Past Conferences

Programme

To download a programme please click here

Workshops

10.30am

Beginners’ Workshops

Strand 1: How to write a research question - Jane Stewart & Jean McKendree

A good research question is essential to focus your research so the project is achievable.  This means choosing a question that is:

• neither too broad or too narrow,
• actually researchable, and
• passes the “so what” test

The workshop will be interactive.  We will introduce a pragmatic but systematic approach to apply to new research ideas to turn them into good research questions.  The “raw material” for this workshop will be participants’ own research ideas.

Strand 2: Introduction to statistics – Katherine Woolf

Statistics can strike fear into the hearts of many new researchers.  However, depending on your research question and methodology, statistical analysis may be a necessity (or a necessary evil!).  This workshop is designed for those who need to know how statistics work, but assumes no expert knowledge.  It will cover levels of measurement and provide an introduction to the first basic steps of statistical analysis, using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Advanced Workshops

Strand 3: E and M Research: Carrying out research online- Henry Potts

We increasingly hear about e-learning and now m-learning (learning using mobile phones and other devices), but how do we carry out research on and in this new virtual environment. And are there useful e- and m-techniques for investigating learning in traditional contexts? This workshops explores different ways of carrying out online learning, including using log data, analysing online content, carrying out interviews by e-mail or Skype, and online questionnaires. We will also consider using mobile phones in research.
 

Strand 4: Integrating theory into study designs: How can research in medical education have greater impact on practice? How can practice inform theory development? - Sarah Yardley & Lin Norton

If you have ever asked ‘how can research in medical education have a greater impact on practice?’ or ‘How can practice inform theory development?’ then this workshop is for you. We propose that a bi-directional approach to the simultaneous use of theory to guide and interrogate empirical data and the use of empirical data to refine theory through an action research framework, may be a way forward.   ‘The fundamental purpose of pedagogical action research is to systematically investigate one’s own teaching/learning facilitation practice with the dual aim of modifying practice and contributing to theoretical knowledge’.

We will give a brief introduction of what integration should mean illustrated with clinical and pedagogical experiences drawn from our own work before considering how this works in action research. We will offer participants the opportunity to conduct small group work on scenarios involving research questions that require application of the bi-directional approach to integration, using this exercise to further our collective discussions.

Theory Seminar

Strand 5: Medical ethics as negative education: implications for research - Ruth Cigman

Is medical ethics (as taught in medical schools) negative education? Does it primarily teach students how NOT to act if they are to keep on the right side of the law? We shall explore this idea, ask whether it is unduly cynical, and consider possible implications for research. Can negative (or defensive) behaviour be measured and assessed? How should ethical learning be researched?

Strand 6: Seminars: Applied theoretical approaches – Working with the Dialogical - Ayelet Kupar

M. M. Bakhtin has emerged from relative obscurity during much of his lifetime to be lauded as one of the most important literary theorists and critics of the twentieth century. Bakthin’s concepts of the utterance and of dialogism were major influences on post-structuralist thinking, helping to theorize the move away from an objective understanding of language, texts and, ultimately, human interactions. In addition to his influence on the development of contemporary theory, his work has also been specifically taken up by social theorists working in areas relevant to medical education such as Dorothy Smith (the intersubjective creation of knowledge) and Arthur Frank (socio-narratology). Using Bakhtin as an entry point we will work through examples of dialogical work from the social sciences in order to highlight dialogism’s potential to inform medical education research theory and practice.
 

Strand 7: Doctoral Sessions – (accepted call for papers)

Lisi Gordon - University of Dundee - to read her abstract click here

Usman Mahboob - University of Glasgow - to read his abstract click here

2.00pm

Beginners’ workshops:

Strand 1: how to design a questionnaire – Sue Jamieson

There is a misconception that anyone with a clear grasp of English and a modicum of common sense can design an effective questionnaire” (Murray, 1999; Accid Emerg Nurse 7(3): 148-53). Well, how hard can it be?!! This beginners' workshop will raise awareness of issues to be considered in questionnaire construction, such as questionnaire and question format, response scales, and validation.

Strand 2: Focus groups – Lesley Pugsley

The use (and abuse) of focus groups as a qualitative tool in educational and health research has grown in popularity over the past few decades. Originally used to explore the effectiveness of media messages and then as a tool in market research, this approach explicitly uses group interactions as part of the method. This workshop is aimed at helping those who are new to focus group research and will provide a general introduction to focus groups and their use as a research tool. As its central topics the workshop will consider the historical development of the focus group as a research method and the practicalities of planning and running the groups. By the end of the session participants should have a solid understanding of when, why and how focus groups can be used in qualitative research.

Advanced workshops

Strand 3: Workshop cancelled

Strand4: Socio-cultural approaches to learning – Viv Cook & Clare Morris

This advanced workshop will provide an overview of the scope and potential of socio-cultural approaches to researching and enhancing work-based learning.  From these perspectives, learning is viewed as integral to participation in clinical environments and can be understood at the level of whole Activity Systems as well as the micro-processes of communicative practices. Examples of research will be presented and participants will be invited to consider the questions that emerge from socio-cultural approaches and consider the utility of such analytical tools for their own research and practice.

