Students from SOE Participate in the 2025 Annual Conference of the British Educational Research Association

Recently, academic master’s student WANG Zhanghan, and professional master’s student WANG Zhuo from SOE, participated in the 2025 Annual Conference of the British Educational Research Association (BERA). The conference was held in Brighton, United Kingdom. Organized by BERA, this annual event is one of the most influential academic conferences in the field of educational research in the UK and also enjoys significant recognition in the international academic community.

During the conference, academic master's student WANG Zhanghan served as the chair of the session “Exploring the use of the digital in research” and presented a report titled “Human Agency in GenAI assisted Research: Insights from Chinese Postgraduate Students”. This study focuses on graduate students in China, examining their agency in the process of using generative artificial intelligence tools to assist academic research. The study adopted a mixed research design to deeply analyze the specific methods, role positioning, and usage experience of graduate students using generative artificial intelligence to assist academic research. It is found that graduate students with different levels of critical thinking exhibited different levels of agency in this process. From the perspective of agency, the study reveals how graduate students exercise agency when collaborating with generative artificial intelligence, providing practical insights for graduate students to better collaborate with generative artificial intelligence and for university teachers to improve the quality of graduate training.

Professional Master’s student WANG Zhuo delivered a presentation entitled “The Development of Female Leadership in Robotics Competitions” at the “From Exclusion to Empowerment” session. Against the backdrop of growing global demand for technological innovation and productivity in the STEM fields, this study emphasizes that the development of female leadership is not only a crucial pathway to advancing gender equality, but also a key driving force for technological progress and sustainable social development.

Using qualitative methods such as interviews and text analysis, the research explores the mechanisms of female leadership development in robotics competitions, analyzing both the advantages and barriers from the perspectives of different genders and roles. The findings highlight that promoting gender equality in STEM through education and fostering female leadership have become vital strategies for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This study provides empirical data and theoretical support for cultivating and enhancing female leadership, encouraging deeper participation of women in STEM fields, and contributing new insights and evidence to the pursuit of gender equality and social progress in STEM.

Written by WANG Zhanghan and WANG Zhuo

Proofread by NIU Jiayi

Edited by CHEN Ruoxi