Leeds Trinity University lecturer to present research findings to international audience

A Lecturer at Leeds Trinity University has been invited to give an international keynote speech by the Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States (ABEGs).

Dr Elizabeth Nassem, Lecturer in Special Educational Needs, Disabilities and Mental Health, will be presenting research from her book The Teacher’s Guide to Resolving School Bullying to around 500 delegates from around the world at the monthly ABEGs meeting on Tuesday 26 July.

The theme of July’s meeting is school bullying – one of Dr Nassem’s research areas. She will explore current definitions of bullying, how children who engage in bullying perceive their behaviour, the signs and symptoms of bullying, the ways in which children’s experiences of schooling contributes to bullying, and what aspects of school culture could be changed.

Dr Nassem will also discuss the effectiveness of strategies which aim to tackle bullying, including advice for parents of pupils who are involved in bullying, and how to develop pupil-led strategies which focus on how children perceive their involvement in bullying.

She said: “I am honoured to be presenting a keynote to the ABEGs about my book The Teacher’s Guide to Resolving School Bullying,which they have translated into Arabic.

“My research will be disseminated internationally to key decision makers in education and professionals who work with children. In my research, lots of children have said that their voices were not being heard in school; but now they are being heard to a large audience of professionals in other parts of the world.

“I hope that in my keynote some of the issues children have raised will be used to make a difference to how bullying is dealt with in schools for non-Western cultures in the Middle East.

“My keynote to the ABEGs is part of the mission of Leeds Trinity University which is for research in the University to have an international impact and be used to improve the education and the lives of children and young people.”

Dr Duncan Martin, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Childhood and Education, said:

“We are incredibly proud that Dr Nassem’s research is being recognised on an international stage. She highlights the importance of tackling school bullying and how bullying can affect children’s mental health – something that is extremely relevant in today’s society, especially as we recover from the pandemic and children and young people return to face-to-face interactions.

“Dr Nassem’s work is contributing to a rich research culture at Leeds Trinity University and in the Institute of Childhood and Education. I look forward to her developing this further to support our partnerships with schools and other organisations across the UK.”

Dr Nassem’s book The Teacher’s Guide to Resolving School Bullying was recently translated into Arabic by the ABEGs for use by universities and other educational institutions.

The ABEGs is an inter-governmental organisation which aims to achieve United Nations (UN) education goals.

Representatives from the Ministry of Education (Saudi Arabia) will also be attending Dr Nassem’s presentation with other international decision-makers, teachers and academics.