Tag: Ethnic diversity

Migration, refugee and global curriculum in the 21st century: an interdisciplinary response at Key Stages 2 & 3
University of Sheffield – School of Education, Faculty of Social Sciences
Closes: 6th March 2016

The School of Education is advertising a funded ESRC PhD White Rose Collaborative Studentship based at the University of Sheffield and Development Education Centre South Yorkshire (DECSY) and seeks to attract high quality applicants. In 2014, the School was ranked first for research impact, and fourth overall in Education in the UK. Ninety-four percent of our research was ranked 3* and 4*, making us the leading School of Education in the UK. The successful applicant will join a collaborative research environment that supports world-leading and internationally excellent research.

The aims of the PhD are to: a) investigate ‘Promoting British Values’ (PBV) policy and the global school curriculum in Humanities subjects at Key Stages 2 and 3 amongst recently arrived and established migrant students, their parents and teachers and b) conduct participatory research with students, parents and teachers to co-construct curriculum units for anti-racist global curriculum.

With changing patterns of global migration, the ethnic diversity of schools increases and intercultural relations become a pressing issue for teachers. Eurocentric perspectives dominate the English school curriculum (Lambert and Morgan, 2011; Harris, 2013; Winter, 2015) and whilst Gillborn illuminates institutional racism in schools (2008, 2015), recent ‘Promoting British Values’ (PBV) policy raises concerns about inciting Islamophobia (Richardson, 2015). This studentship investigates curriculum policy discourses of nationhood, national and global identity (Anderson, 1991) and the emergence of new ‘cultural hybridities’ (Bhabha, 1994) through Geography, History and Religious Education (RE)/Citizenship curricula in case study multi-ethnic schools.

A questionnaire survey will be administered to parents of KS2 and 3 students in a sample of multi-ethnic schools in 3 English Local Authorities (LA). The questionnaire will focus on parents’ views about global learning; perspectives on PBV policy and topic suggestions for curriculum development. Semi-structured focus group interviews will be conducted with KS2 and 3 students in three case study primary and two secondary schools. Interviews will be held with Humanities teachers and in a sample of case study classes, students, parents, teachers and PhD student will develop the curriculum.

The main collaborator is DECSY, with inputs from the Geographical (GA) and Historical Associations (HA).

Supervisors:
Principal supervisor: Dr Christine Winter, School of Education, University of Sheffield
Co-Supervisors: Dr Louise Waite, School of Geography, University of Leeds and Mr Rob Unwin, DECSY, Sheffield.

Enquiries:
Interested candidates should, in the first instance, contact Dr Christine Winter.

Entry requirements and eligibility criteria:
• White Rose DTC ESRC awards are only available to nationals from the UK and EU and are not open to applicants who are liable to pay academic fees at the international fee rate.
• Applicants must hold at least a UK upper second class honours degree or equivalent
• Applicants should hold or be eligible for DBS approval
• This project is suitable for a candidate with an academic background in Education; Cultural Geography; Cultural/Postcolonial Studies; Geography, History, Religious Studies or Citizenship, Language and Literacy Education. The following experience would be an advantage: a) PGCE and teaching experience in English primary/secondary school classrooms b) teaching experience with NGO/INGO educational programmes c) school curriculum development experience d) community-based third sector educational experience.
• The successful candidate would need to travel regularly to participating schools.
• UK applicants will be eligible for a full award (paying fees and maintenance at standard Research Council rates). EU applicants are normally eligible for a fees only award, unless they have been resident in the UK for 3 years immediately preceding the date of the award.

How to apply.