A research report exploring student perceptions of their learning and experiences during A level media courses, and ways of developing media teaching provision to be up to date with changing technological landscapes.
The project focused on recording experiences of students as relayed in focus groups and a 'media usage' chart as a questionnaire to assess their views. This was used as a basis for semi-structured focus groups through which curriculum development could be made more relevant to student life. Interviews with staff members also contributed to theories on supporting students to further develop the curriculum.
The project adapted the curriculum according to feedback from both staff and learners, but found that as an action research project the commitment from learners varied as it was seen as an additional task to their workload during their A-Levels. Work done by learners on this project has been embedded in future curriculum delivery for A Level Media Studies, and could be applied to other subjects, with particular appreciation of 'peer led' processes which were seen to be successful by both learners and staff.
LSIS Research Development Fellowship