Project
Say My Name: Experiences and Impacts of Pronunciation of Names in Higher Education in Contexts of Culturally Diverse Student Identities
Unit(s) of assessment: Social Work and Social Policy
Research theme: Health and Wellbeing
School: School of Social Sciences
Overview
Say My Name aims to explore how pronunciation of student names is experienced by students, and the teaching and support staff who interact with them, in an endeavour to evaluate current language and behaviour and produce new guidelines to help engender inclusivity and equality in higher education. The research produces new knowledge acquired through qualitative methods of enquiry about name-related experiences in the context of culturally diverse undergraduate student populations in higher education in England.
It also explores how experiences of higher education engage with and influence or are influenced by national, linguistic, and ethnic identities. The project and its outputs will offer ways forward for institutional policies and practices aimed at improving student experiences of higher education, especially in terms of equality, diversity, widening participation and engagement issues, and broader discussions about respecting culturally diverse identities and de-colonising the university.
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Download the Experiences & Impacts of (Mis)Pronunciation of Students’ Names in Higher Education Summary Findings & Recommendations
Watch this 2-min film where Jane talks about some key findings from the study and offers some tips about pronouncing people’s names.
Watch this video recording of a workshop given by Jane Pilcher and Hannah Deakin-Smith, for the Transnational Education Special Interest Group, drawing on findings from the Say My Name study.
Download our Top 10 Tips on Saying Students' Names Right: Here is what to do (and what not to do!).
Download our Top 10 Tips for Policy Makers in Higher Education.
Download our Guide on How to Make an Audio Name Badge.
Watch this video recording of a talk given by Jane Pilcher and Hannah Deakin-Smith at the British Sociological Association Annual Conference April 2022, presenting preliminary findings from the Say My Name study.
The project received funding from The British Academy Small Research Grant Scheme.
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Project Publications:
Pilcher, J. and Deakin-Smith, H. (2022) ‘Say My Name Right!: The Pronunciation of Students’ Names in Higher Education’, Everyday Society, British Sociological Association, 29 September.
Related staff
Publications
Pilcher, J. and Deakin-Smith, H. (2022) ‘Say My Name Right!: The Pronunciation of Students’ Names in Higher Education’, Everyday Society, British Sociological Association, 29 September.