Anastasia Shaw

Biography

I started my PhD in 2019, after completing much of my higher education at York. Whilst my MA dissertation focussed on emotional labour in the workplace, my main interest has always been in education. My undergraduate degree was split between the Sociology and Education departments and I spent much of this time volunteering in schools and carrying out research with children. Following this I briefly pursued a career as a teacher before deciding to focus on research and returning to the university for my MA. After being awarded an ESRC scholarship, I was able to begin my PhD focussing on educational architecture.

Education:

PhD (in progress) – Sociology, University of York

MA – Social Research, University of York

BA – Sociology and Education, University of York

Research

My ESRC-funded PhD utilises qualitative methods to understand how the architecture of primary school buildings and spaces in the UK affects staff and pupils. I am particularly interested in the practicalities of how the spaces are designed and the work of architects in this field, as well as how buildings and spaces can affect users and can impact upon the processes of teaching and learning. I hope this project will lead to further research and help to inform effective school building design in the future.