National award for student research
Monday, 15 March 2021
Sarah Snape, an OBBS postgraduate student, has won a national award for her research into women’s identity work in career coaching. Sarah was awarded the Bill Law Memorial Award for Student Research at the Career Development Institute Awards 2021.
Studying
for a Doctorate in Coaching and Mentoring, Sarah is an APECS accredited coach, facilitator and speaker. Her thesis was focused on the identity work
experienced by women as they face career choice and change.
Speaking of her research, Sarah says: “As an executive coach, I find
that career choices and change, and the process of transition into a new role
or situation, come up a lot in my sessions. We know that work-related change
involves identity and identity work, but to date coaches have tended to
approach career transition from a skills and performance perspective, rather
than supporting the more fundamental issue of shifting identities. It seemed to
me that identity and identity work needed to be part of a coach’s toolkit, so I
set out to create an accessible coaching model which could support coaches in
addressing this important area.
“Men experience identity work too, of course, but women’s experience
tends to be far more complex and layered. We women have to navigate a gendered
society, with all that entails, and also have to deal with issues related to
our biology such as childbirth and the menopause.”
Sarah’s tutor Dr Judie Gannon, Subject Coordinator of the Doctorate of
Coaching and Mentoring and Joint Deputy Head of Doctoral Programmes, says: “The
International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies team are truly
delighted that Sarah Snape has been recognised with the Bill Law Memorial Award
for Student Research. The award is super recognition of Sarah's Doctorate of
Coaching & Mentoring research on womens' identity work and career
transitions and it will certainly constructively inform coaching practice.”
Sarah spoke about the study experience at
Brookes and how this supported her development: “I looked into several
Doctorate offerings and really liked the fact that Brookes was offering a
relatively structured programme. I am not a natural academic, and having been
in the workplace for years, if I had just been left alone to get on with my
research I would not have produced anything!
I really enjoyed the monthly sessions (real and virtual, as it turned
out), and benefited greatly from the support of my Doctorate peers, as well as
regular encounters with all the tutors, in particular my personal tutor Dr
Judie Gannon.
“I can hardly believe I pulled off a Doctorate, let alone winning the
Bill Law Memorial prize from such a prestigious national institute. The most
important part of my prize is the confidence it will give me to share my
research findings through articles, lectures and webinars, something that is
very much encouraged at Oxford Brookes.”
The Bill Law Memorial Award is named in memory of one of
the National Institute for Career Education
and Counselling’s founders. The prize is offered annually for a student’s research to
recognise rising stars in early career thought leadership. The Career
Development Institute is the UK professional body for those working in career
education, career information, advice and guidance, career coaching, career
consultancy and career management.