The Psychology team at Bishop Grosseteste University invite students and staff at BGU to apply for the 2019 round of the Psychology Summer Research Internships scheme.
The internships offer the opportunity to collaborate with an experienced staff researcher on one of their existing or developing research projects over the Summer. In the process interns can gain experience of real research, develop specific research skills and expertise in an area of interest, and can contribute to BGU’s research culture.
Internships are available in the broad field of Psychology, to all students and staff (no specific disciplinary background is required, although some projects may require specific skills and experience, such as statistical analysis.) Some projects offer flexible arrangements for you to contribute from home. Others would require full or partial presence on site.
Projects offered in 2019 are outlined below. Please read carefully for more information.
Application instructions:
If you would like to apply for a specific project, please email the project lead and copy in caroline.horton@bishopg.ac.uk, by the deadline of 1pm Friday 17th May 2019, with “Psychology internships” as the subject. You will need to attach a statement of interest. The statement should include a rationale for applying for your chosen project(s), outlining why you would make a strong intern. Ideally please apply for just one specific project, or list one alternative, if you can’t decide.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted on Monday 20th May, and invited for an informal interview with the project lead on Wednesday 22nd May. Please note that this is a tight turnaround to facilitate appointment before students leave campus for Summer.
Feel free to contact project leads with specific queries about projects, or Dr. Caroline Horton, scheme coordinator, if you have more general enquiries (caroline.horton@bishopg.ac.uk).
We look forward to researching with you!
Dr. Sue Becker
Two projects are available:
Project title: Developing Experiential Writing Strategies Using Online Synchronous Collaborative Techniques
Brief overview of project: The project used and evaluated online synchronous collaborative writing techniques with levels 4, 6 & 7 Psychology students.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The internship will focus on drawing together existing analytic work and updating literature review to co-author journal article
Expectations of applicant: Basic knowledge of mixed methods research
Opportunities for the intern: opportunity to co-author research paper and experience submission and review processes
Any other information: Although the internship will end in September it is expected that the intern will maintain contact with the supervisor through the submission and review processes.
Project title: Resisting Epilepsy through humour
Brief overview of project: The project is focused on the analysis of humour and laughter in interaction as it appears in 47 interviews with people diagnosed with Epilepsy in adulthood.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The internship will focus on drawing together existing analytic work and updating literature review to co-author journal article
Expectations of applicant: Familiarity with qualitative analysis, experience of literature searching
Opportunities for the intern: opportunity to co-author research paper and experience submission and review processes
Any other information: Although the internship will end in September it is expected that the intern will maintain contact with the supervisor through the submission and review processes.
Mirena Dimolareva
mirena.dimolareva@bishopg.ac.uk
Three projects are available:
Project title: Assessing the effectiveness of the 2-year review
Brief overview of project: Investigating whether the 2-year-review is offered to all parents as intended by the government as well as whether it is effective in finding children who are showing a language delay. Furthermore, parent views of the 2-year-review are also investigated.
Brief overview of internship requirements: This project is well under way and much of the data is collected. There is still some data to collect through questionnaires (online) and playing games with children in person (one-to-one assessment). The internship is flexible and students can choose whether they would like to take part in the online questionnaire collection and/ or in-person testing. Once data is collected, there will be an opportunity for data analysis. Training is provided for all tasks involved in this project.
Expectations of applicant: Online questionnaires: ability to recruit online, using social media and other channels
In person testing: Ability and confidence to work with children. Willingness to learn how to use a standardised test, ability to recruit parents in person.
Opportunities for the intern: Training to use the pre-school language scale (if doing in-person testing), training on data collection and recruitment.
Dates project commences and ends: on or after 27th May- latest until 22nd sept. This is flexible and depends on recruitment success
Any other information: The online part of the project can be completed from home. You will need to have the training before commencing.
Project title: Investigating the relationship between pet attachment and anxiety
Brief overview of project: This questionnaire based project will be set up online and investigate the relationship between people’s attachment to their pets and the levels of their anxiety.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The internship will involve setting up the online questionnaires, online recruitment and inputting data. Training will be provided for all stages of the project. Depending on the success of data collection, opportunities for data analysis will also be available.
Expectations of applicant: Ability to do online recruitment.
Opportunities for the intern: In this project you will be trained on how to run an online research project as well as the rules and guidelines of data inputting.
Dates project commences and ends: 27th May- 22nd sept.
Any other information: This project can be completed from home or BGU. You will need to have the training before commencing.
