Belonging & Mattering for Criminology Students: Insights from a Research Journey at Edinburgh Napier University

Hear from Christine Haddow, Associate Professor of Criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, about how feeling a sense of belonging and mattering affects criminology students.

Please join Centre for Innovation and Research in Legal Education (CIRLE) for a guest lecture by Dr Christina Haddow that explores how a sense of belonging and mattering impacts criminology students' experiences, focusing on research projects that examine assessment, feedback, and extra-curricular activities to enhance community and belonging in higher education.

About the Speaker

Dr Christine Haddow is an Associate Professor of Criminology (Learning & Teaching) at Edinburgh Napier University, where she has been teaching and researching in Criminology and the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching for 10 years. Christine has held numerous leadership roles in learning and teaching during this time, including Programme Leader for Criminology, School Lead for Curriculum Enhancement, and is currently Head of Subject for Psychology. Her research in learning and teaching has focused on student belonging, and educational leadership, including projects funded by QAA Scotland, and an upcoming Spencer Foundation funded study. She has published in academic and practice focused outputs, and presented findings at national and international conferences.

Abstract

A sense of belonging has been identified in salient literature as associated with a number of positive outcomes for students in HE, yet research charts a ‘loss of community’ (see: Boyer, 1990) over time. It follows that enhancing belonging and community in HE has emerged as both a puzzle and an area of thematic priority for practice, research and quality enhancement bodies, particularly in challenging times (Campbell, 2019; Gopalan et al., 2021). What is lacking from the research landscape is an account of what community and belonging means within criminological higher education. This session will offer insight as to why we feel they are of particular concern for students studying on these programmes (Haddow & Brodie, 2023c).

This session will share an ongoing programme of research from Edinburgh Napier University in the area of student belonging and mattering, focusing on 3 projects which explore this in a variety of contexts. Our research on students’ learning experiences examines how assessment and feedback approaches can enhance belonging and mattering, and we share a roadmap for assessment design based on our findings (Haddow & Brodie, 2023a). Beyond the classroom, we examine how extra-curricular activities which foster new student-staff communities can create a sense of belonging. This work has informed our model of authentic belonging enhancement (Haddow & Brodie, 2023b). Our upcoming project places these experiences in the wider socio-economic context, to consider how students face the challenges that an economic down turn has ushered, exploring the question – can I truly afford to belong at University in a cost of living crisis?

While exploring how belonging is achieved in and shaped by these learning, social, and wider contextual experiences, the session will focus on the implications for students in criminology and criminal justice focused education. It will conclude with a call for more research and innovation which explores and supports community and belonging within the disciplinary context.

How To Attend 

Please register in advance via Tickettailor.

References

Boyer, E. (1990). Campus life: In search of community. A Special Report of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Campbell, K. (2021). Building Belonging in the Post-Pandemic Landscape. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education. https://qaa.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#58000000dTnO/a/4H000001VwD5/YfRDlFIytCNLyImEy25IzKPAuEjKqgND1DLGvbo4uTM

Gopalan, M., Linden-Carmichael, A., & Lanza, S. (2022). College students’ sense of belonging and mental health amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(2), 228–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.010

Haddow, C., & Brodie, J. (2023a). Building Communities and Enhancing Belonging: A Route Map for Assessment Design. https://figshare.edgehill.ac.uk/articles/educational_resource/Haddow_and_Brodie_Belonging_Assessment_Map_pdf/24375058

Haddow, C., & Brodie, J. (2023b). Harnessing innovation approaches to support community and belonging in Higher Education. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 61(6), 1341-1354. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2176907

Haddow, C., & Brodie, J. (2023c). What Works for ‘Authentic Belonging’ Enhancement in Criminology? https://bscltn.wordpress.com/2023/04/17/what-works-for-authentic-belonging-enhancement-in-criminology/