An article by Dr Nigel Sherriff of the faculty's Centre for Health Research and Dr Carolyn Jackson of Lancaster University has been made the subject of a two-page piece in the Times Educational Supplement published on 7 October 2011.
The article is entitled 'A qualitative approach to intergroup relations: exploring the applicability of the Social Identity Approach to "messy" school contexts' and it examines intergroup relations in schools. It will soon be published in the journal Qualitative Research in Psychology.
In the article, Dr Sherriff and Dr Jackson argue that Social Identity approaches to intergroup relations, which are currently dominant worldwide, are limited by their reliance on positivist approaches. The article focuses on the complex interplay between discourses about popularity within schools, constructions of gender identities, and intergroup relations. In doing so, the authors demonstrate the benefits that qualitative research may have for social psychological intergroup theories and their applications.
