Research student insight
Emma Seal
Emma Seal is researching a PhD focused on identities within disability sport under the supervision of Dr Jill Porter and Dr Emma Rich. Her research is titled: identity juggling: a study into female athletes’ identity development, negotiation and construction in elite level disability sport.
Prior to her PhD, Emma studied her undergraduate and Masters of Research degrees at the University of Bath.
“The MRes equipped me with the skills and knowledge to continue along a research path. It gave me the opportunity and space to develop my interests and focus my thinking on what would be feasible for future work.”
Researching disability sport
The success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games has shown that there is increasing recognition given to elite level disabled athletes’ and the development of disability sport. Emma has been tapping into the resultant discourses surrounding this event and the wider impact of the shifting media and public perceptions.
“I hope my work can generate insights into factors that have mediated the progression of the athletes’ careers with potential to make recommendations contributing to the wider development of disability sport.”
Emma will be utilising a topic life history approach as part of her research methodology. This will allow for the exploration of participants subjective experiences, and highlight the biggest challenges and opportunities along their sporting pathway.
“I feel it is important to give voice to individuals’ within this domain due to the under-developed nature of research focused specifically upon females.”
Research environment
Emma has a good relationship with her supervisors and has worked closely with them at every step of the process. She has also attended a number of the Postgraduate Skills Training courses available to research students.
“The training proved to be very useful to build and develop skills congruent to the researcher development framework. There are a wide variety of training courses on offer that are easily accessible and provide good opportunities to develop as a researcher on a more holistic level.”
She has also been engaged with the research community by attending Staff Student Liaison Committee meetings within the Department and actively participating in relevant projects and seminars.
Looking ahead
Emma believes that researching a PhD is an experience that teaches you about yourself and your own ways of working.
“Completing a PhD is an individual journey; it is important to be motivated, passionate and to maintain perseverance.”
Emma is planning to finish her PhD in two years time. She then hopes to present a paper at an international conference, as well as to publish in more peer-reviewed journals.
Further information
If you would like to find out more about Emma’s research then you can contact her by email: e.l.seal@bath.ac.uk
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