North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership
Emotions and Feedback
Helena Kitto, Socio-legal Studies, Keele University (2019 cohort)
If you’re reading this, and you’re anything like me, then you’re familiar with some version of the phrase “I hate feedback”. Not in so many words maybe, my version of this expression is four letters long and is uttered a bit like a prayer when I see the email notification in my inbox that my supervisor has finally finished reading a piece of writing I’d already forgotten about. Depending on their feedback, the next few sentences might also be expressed in a similar fashion.
Read MoreOverseas institutional visit – University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Seren Parkman, Linguistics, Lancaster University (2023 Cohort)
Kia ora!
In January 2025 I had the amazing opportunity to go and visit the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Whilst I was there, I collaborated with leading academics on research projects similar to my own, sharing knowledge, literature, methodological practices and luckily for me stats skills – which I have always struggled with!
Read MoreAttending a Manchester Methods Summer School on Creative Approaches: A Strong Future Recommendation for NWSSDTP Students*
*(Please read/listen to the narrated version or do both based on whatever you prefer)!
Sam Browning, Geography & Environment, University of Liverpool (2024 cohort)
I have recently attended a summer school course on ‘Creative Approaches to Qualitative Research‘ at the University of Manchester. Methods@Manchester launched the course in March 2025, and I had been waiting eagerly to attend at the end of June / start of July. Below, you will find some of my reflections on attending and why I strongly recommend the course to anyone interested in discovering more about creative approaches to qualitative research.
Read MoreReflecting on Flexible working: A privilege for some, or a right for all?
Ragnhild Nordset, Business and Management, University of Liverpool (2020 cohort)
Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of stepping inside a leading Philharmonic Orchestra, not as an audience member, but as a researcher. Being a musician myself, knowing the hardship of the industry, what began as a study into flexible and family-friendly working quickly became something more personal. This was more than simply gathering data; I was welcomed into their living breathing culture of passion and hard work. It isn’t always that obvious from the outside just how much complexity and care sits behind the scenes of an iconic institution like this.
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North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership 