Celeste Duff- ePortfolio
Welcome!
I am a final year PhD student within the Centre for Education Studies at the University of Warwick.
My academic background consistently lies within education. I hold a BA (with honours) in Early Childhood Studies from the University of Chester. I also hold an MA in Childhood in Society from the University of Warwick.
Supervisors: Dr Nick Lee and Professor S W Fuller
Funding: Partially privately funded
Research Area
My Doctoral research explores the wellbeing-Mindfulness-education nexus. My research recognizes the significance of children’s emotional wellbeing in education and explores the implications of the nexus.
Key areas connected to my research include philosophical foundations of Mindfulness, emotional intelligence, neuroscience, neuroplasticity, educational policy, and children's mental health and emotional wellbeing.
My research adopts a qualitative paradigmatic stance. A constructivist grounded theory approach is the primary methodological influence, while interpretative phenomenology is the secondary methodological influence. The approach draws on observations, interviews, child focus groups, and textual analysis to capture multiple vantage points of Mindfulness and the nexus. Data collection was carried out in the United States; New York, San Francisco, Boston and Texas; the United Kingdom; and Canada.
My research seeks to offer findings that transcend disciplines and inform educational practice of children’s emotional wellbeing in education and the implications of the nexus.
“As research progresses we see more and more how a child’s emotional environment is key in the development of not only physical and emotional health, but also academic and worldly success”. Daniel Rechtschaffen.
Background and Philosophy
Having experienced education first hand in Zambia, Australia, England, and Canada this privilege has provided me with an insight and awareness of differing educational provisions. These experiences have triggered a progressive drive to contribute to the future of education. Specifically, I have become aware of the deficit for the recognition and availability of emotional wellbeing practices in education. Whilst working for the Ministry of Justice in Oxford, within the child protection sector, this awareness was solidified. I hold the position that if a child is provided with the tools to cultivate and embody emotional resilience, balance and integrity, that child will be functioning at their highest level, delivering every skill and ability to their highest functionality.
Conferences
The Way of Mindful Education- July 5th through to July 10th 2015. Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California, United States.
Psychoanalysis and Mindfulness, Nottingham Mindfulness Group- December 2015. Nottingham, United Kingdom.
ACWA conference- Presented on Child subjective wellbeing and policy- August 2016. Sydney, Australia.
International Symposium for Contemplative Studies- November 2016. San Diego, California, United States.
BERA conference- Social Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health of School Aged Children- April, 2017. University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
The Mindfulness in Health and Higher Education conference- June, 2017. The university of Warwick, United Kingdom.
Publications
Duff, C. and Roberts, J. (2016). Recognizing and addressing the seismic shift in child psychosocial and emotional wellbeing: technological implications and recommendations for the current and future social realities of twenty-first century children. International Journal of Social Science Studies, Vol 4.
International Journal of Wellbeing. The mobilization and dissemination of Mindfulness; conceptual and operational analytic theorizing results (in progress).
International Journal of Early Years Education. Children’s subjective conceptualizations of the wellbeing-mindfulness-education nexus; grounded theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis results (in progress).
Celeste Duff