'Livin and Learnin’, Tellin stories, Challengin narratives: Critical reflections on engaging students from marginalised groups in staff research activities

Student engagement in academic research, is a necessary facet of their university experience. This promotes research cultures, links students to our research activities, and facilitates employability skills, such as public speaking and presenting information concisely (Healey and Jenkins 2009). This paper critically reflects upon how this happens in our ‘Applied Sociology’ research group, which includes Sociologists from various disciplines (e.g Sociology, Business etc) and was established to enhance our research environment for the REF. Our research incorporates everyday lived social realities of diverse/ marginalised groups. Everyday social/lived realities include educational experiences. The Applied Sociology research group, thus encourages students to explore these issues and write/present research papers at relevant symposia. Our recent event entitled ‘Livin and Learnin’ : Critical reflections on educational journeys in relation to social identity’ exemplifies this. Students’ from diverse social backgrounds gave papers on their educational autobiographies. BAME students’ stories were of particular interest, given persistent experiences of marginalisation and longstanding negative narratives concerning their attitudes to education/ attainment levels. Their accounts demonstrated how they overcame these issues and, in their ways, challenged dominant perspectives