PhD student attends global education conference

School of Curriculum and Pedagogy doctoral candidate Ruijie (Ray) Xu is visiting Canada this month as a recipient of the 2019 U21 FINE award.

The purpose of the Universitas 21 Forum for International Networking in Education (U21 FINE) award is to support a doctoral candidate or early career researcher (who does not have access to faculty support for conference funding) to attend the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting and the associated FINE events in Toronto, Canada in 2019.

Ray is currently in her third year of PhD study under the supervision of Dr Adrienne Sansom and Dr Jennifer Tatebe. Her research explores young children’s creativity and dramatic play.

Dr Tatebe, who supported Ray’s application, says, “Attending the AERA conference will provide unparalleled intellectual stimulation to Ray’s academic development. Being the largest education conference in the world AERA will introduce Ray to international scholars and policy makers in her areas of interest (Early Childhood Education, creativity, diversity, qualitative methods) that she otherwise would not have access to in New Zealand.

The FINE events are primarily aimed at:

  • Providing opportunities for professional and social networking among doctoral candidates and early career researchers in U21 institutions
  • Supporting collaboration to better understand educational issues from a global perspective
  • Promoting collaborative research and enhanced academic and career prospects

As a U21 FINE award recipient, Ray will receive a grant to contribute towards conference travel, accommodation and registration.

Further information about FINE can be accessed on the Universitas 21 website.