Background

Profile
Sam joined the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences as a Lecturer in Education in September 2016. Sam is the Degree Programme Director for the Education BA. She also teaches research methods at postgraduate level for both taught and research students. Sam is a member of CfLaT (Centre for Learning and Teaching) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Prior to this she was an Education Lecturer at the Scarborough campus, University of Hull. She started her lecturing career at De Montfort University, Leicester. Sam began her career working as a primary school teacher mainly with mixed year 3 and year 4 classes. During that time she was Subject Co-ordinator for Geography and mentored B.Ed students. She also had the opportunity to lead staff development on assessment for learning practices, and her M.Sc dissertation examined the NVQ assessment experiences of Teaching Assistants’. Subsequently Sam left school teaching to undertake a Ph.D studentship at the University of Wolverhampton; this focused on students’ experiences of engaging with formative feedback. She has worked on several pedagogic research projects, focusing on assessment and feedback, and has published in this area.

Memberships
Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT), Newcastle University
British Education Research Association (BERA) member
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

British Sociological Association (BSA) member

Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) member

Research

• The Learning School: International comparative research (in collaboration with the Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management)
• Erasmus mobility grant: Maastricht University, Netherlands and Leuven University, Belgium, June 2015
• College of Basic Education, Kuwait Teacher Training Partnership Project, September 2012 –2013
• ESCalate ‘Assessment Reassessed: A student and lecturer collaborative enquiry’, March 2011-Jan 2012
• NTFS ‘It’s Good to Talk: Feedback, Dialogue and Learning’ project, Dec 2009 – July 2012
• ‘Equitable Assessment for Diverse Students’ project, Sept 2008 – March 2009
• ESRC/TLRP ‘Learning and Teaching for Social Diversity and Difference’ project, July 2007 – Aug 2008

Publications

• Articles

  • Shields S. Undergraduates' Perceptions of how Post-Secondary Education Characteristics Shaped their Transition to University. International Journal of Educational and Life Transitions 2023, 2(1), 1-14.
  • Schartner A, Shields S. International Students as 'Privileged': Challenging the Narrative. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice 2023, 23(11), 15-31.
  • Shields S. Curiosity and careers: Female working-class students' experiences of university. International Studies in Sociology of Education 2023, 32(4), 992-1012.
  • Shields S, Murray M. Beginning teachers' perceptions of mentors and access to communities of practice. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education 2017, 6(4), 317-331.
  • Shields S. 'My work is bleeding': Exploring students' emotional responses to first year assignment feedback. Teaching in Higher Education 2015, 20(6), 614-624.
  • Blair A, Wyburn-Powell A, Goodwin M, Shields S. Can dialogue help to improve feedback on examinations?. Studies in Higher Education 2014, 39(6), 1039-1054.
  • Blair A, Curtis S, Goodwin M, Shields S. What feedback do students want?. Politics 2013, 33(1), 66-79.
  • Blair A, Curtis S, Goodwin M, Shields S. The significance of assignment feedback: from consumption to construction. European Political Science 2013, 12(2), 231-244.
  • Curtis W, Goodson A, McDonnell J, Shields S, Wyness R. Learning together and expanding horizons:reflections on a student-lecturer collaborative enquiry. Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences 2012, 4(3), 1-11.

• Authored Books

  • Shields S. Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education: Identities, Choices and Emotions. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.
  • Curtis W, Murphy M, Shields S. Research and Education: Foundations of Education Studies. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2014.

• Book Chapters

  • Shields S. Gender, Social Class and 'A Sense of Belonging' at University: A Historical Perspective. In: Waller L; Waller S, ed. Higher Education - Reflections from the Field. IntechOpen, 2023.
  • Shields S. Women’s University Education: History and Policy. In: Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education. Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.19-29.
  • Shields S. The Study. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.31-41.
  • Shields S. Stepping Stones. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.89-99.
  • Shields S. Learner Identities. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.59-74.
  • Shields S. Introduction. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.1-18.
  • Shields S. Deciding to Go to University. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotions. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.43-57.
  • Shields S. Conclusion. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.101-107.
  • Shields S. Balancing Acts. In: Working Class Female Students' Experiences of Higher Education : Identities, Choices and Emotion. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp.75-88.

• Online Publications

  • Hodgkin K, Shields S. Blog 38: Exploring the extent to which first-year Education students at two institutions developed university identities in light of changes to teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dundee: University of Dundee, 2021. Available at: https://learningspaces.dundee.ac.uk/esw-tcelt/2021/12/07/blog-38-exploring-the-extent-to-which-first-year-education-students-at-two-institutions-developed-university-identities-in-light-of-changes-to-teaching-and-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.
  • Shields S. Meritocracy, pragmatism and possibilities: a working class female experience of university. Social Research Publications, 2018. Available at: https://discoversociety.org/2018/10/02/meritocracy-pragmatism-and-possibilities-a-working-class-female-experience-of-university/.
  • Shields S. Pedagogic research methods: An analysis of the methodological traditions in the UK and Netherlands. BERA, 2016. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/pedagogic-research-methods-an-analysis-of-the-methodological-traditions-in-the-uk-and-netherlands.

• Reviews

  • Shields S. Place-based methods for researching schools. International Journal of Research and Method in Education 2017, 40(4), 443-444.
  • Shields S. Teaching, Learning and Education in Late Modernity. The selected works of Peter Jarvis, Journal of Education for Teaching. Journal of Education for Teaching 2015, 41(5), 608-609.
  • Shields S. Working-class minority students’ routes to Higher Education. International Journal of Lifelong Education 2013, 32(6), 839-841.