Research | Academic Skills Provision & the Ethnic Attainment Gap in UK Higher Education
Researchers in the Carnegie School of Education are inviting all ethnic minority undergraduates to take part in a piece of research about your experiences of academic skills.
If you would like to share your thoughts, you can email Dr. Bilal Nazir at: b.nazir@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.
As a thank you, participants will receive a £15 Asda E-voucher.
Closing date: 31st March 2024
Further Information
What is the study about?
Ethnic minority students experience many challenges at university particularly when it comes to engaging with academic learning and assessment. These challenges have led to comparatively lower performances amongst ethnic minority students. One of the ways universities are attempting to ensure students can engage with learning and undertake assessments effectively is by providing academic skills support. Academic skills can come in many forms, either through modules on in your degree programmes, or centrally through the academic skills department. This research is interesting in how ethnic minority students engage with academic skills provision in every level of their undergraduate experience and how that impacts their degree outcomes.
What would I have to do if I want to take part?
Students who volunteer to take part will be invited to a 45-minute Teams (online), recorded interview with me or an experienced researcher. During the interview you will be asked questions related to your experience of academic skills, and how this has helped you to prepare for learning and undertaking assessments.
What are the risks / benefits to me taking part?
We do not perceive there to be any risks associated with you taking part in the study. By taking part in the study, you will be helping us, gain a better understanding of how ethnic minority students engage with academic skills provision contributing towards the sector-wide debate and concern over ethnic minority student attainment. For taking part in this study students will receive a £15 Asda e-voucher following completion of the interview.
What will you do with my data, and will my participation be kept confidential?
Once all interviews have taken place, we will transcribe all recordings. In line with the Data Protection Act (1998) all raw data (recordings and final transcripts) will be password protected and will be stored on the Universities secure network server that only the named researchers associated with this project have access to. We will remove all identifiable information from the final transcripts and replace your name with a pseudonym. Your data, along with the other participants, will then be imported into a qualitative data package for analysis. The raw data collected as part of this study will be held for three years and will then be destroyed.
Following analysis, we plan to disseminate the findings via a peer-reviewed published article and presentation at local and national conferences. Please let Dr. Bilal Nazir know if you would like a summary of the findings once the study is complete.
What if I complete the interview and then decide to withdraw my data?
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you retain the right to withdraw from the study at any time without facing penalty. If you complete the interview and then decide that you no longer wish to participate, please contact the lead researcher by Monday 1st April using the contact details below. After this date, the data will be in an anonymised format and we will not be able to identify your data for removal.
I am willing to take part, what should I do now?
If you are willing to take part, please contact the lead researcher using the contact details below to register your interest. You will then be contacted to arrange a suitable time and day to conduct the interview.
Who should I contact if I would like more information about the study, or if I have any questions?
Lead researcher: Dr Bilal Nazir, b.nazir@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
Who do I contact should I wish to make a complaint?
Should you wish to make a complaint about the research please contact the Carnegie School of Educations Research Ethics Lead: Dr Michalis Kakos (m.kakos@leedsbeckett.ac.uk)