Strand 5: Researching simulation: from theory to practice – Caroline Pelletier

This workshop will raise several methodological issues arising from research on teaching and learning with simulation. It will report on a collaboration between social scientists and clinical educators and researchers in several London trusts, which set out to investigate the following questions: (1) what and how do clinical trainees learn about clinical practice in simulated settings; (2) how can the transfer of learning to 'real' clinical settings be accounted for; and (3) how can clinical educators draw on educational research to inform practices involving simulated settings. The workshop will explore the implications, benefits and challenges of drawing on social sciences concepts and methods to investigate pedagogic activities in clinical settings. It will also examine the experience of inter-disciplinary research-based collaborations between researchers and clinicians, including the extent to which such collaborations contribute to critical understanding and evaluation of education practices involving simulated settings. The workshop will be an occasion to reflect on practices such as joint data analysis between clinicians and educational researchers, and joint writing and publication. Presenters will organise the workshop to elicit comparative experiences from attendees.

 
Strand 6 Seminars: Applied theoretical approaches – Communities of practice: a social discipline of learning - Etienne Wenger

The learning challenges we face today urgently call for new models of how we can learn individually and collectively. Traditionally learning has been viewed as a process of acquiring a body of knowledge through the transmission of a curriculum. Yet both research and experience suggest that learning is a much broader phenomenon—an inherent part of life and a deeply social process. If we take this seriously, then we need a new “social discipline of learning” to help us foster learning. In this interactive workshop we explore such a perspective on learning and how it is relevant to the challenges faced by participants.
 

Strand 7: Doctoral Sessions – (accepted call for papers) 

Graham Easton - imperial college London - to read his abstract click here

Michael Klintzenberg - UCL Medical School - to read his abstract click here

4.00pm

Beginners’ Workshops

Strand 1: From research to practice: the knowledge translation process in education - Marilyn Hammick

Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) aims to create a culture where decisions about education practice and policy are informed by evidence from robust and peer reviewed systematic reviews. Producing evidence is a necessary start to that process and many BEME reviews have now been published.  However, making review results available and accessible is probably insufficient for consistent and confident use of evidence. This workshop will focus on how to introduce and build a culture of using evidence in education practice.

Strand 2: Conceptual Inquiry – Judith Suissa

In this session we will look at the philosophical tradition of conceptual analysis.  Conceptual analysis involves breaking down or analyzing concepts into their constituent parts in order to gain knowledge or a better understanding of a particular issue.  We will discuss the role and significance of conceptual inquiry in the social sciences and will explore some examples from the field of philosophy of education.

Advanced workshops

Strand 3: Narrative enquiry – Barbara Cole

The aim of the session is to explore some of the developments in and complexities of narrative research, a genre of qualitative research methodology which utilises a ‘storied’ approach to the collection, analysis and/or presentation of data.   Narrative is certainly not ‘new’ but it is now developing as an important and challenging research approach in the social sciences. While still regarded with concern and even suspicion by its critics, it is increasingly being used to explore and illuminate complexity in issues around ‘voice’, marginalisation and intersectionality for example in a number of areas, including gender, disability, inclusion, ethnicity, race, age and sexuality, and even medicine!  Narrative can be both process or product; it can be the means of collecting data or of presenting it, or both. The session will explore some of the issues around the use of narrative in social science research and in particular the role of the researcher within the production of narrative research.

Strand 4: Doing research with children and young people - Ian Finlay

This workshop will explore the ethical and methodological issues involved in conducting research and consultation activities with children and young people. Increasingly, their views in issues affecting their lives are sought to inform research and practice, for instance in the provision of services that they use (education, health, leisure etc.). The session will look at examples of participative methods and the issues involved in using these with children and young people, with examples from research conducted by the presenter with disadvantaged youth. We will also examine the key ethical issues involved in research with children and young people. Issues of consent, confidentiality, anonymity and others will be discussed in relation to direct examples from research.

Theory seminar:

Strand 5: Actor-network theory – Alan Bleakley

Actor-Network Theory (ANT) provides a radical approach to educational research. In this workshop, you will learn about ANT's relationship to sociocultural learning theories such as Activity Theory; staying close to the ground in local ethnographies; spotting a fault line in a work practice and following its trajectory; setting up a work-net through democratic symmetry between persons, objects and ideas; distinguishing between mediators and intermediaries; translating across mediators to strengthen networks; maintaining networks; and articulating network effects as a research outcome. Illustrative examples will be drawn from medical and surgical education research. No prior knowledge of ANT is necessary.

Strand 6: Seminars: Applied theoretical approaches – Communities of practice: a social discipline of learning - Etienne Wenger

The learning challenges we face today urgently call for new models of how we can learn individually and collectively. Traditionally learning has been viewed as a process of acquiring a body of knowledge through the transmission of a curriculum. Yet both research and experience suggest that learning is a much broader phenomenon—an inherent part of life and a deeply social process. If we take this seriously, then we need a new “social discipline of learning” to help us foster learning. In this interactive workshop we explore such a perspective on learning and how it is relevant to the challenges faced by participants.

Strand 7: Doctoral Sessions – (accepted call for papers)

Laura Delgaty - Newcastle University - to read her abstract click here

Suhaila Sanip - University of Leeds - to read her abstract click here

Videos

A selection of videos from the Researching Medical Education conference, held at the Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London, UK on the 21st of November 2012.