Most of the members of PSYPOL are based at the University of Kent in Canterbury, except for Dr Chloe Bracegirdle. Chloe is a postdoctoral researcher at Nuffield College, Oxford, and is an integral member of our research team. Her expertise in longitudinal survey research among adolescents will be key to the success of the SNAP initiative.
On Friday October 22, 2021, Chloe visited the rest of the PSYPOL team in Canterbury, giving us an opportunity to have our first in-person, all-staff workshop.
The day started off with a photoshoot – a chance for us to get headshots and group photos for the project’s website and social media pages.
We spent the rest of the day workshopping the content of the questionnaire, with a special focus on how the social attitudes that we assess among adults in the VOICE panel can be translated into concepts that adolescents would understand. Chloe’s extensive experience conducting research in secondary schools across England was invaluable in these discussions.
We also discussed the most effective ways to engage with and involve schools in the project, and how we might be able to ‘give back’ to the students and institutions that participate. We plan to hold workshops for school students about Life at University, Admissions, and Psychology, as well as providing a small donation to the school libraries.
We ended the day by attending the Political Psychology lab group meeting, at which Chloe presented results of a recent research project, conducted in collaboration with Nikhil Sengupta, Nils Reimer and Dr Ralf Wolfer.
And finally, in a throwback to pre-pandemic life, we went out for drinks and dinner with colleagues and graduate students from the School of Psychology. All in all, a productive and fun (and long) day!