their relationships with reading using Photovoice and use research insights to co-produce inclusive good practice resources on academic reading.

The research approach

I will take a Participatory Action Research approach using Photovoice: a ‘participatory research method that uses a grassroots approach and photography to bring about social action’ (Goodhart et al., 2006, p. 53). A community action research method based on Freire’s critical pedagogy and feminist theory (Wang and Burris, 1997), it involves helping those without power to ‘use visual evidence to recognize and voice their’ (Goodhart et al, 2006, p. 53) experience: to influence and effect change.

If you would like to find out more about the project contact Catherine Bates

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-bates-0250b54a/

X - @cathpuppeteer

Each fellowship has a project sponsor that helps the fellows achieve impact across the institution. The sponsor for this fellowship is Louise Banahene

Project start date: September 2024