Countering silos and hierarchies through peer-to-peer research-in-progress conversations
Project team
Led by Prof. Richard Smith
with team members:
Dr Gill FrigerioLink opens in a new window
Dr Andy HindLink opens in a new window
Dr Ida Hannah Lübben
Project aims and overview
Across many university departments, research isn't widely discussed among colleagues during the conceptualisation and planning stages but only showcased when complete. This excludes many individuals due to hierarchies, contract types, or lack of integration. Indeed, conversations about research across different specialised interests have decreased since the pandemic, hindering the formation of new interdisciplinary relationships.
Warwick Applied Linguistics and the wider School of Education, Learning and Communication Sciences (SELCS) within which it is now situated, mirror these issues (despite – in theory – being interdisciplinary within themselves), making them ideal sites to develop, trial and evaluate structured peer dialogue activities designed for broader application across university discipline and status boundaries.
Specifically, the project aimed to design sets of suggested questions to inform guided conversations about research, which were then piloted with Applied Linguistics colleagues at a voluntary away-day in June 2024 for around 25 interested staff and students. The approach was carefully evaluated and guidelines were prepared for wider dissemination, to enhance research cultureLink opens in a new window. Awarded further funding for 2024–25, research converstion formats and activities were extended to events in SELCS and the Faculty of Social Sciences in Terms 2 and 3, 2025, respectively.
Project background
This project was inspired by a successful previous initiative (for WIHEA) Link opens in a new windowled by the PI which involved development of a set of a questions for peer dialogue about teaching. The procedure involved active listening (with guidelines for this) as well as a series of suggested prompt questions to lead participants to deeper understanding via respectful, down-to-earth communication. The WIHEA initiative turned out to have a more powerful than expected effect – participants were able to share useful insights across disciplinary and status boundaries and the procedure was found to have broader potential relevance, including as a means to enhance collaboration and compassion among HE professionals. Guided empathic, non-hierarchical interaction and reflection in peer-coaching dyads similarly lies at the heart of the present project's approach, being extended to research-related conversations.
Phase 1
Project activities
1. All staff and students in or associated with the Department of Applied Linguistics were invited to complete a baseline questionnaire (41 respondents out of 128).
2. The project team designed, piloted, and planned structured conversation activities for a Research Conversations Away-day (see right and below).
3. A Research Conversations Away-day was organized. This was a one-day event from 9.30-4.30 on 14 June, accommodating 24 participants (staff from diverse professional categories and career stages, and PhD students). Activities included a report on questionnaire results, structured peer dialogues, unstructured conversations during lunch, a conversation group Q&A card 'game', and individual reflective writing as well as evaluative discussion of the activities.
4. A follow-up questionnaire was sent to all participants (18 responses)
Outcomes & Resources
Report on initial questionnaireLink opens in a new window
Away-Day programme for participantsLink opens in a new window
Structured peer dialogue guidelines and questionsLink opens in a new window
Group Q&A card game with instructionsLink opens in a new window
Report on the follow-up evaluation questionnaireLink opens in a new window
Research culture project management recommendationsLink opens in a new window
An article about Phase 1:
Alibaba, A., Smith, R. & Wang, Y.Y. 2025. ‘Creating an inclusive space for research conversations: a critical reflectionLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window’. Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal, 12(3), 186–202.
Phase 2
Project activities
1. The project team refined structured conversation activities used for Phase 1 for two (paired) SELCS events in term 2
a. Event 1: a conversation group Q&A card 'game', and evaluative discussion of the game
b. Between the two events: structured peer dialogues
c. Event 2: a conversation group Q&A card ‘game’ to facilitate reflective discussion on participants’ experience of research conversation activities and collective envisioning on how to sustain research conversations
2. The project team refined structured conversation activities used for Phase 1 for two (paired) Social Sciences events in term 3
a. All faculty members in or associated with the Faculty of Social Sciences were invited to complete a questionnaire on their perceptions and experiences of research conversations
b. Event 1: a conversation group Q&A card ‘game’, and evaluative discussion of the game
c. Between the two events: structured peer dialogues and an evaluation questionnaire on experiences of the peer dialogues
d. Event 2: a creative game ‘Dinosaur park or zoo’ for interdisciplinary research conversations, an evaluation questionnaire on participants’ experience of the game and evaluative discussion of the game
e. Recorded structured peer dialogues for research
Further enhancement and exploitation of activities (25/26)
Although the funded phases of the project have now ended, we continue to enhance, expand on and research the activities we have developed, and are interested in collaboration with other departments and research culture enablers.
For any enquiries, please contact the PI, Prof. Richard Smith (R.C.Smith@warwick.ac.uk)