Megan Foulkes is on the Education Pathway at Loughborough; their research examines manipulative features (such as bright colours, textures and shapes) and how these influence children’s learning and performance.

Megan undertook a three-month long Overseas Institutional Visit at Concordia University, Canada from April to July 2024.

As part of their placement, Megan worked on a joint scoping review project with Loughborough University and Concordia University, the outputs of which will be published as a manuscript.

In addition to this, Megan was able to attend the Assessment and Instruction for Mathematics (AIM) conference in Ottawa, the Jean Piaget Society (JPS) conference in Toronto, and the Mathematics Cognition and Learning Society (MCLS) conference in Washington DC. During these conferences Megan was able to disseminate the findings of her own PhD research, build networks for future collaboration, and gain feedback on the current progress and pilot findings from the project associated with the OIV, as well as engaging in comprehensive testing of the methods proposed as part of the project.

Speaking about the OIV, Megan said that “the visit has had a positive impact on my PhD research as it has provided me with an environment to present and receive feedback on my ideas with a different group of likeminded researchers. This has allowed me to further develop and consolidate my ideas during the final stages of my PhD and has improved the quality of my thesis. I think the visit will also have a positive impact on my future career, as I have made connections with researchers at other institutions, and I am now collaborating on projects which will contribute towards my development as a researcher, and thus my career in academia. I also hope to strengthen my collaborative networks in the future, and make great friends along the way.”

Interested in an Overseas Institutional Visit? Find out more here or get in touch with us on ESRCdtp@warwick.ac.uk