Karen Scott-Boyd
Postgraduate Researcher
School of Education
About me:
Passionate about social justice, I am interested in research that supports the wellbeing of both teachers and students. I have been working as a TESOL teacher for five years and prior to that worked in community education. For me, education, both formal and informal has been transformational.
Whilst travelling to distant lands on P&O ships and visiting exotic places, as a child migrant, the seeds were sown in me for travel, cultural studies, assertive yet peaceful communications and language. As a dual national (British & Australian), working in the multi-cultural environments of both the public and private sectors, I developed these interests further.
In 2013, I qualified my interests with the completion of a Bachelor of Communications & Cultural Studies in Australia. As the final project for my degree, I created an eBook called An Angel In My Purse which raised money to contribute to a micro-finance scheme, so far assisting more than 4,000 entrepreneurs in developing countries. After returning to my native UK, I completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Mindfulness & Compassion in Scotland, at the University of Aberdeen then a Post Graduate Diploma in Restorative Justice in Ireland at the University of Ulster. I am currently undertaking an EdD at The University of Exeter.
Alongside my professional and educational journey, I embarked upon a spiritual exploration of both traditional religions and indigenous traditions. Within religious philosophy and indigenous lore, I found the common thread of mysticism. Inspired by Buddhist, Hindu and Christian Benedictine meditation along with Australian indigenous lore and Celtic Druid lore, I took the contemplative path. This journey culminated in a spiritual awakening leading to an understanding of inner peace, paradoxically unconnected with any one religious or indigenous path, yet common to all and rarely discovered by devotees. In order to understand this more fully, I then turned to science where I discovered the ability of the mind to affect bio-chemistry through practices like meditation.
My current research is exploring the role of self-compassion in reflective practices for teacher professionalism.
Research Unit:
College of Social Sciences & International Studies
Research Project:
My current research is exploring the role of self-compassion in reflective practices for teachers, particularly those working in places of conflict or teaching students from places of conflict.
Previous papers include:
The Self-Compassionate Voice: The role of self-compassion in metacognition for TESOL classrooms and pedagogy (2019)
Critically Reflecting on Reflective Practice (2019)
Research Supervisory team:
1st supervisor: Dr Shirley Larkin
2nd supervisor: Dr Karen Walshe
Research Wider Research Interests:
Peace Studies and the contribution of TESOL teachers.
Education:
January 2018 January 9999
University of Exeter
EdD
January 2015 January 2017
University of Ulster
Post Graduate Diploma Restorative Justice
January 2015 January 2015
TEFL Certificate
140 Hours
January 2014 January 2015
University of Aberdeen
Post Graduate Certificate Mindfulness & Compassion
January 2009 January 2013
Southern Cross University
Bachelor Communications & Cultural Studies
Professional Development:
2019-02-00
Graduate School Skills Workshops-Learning & Teaching in Higher Education
2018-00-00
College of Policing-Safeguarding
2017-00-00
Certificate-Equality & Diversity
2014-00-00
Pennsylvania State University Online-Creativity, Innovation & Change
2010-00-00
Certificate of Education-Certificate of Education
