Mr Piers Von Berg

Research interests

I specialise in youth justice, citizenship and civic education. I am interested in the lived experience of young people and how they exercise their rights. This arises from working with young people in various contexts over the past 15 years from marginalised communities in Azerbaijan and Central Asia, to representing them in the family and criminal courts in UK.   

1. In youth justice, I take a multidisciplinary approach, using public and criminal law and policy, to desk-based research of the treatment of child suspects and defendants in the youth justice system. 

I recently completed an investigation into police practice on the questioning of child suspects in police custody with Dr Kate Gooch at the University of Leicester. The study has identified significant gaps and shortcomings affecting the quality of evidence obtained and the treatment of children generally.  

Upcoming events: I am organising a symposium at the university in November on the obstacles and opportunities to obtaining best evidence from child suspects in police custody. Leading researchers in the fields of law, psychology and policing from the UK and Belgium as well as lawyers and police from Devon are attending. The object of the event is to bring together different disciplines and practitioners to identify issues and ways forward in the field.  

2. In citizenship and civic education, I take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on sociology, psychology and political science, to investigate young people’s experience of citizenship using qualitative and participatory methodologies. I am interested in using research to inform pedagogical innovation using techniques such as forum theatre. 

As part of my Doctorate in Education (EdD), I completed a pilot study in 2016 on the formation of agency and identity among law students. I presented the findings at a conference at Leeds University in June 2017. In the second stage of the doctorate, I completed an Institution Focused Study in February 2018, looking at student’s experience of citizenship at the University of Birmingham. I presented this at the 12th Annual International Conference on Education and Democratic Citizenship, Institute of Education, UCL in June 2018. I am now working on a pedagogical intervention to help young people explore citizenship as my thesis. 

Upcoming events: I am presenting my research on the formation of civic identities among students at the Higher Education Close Up Conference in Cape Town, South Africa in 15-16 November. 

Other research

I am completing a Doctorate in Education at the Institute of Education, UCL. My research focuses on the experience of citizenship among undergraduate students and what pedagogical innovations can help foster citizenship education at a UK university. 

Grants & contracts

Foreign and Commonwealth Office, June 2005, Project Manager at IFES Azerbaijan (technical assistance project to municipalities in Azerbaijan)

Creative practice & artistic projects

I have completed Masters' classes in Forum Theatre with Cardboard Citizens. I am interested in ways in which this can be incorporated into pedagogical practice.