Project title: Establishing the gaps for the rural autistic community
Brief overview of project: Living in rural Lincolnshire often presents challenges for people with special needs due to a shortage of services. The project will aim to ask the Autistic community what they need in an attempt to explore options available for further services. This will likely be in collaboration with the Autism Research Innovation Centre at University of Lincoln.
Brief overview of internship requirements: Online recruitment of autistic people and their families. Potential in person questionnaire completions. Attending Autism events organised locally.
Expectations of applicant: The willingness to speak to, recruit and work with autistic people and their families.
Opportunities for the intern: There is a possibility of an Autism event being organised at LORIC which you will be encouraged to attend. This will enable you to make connections with other local people involved within the Autistic community.
Dates project commences and ends: 27th May- 22nd sept.
Any other information: This project can be completed from home or BGU. You will need to have the training before commencing.
Dr. Maria Efstratopoulou
Maria.efstratopoulou@bishopg.ac.uk
Project title: MBC checklist for children
Brief overview of project: Entering data already collected (during a previous phase of the MBC Project) on children’s behaviour from:
Local Schools in UK ( Primary mainstream schools/ teachers from Lincolnshire, London)
Expectations of applicant: Preferably SENI or / and Psychology student year 2 (during the academic year 2018-19) with an ability to use SPSS, entering data (training will be provided).
An ability to contact with local Primary schools for cooperation will be an asset.
Opportunities for the intern: Training on simple Statistical analysis of data, possible cooperation in publications and Conferences.
The intern will gain the knowledge and experience to write his/ her Thesis (during the next academic year) in a similar subject (ADHD, ASD, Mental health issues, Assessment of emotional and behavioural problems in children, effectiveness of interventions for challenging behaviours etc.). Help and support will be constantly available.
Dates project commences and ends: Data entering and Statistical analysis May 2019 –end August 2019
Any other information: Students can work flexible hours in their own environment without having the obligation to be on Campus.
Jenny Hamilton, Helen Elliott and Elizabeth Hicks
jennifer.hamilton@bishopg.ac.uk
Project title: Self-care among helping professionals: Looking after those who look after
Brief overview of project: This project is in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council Social Services and aims to explore whether training/workshop interventions on self-care can raise awareness of the importance of self-care and improve upon workplace wellbeing and resilience among social services helping professionals. There is a disproportionately high rate of staff burnout among helping professions, and in particular among social services, and this project aims to explore how this can be tackled.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The intern will have the opportunity to be involved in various research activities that the project requires. These may include transcribing audio recordings, conducting literature reviews and synthesising and critically evaluating research.
Expectations of applicant: The applicant should be able to accurately transcribe verbal audio recordings verbatim; have a good level of ability using Microsoft Office programmes (including excel); ability to conduct a systematised and comprehensive literature review and to critically evaluate research; handle information sensitively and abide by confidentiality codes of conduct.
Opportunities for the intern: Working within a supportive research team, gaining experience of conducting real world counselling research; opportunity to consolidate skills developed at university including literature reviews and academic writing.
Dates project commences and ends: 3rd June – 6th September 2019
Dr. Caroline Horton
Up to two projects are available over the Summer, in the DrEAMSLab (www.dreamslab.co.uk ; @sleepandmemory)
Project title: Sleep hygiene adherence – what are people’s experiences of undertaking a sleep hygiene programme?
Brief overview of project: Participants were asked to complete a two week sleep hygiene programme. They then engaged with focus group discussions about their experiences. The project aim to explore, for the first time, what challenges people experienced with a sleep hygiene intervention. Analyses aim to identify these challenges, which will inform the development of a wider sleep-hygiene intervention, across the campus.
Brief overview of internship requirements: Interns will be asked to transcribe focus groups (June) and conduct content and thematic analyses on the data (July). Data will then be written up for publication (August).
Expectations of applicant: All training will be given, however an interest in sleep hygiene would be very beneficial. The intern will be required to work independently.
Opportunities for the intern: Interns will develop qualitative data analysis experience, and will contribute to the authorship of a peer-reviewed publication.
Dates project commences and ends: Approximately 1st June – 31st August 2019.
Any other information: This initial project will form part of a wider programme of impact activities, exploring sleep hygiene and its effects on emotion regulation, dreaming behaviours, academic outputs and memory.
Project title: Hyperassociativity in sleep and dreams
Brief overview of project: Hyperassociativity has been described in the sleep and dreaming literature as the process by which memories are only distantly related to one another, but with little evidence to explain it. The current project involves collecting data from systematically sampled dream reports, and scoring the presence of different forms of hyperassociativity. The data will be analysed and presented in a peer-reviewed paper, supporting the development of a larger research grant bid.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The successful intern would be the main contact for data collection, involving meeting with participants, explaining about the sleep and dream measures, asking participants to code their own reports, and entering data for subsequent analysis.
