Student praised for her research skills at national conference
A student at the University of Chester has presented her research at a prestigious national conference focusing on early childhood.
Oliwia Paluszewicz presented the findings of her undergraduate dissertation ‘Boys and Dresses’ at the Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network 8th Annual Conference ‘One Early Childhood Voice, One Vision’ last week.
Her presentation was praised by key academics in the field of early childhood studies who commended her for her creativity and research methods.
Oliwia is currently studying for the now Master’s in Social Justice and Globalisation in Education after graduating last year with a first in BA Early Childhood Studies, both at the University of Chester.
As part of her Master’s studies, Oliwia is continuing to investigate many of the subject areas she developed a passion for while on her undergraduate degree linked to social issues impacting the health, wellbeing and development of children and young people.
Oliwia is currently working as an Early Year’s Practitioner in a day care nursery alongside her studies. This enables her to bring theory and practice together as well as advancing her knowledge and skills in the profession. She is considering working towards a career in further education when she completes her studies.
Oliwia said: “The Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network Conference was a major step forward for me. It was particularly encouraging to hear positive feedback from professionals I look up to. The experience made me feel a lot more confident about public presentations and it will definitely benefit my future work and career. I’m really grateful for the support on both my undergraduate Early Childhood Studies programme and experiences on my current MA which have led me to become a more informed practitioner and confident presenter.”
Dr Paula Hamilton, Programme Leader for the MA Social Justice and Globalisation in Education at the University, said: “Watching Oliwia present her research at the Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network Conference was truly inspiring. She delivered a confident, passionate and well-informed presentation about the importance of supporting young children’s gender development in practice. It was very well received by her audience, which included key academics in the field of early childhood studies. She was praised for her ‘creative design and use of participatory research methods’ which ‘skillfully captured children’s voices’ and was encouraged to consider publishing her work.
“It is great to see that the interests Oliwia developed on her undergraduate degree for gender studies and eliciting children's voices, have been sustained during her post-graduate studies. She is doing extremely well on the Master's programme and has a bright future ahead of her.”