BU Research Blog

Our Experience: My Voice, My Story

Our next instalment of the ‘Photo of the Week’ series features Dr Maggie Hutchings image which represents BU’s Fair Access Research Project in action.  The series is a weekly instalment, which features an image taken by our fantastic BU staff and students. The photos give a glimpse into some of the fascinating work our researchers have been doing across BU and the wider community.

The Fair Access Research project brings together students and staff from across the university to develop research knowledge and expertise in the field of fair access to higher education. The team are developing an understanding of the challenges some students face in accessing and succeeding in university, how university is experienced by different groups of students and how the university can support them. The impact of the research will be felt by students and academics across the university as awareness is raised and a shift in culture is felt over time.

The photo voice method was used by BU students participating in the ‘My Voice, My Story’ research project to produce images and ‘stories’ about their experiences of being a non-traditional student. Students co-created their stories and were invited to share their experiences at an ESRC Festival of Social Sciences workshop with an invited audience of academics and widening participation practitioners. The image shows the participants’ reflections captured at the workshop through interpretations written on the table-cloths, and contributing to the data for the research. Insights were gained into the effects of arts-based social participatory research methods for eliciting deep stories to inform policy and practice.

If you’d like find out more about the research or the photo itself then please contact Dr Hutchings or Dr Vanessa Heaslip or Dr Clive Hunt who are leading the Fair Access Research Project.

This photo was originally an entry in the 2017 Research Photography Competition. If you have any other questions about the Photo of the Week series or the competition please email research@bournemouth.ac.uk