Expectations of applicant: Interns would need to be present over the Summer to engage with data collection, and would need to be organised with their time and with data. Full training would be given. Interns would have the opportunity to read through and analyse hyperassociativity from dream reports, so an interest in sleep and dreaming would be beneficial. This is a quantitative project, employing objective measures of sleep quantity, as well as involving dream diaries (analysed statistically).
Opportunities for the intern: The intern would receive training in the measures, equipment and approaches employed in this study. They would engage with data collection, and therefore find out about the practicalities of psychological sleep research.
Dates project commences and ends: Approx. 1st June to Sept 20th 2019.
Any other information: Up to two interns could work on this project.
Thomasin Nicholds
Thomasin.nicholds@bishopg.ac.uk
Project title: Women who Influence; exploring opportunities and barriers in organisations.
Brief overview of project: Working with an external funder and community based partners we are exploring an emerging project to consider the opportunities, barriers and achievements of women in organisations. The project is in the initial stages of development with the aim of enabling and highlighting potential; whist challenging limiting factors. The project will be drawing on psychological theories and relating them to the workplace, with the potential to consider elements such as motivation, leadership, power and inclusion. The role of the intern will be to support the lead in project planning and literature review, to enable the development of a clear rationale which can be taken forward in partnership with other organisations.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The role will involve supporting a literature review to contribute to project development in addition to opportunities to assist in meetings with cross-sector partners to define activities, investment requirements and roles.
Expectations of applicant: The ability to undertake literature searches and synthesize resources. Strong communication skills with a clear understanding of appropriate professional conduct when working in partnership.
Opportunities for the intern: This opportunity will give the intern the experience of project planning from an initial idea to shaping partnerships and identifying resource needs. These skills will be transferable to a variety of academic and professional environments, providing an experience that develops writing skills and professional practice.
Any other information: Lincolnshire based, mainly BGU campus with the potential for some local travel.
Dr. Gianina Postavaru
Gianina.postavaru@bishpopg.ac.uk
Two projects are available:
Project title: Cancer carers’ nutrition and diet needs: a literature review
Brief overview of project: This project will equip students with skills required to perform a systematic literature review (design of study protocol, Boolean search keywords, screening and data collection, quality assessment and academic write up). It is a collaborative project with Laura Miller, the Macmillan project lead dietitian at Nottingham University Hospitals.
Brief overview of internship requirements: The intern will need to be available for the entire period of the internship and opportunity for development may be provided beyond its duration.
Expectations of applicant: Interest in health or clinical psychology, with a focus on psychological aspects of eating behaviours following a diagnosis of and treatment for cancer. No statistical analysis is required. However, the student will need to possess great time management skills, be an organised individual, be able to work in a team and meet agreed deadlines.
Opportunities for the intern: Training and supervision will be provided through regular meetings and teleconference with the project collaborator at Nottingham City Hospital. There is opportunity for joint publication and/or participation in a conference organised at the City Hospital in Nottingham in 2020 as part of this collaboration. There is also opportunity for mentorship to enhance employability skills beyond the lifetime of this project.
Dates project commences and ends: July-September 2019.
Any other information: The student will need to possess their own laptop and be able to use OneDrive.
Project title: Self-managing chemotherapy side-effects and eating behaviours
Brief overview of project: This project will equip students with skills required to transcribe sensitive data and potentially conduct face to face interviews with people living with and beyond cancer.
The opportunity is part of an ongoing project in collaboration with support groups in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.
Brief overview of internship requirements: Training and supervision will be provided through regular meetings. The intern will get familiar with the ethical implications of conducting and transcribing interviews. Familiarity with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, 2018) and Data Protection Act (1998) is at the core of this work.
Expectations of applicant: Great interest in health psychology, with a particular focus on psychological aspects of eating behaviours following a diagnosis of and treatment for cancer.
No statistical analysis is required. However, the student will need to possess a professional and ethical conduct, great time management skills, be an organised individual, be able to work in a team and meet agreed deadlines.
Opportunities for the intern: There is opportunity for developing clinical and employability skills. As part of this role, the intern may benefit from mentorship to develop these skills beyond the lifetime of this collaboration.
Dates project commences and ends: July-September 2019.
Any other information: The student will need to possess their own laptop and be able to use OneDrive.
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