A Digital Media Production lecturer from Stratford-upon-Avon College recently presented their research at the BERAWERA conference at the University of Manchester.
Sarah Downing, who is studying for her PhD alongside her college role at the University of Sunderland, attended the British Education Research Association (BERA) and World Education Research Association (WERA) conference to present findings from her research.
Sarah’s research is helping students resitting their GCSE English Language exam. The research looks at the use of film and how it can be used to teach students empathy – for example studying film characters with certain conditions or going through difficult times. This can help students better understand and empathise – which in turn helps with their creative writing.
Through completing this research, she has found that the GCSE resit pass rate has consistently declined over the last few years. She remarks that “mental health and exam stress plays a big part in the declining pass rate.”
Sarah has also applied her findings into her classes at the College, especially when teaching Level 2 Media students resitting GCSEs. She comments: “I knew what was being taught in the English lessons, so I was able to relate and refer back to it in my lessons with them.”
Sarah has seen her research reflected in other her other classes too. She commented: “It also helped students with their final project of making a documentary. They showcased empathy within their topics of mental health and NHS wait times.”
The research has shown that through highlighting the importance of character alignment in film, her students were able to explore deeper topics and create stronger work as a result.
Congratulations to Sarah on this achievement and good luck with the rest of your studies!
