
Profiles
Ms Kathrin Paal
Research Assistant
Plymouth Institute of Education (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business)
Biography
Biography
I am a PhD candidate and Research Assistant at the Plymouth Institute of Education.
Qualifications
BA Educational Science and Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke- Universität Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany (2016)
MA Educational Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2018)
Professional membership
BERA - The British Educational Research Association
Roles on external bodies
Reviewer for Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning
Reviewer for Early Years: an international research journal
Research
Research
Research interests
My research interest is the contribution of the use of a preschool garden on preschoolers' attitudes and behaviour towards the environment. As a keen gardener and environmentalist, I am interested in how a preschool garden could promote the development of children’s environmentally friendly and sustainable attitudes and behaviour.
Early Childhood Education for Sustainability, (Pre-)school gardening, Participatory research, Quantitative research methods, Qualitative research methods
Other research
“Chest Health Through the Lens of a Child with Neurodisability” project (05/2022 - present) (role: research assistant)
- aims to explore child-focused perceptions of exercise-based chest health interventions
- principal investigators: Katherine Gulliver / Rachel Knight Lozano
- funded by Explore Awards and Arts – Health Collaboration Fund
Devon Wildlife Trust program evaluation (01/2022 - present) (role: principal investigator)
UPPScale Erasmus+ (01/2021 - present) (role: research assistant)
- aims to create an innovative, non-hierarchical space for sustainable, collaborative transnational working that responds to the needs and interests of educators and staff in early years settings, schools and universities (uppscaleeu.wordpress.com)
- funded by Erasmus+
UPPScale (01/2021 - present) (role: research assistant)
- University Practice Partnerships: Sustaining collaboration across learning environments
Evaluation of the "Rebuilding Bridges" project (06/2021 - 01/2022) (role: principal investigator)
- an intergenerational music intervention that aimed to (re-)connect young children and elderly at care homes in the Torbay area (Evaluation Report)
- funded by Arts Council England National Lottery Fund, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Torbay Music Hub and Torbay Early Years Advisory Team
Publications
Publications
blog post "Gardening with children: exploring preschoolers' attitudes and behaviour towards the environment and the use of a preschool garden", BECERA Conference 2022 [link]
Paal, K. & Peach, L. (2022). Rebuilding Bridges – Evaluation report. [https://generationsworkingtogether.org/downloads/627d65aa5bfb4-rebuildingbridges-evaluationreport.pdf]
Personal
Personal
Conferences organised
Other academic activities
Conference presentation
- "Gardening with children: exploring preschoolers' attitudes and behaviour towards the environment and the use of a preschool garden", BECERA Conference 2022 (22nd/23rd February 2022)
- "Preschoolers' awareness of what is good or healthy for the planet and how we can help the earth", Symposium "Exploring young children's views through the mosaic approach - examples from research", EECERA Conference 2021 (6th September 2021)
- "Gardening with children: how a preschool garden can encourage preschoolers’ pro-environmental behaviour", Sustainable Earth Conference 2021 (24th/25th June 2021) [Video]
- "Gardening with children: how a preschool garden can encourage preschoolers’ pro-environmental behaviour", EECERA Conference 2021 (8th September 2021)
Conference Chairing
- Chair of Symposium "The development of educational values and beliefs in teaching", EECERA Conference 2021 (6th - 10th September 2021)
- Chair of various sessions, FoAHB Doctoral Conference 2021, University of Plymouth (3rd/4th June 2021)