Join us in the Research Commons (room A232) to hear from Dr Melia Lazell and PhD student Melanie Dell from the University of Portsmouth

Making Development Bankable? –  Dr Melita Lazell

This presentation examines why UK aid has increasingly shifted from grants towards private-sector investment since 2012. Focusing on Kenya, it explores how British International Investment’s use of public funds to mobilise private capital is reshaping development. It asks what drives this transformation and, crucially, whose interests it serves and what it means for poverty reduction and development outcomes in practice.

Dr Melita Lazell is Associate Professor in Political Economy and Development and Associate Dean Research at the University of Portsmouth. She is author of The Nationalisation of UK Aid and Development and host of Global Aid Rethink podcast. Her interdisciplinary research uses mixed methods to examine aid policy, allocation, effectiveness, institutional change, and the evolving politics of global development and public policy.

Seeing the Teacher, Shaping Participation: Girls’ Perceptions of Female PE Teachers – Melanie Dell

This presentation explores how adolescent girls’ perceptions of female Physical Education teachers may influence their participation in PE lessons within independent schools. Through the lens of positionality and bias, it considers how teacher identity, characteristics and practice are interpreted by pupils, and how these perceptions may shape engagement, confidence, and participation. It also reflects on what the study evokes about the complex relationship between gender, teacher–pupil relationships and girls’ experiences of physical education.

Melanie Dell’s professional background spans PE teaching across primary, secondary, and further education, alongside pastoral responsibilities for pupils in Years 7–11 within independent school settings.  Melanie is currently a Teaching Fellow in Education and Course Lead for the PGCE Physical Education programme. Her doctoral study investigates how adolescent girls’ perceptions of female PE teachers influence their participation in PE lessons in independent schools, drawing particularly on concepts of positionality and bias. 

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What becomes possible when we bring different experiences, perspectives, and questions about education together?

Join Faculty of Education colleagues and graduate students for a 90-minute interactive workshop introducing the Queen’s Institute for Educational Scholarship and Research (QIESR) and its opportunities for connection, collaboration, and educational scholarship. Together, we will examine the distinctions and intersections among research, program evaluation, and quality improvement, considering how purpose, context, and intended contributions shape our approaches to inquiry.

Through discussion and collaborative work with a question or project of interest, we will explore positionality in educational scholarship and how our identities, experiences, roles, and assumptions shape the questions we ask, the approaches we take, and the knowledge we create. Together, we will reflect on our positions as educators and scholars, and the implications for thoughtful, ethical, and inclusive scholarship.

Across disciplines, roles, and career stages, QIESR brings people together to build capacity for educational scholarship, share knowledge and expertise, and create possibilities for collaboration. This experience invites you to contribute your perspective, learn from others, and consider how your questions and interests connect within our broader community of inquiry.

All are welcome! 

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