Dr Gwen Brekelmans, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Advanced Research Methods, School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
My scholarship can broadly be captured within the theme of diversity and inclusion, which I also try to make this the basis of my educational approach. One strand of my scholarship focusses on investigating how representation influences education. I have worked on this with Queen Mary undergraduate students for their dissertations, as well as with external collaborators, investigating the role of visualising diversity in diversity awareness. This has directly impacted some of the teaching we do, to ensure everyone feels represented in higher education.
The projects I have done so far have made it possible to explore new collaborations with external colleagues whom I would not otherwise have worked with. Prior to starting at Queen Mary, I did not have much experience with scholarship yet, so starting the various strands of my work have really widened my skillset, and given me a wealth of experience in evaluating my own practice. Moreover, while the scholarship that I have managed to develop in my time here has been very fulfilling, it also greatly contributed to my career progression from lecturer to senior lecturer within my two years at Queen Mary so far.
The key impact of my scholarship at the moment is within Psychology teaching, showcasing the importance of diversity across the field and in the higher education classroom. This has so far had important implications in how I go about my own teaching, ensuring students feel included and like they belong within Psychology. In future, on further expanding these scholarship projects, they could potentially investigate how much diversity awareness impacts on student's sense of belonging and student retention.
The key thing I would advise others about the importance of scholarship is to find your niche. Scholarship can be so much more than just ticking a box of 'needing to do scholarship for career progression' if you make it. While that is of course also important, the process of doing scholarship can really influence your own and others' teaching, and can lead to very fruitful new collaborations with exciting people. Try figuring out what pedagogical area holds your interest, what topic you are passionate about, or even what you do in your teaching that could be worth evaluating and investigating more!