Dr Laura Biggart PhD MBPsS
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer in Social Science Research |
L dot Biggart at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3591 |
Elizabeth Fry Building 1.11 |
Biography
Laura has a first class degree in BSc (Hons) Psychosocial Sciences. Funded by a University of East Anglia PhD Studentship, she undertook research into Psychosocial influences on the work-family life of fathers from October 2006 to September 2009, ultimately being awarded PhD status by the School of Social Work and Psychology.
In 2007, she won a scholarship from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to undertake secondary analysis of their Work Life Balance datasets 2006. Post-doc, Laura worked on research examining offending in looked after children, a research project funded by the Big Lottery and in partnership with The Adolescent and Children's Trust (TACT) between 2010-2011.
Laura is currently Principal Investigator on a three-year (2012-2015) ESRC-funded Future Research Leader project examining emotional intelligence in social work.
Laura is a Lecturer in Social Science Research and Psychology in the School of Psychology and the Director of MRes in Social Sciences.
I returned to higher education as a mature student having worked in local government and the charity sector for a number of years. From my experience and through research, I have learned that the mix of ‘real world’ experience and learning is a powerful one for gaining insight into how people feel, think and behave. I enjoy taking an applied approach to psychology at UEA and enjoy the collaborative opportunities here to work with other disciplines. I am keen to make students aware of the links between theory and practice and develop their research skills to enhance their employability.
Key Research Interests
Laura’s research focuses on social cognition (emotion recognition, attribution) and emotional intelligence (trait and ability models), particularly in applied settings, for example: work-life balance, recruitment and selection, parenting and youth offending. Laura is a member of The Centre for Research on the Child and Family.
Laura is currently Principal Investigator on a three year (2012-2015) ESRC-funded Future Research Leader project examining emotional intelligence in social work.
PhD Research
Fathers and work family life: Psychosocial influences.
Click here to view a research summary.
Previous Research Associate Contracts
UEA - Evaluation of Shropshire Children’s Fund 2006, Shropshire County Council.
Lead investigators: Dr R.McEune, Prof. M. O’Brien
UEA - Norfolk Young People’s Needs Assessment 2007: Substance misuse, vulnerability and service engagement, Norfolk Drug & Alcohol Action Team. Lead investigators: Dr V.Scaife, Prof M.O’Brien
UEA - Looked after children and offending - Research project funded by the Big Lottery and in partnership with The Adolescent and Children's Trust - 2010-2011.
Conferences
Paper presentations
Biggart, L. & Schofield, G. (June 2012). 'Looked after children and offending: social cognition'. British Psychological Society, Division of Forensic Psychology Annual Conference, Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Biggart, L. & O’Brien, M. (July 2010). Fathers’ working hours: fatherhood status or career stage? International Sociological Association World Congress, Gothenburg, Sweden: Joint Session RC06, Men, work and parenting.
Biggart, L. & O’Brien, M. (April 2009). 'Fathers, work and family: Trait emotional intelligence and work family conflict'. The International Community, Work and Family Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Biggart, L. & O’Brien, M. (Oct 2007). 'Fathers and Work – Family Conflict’. The New Researchers in Families and Relationships Conference, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, Edinburgh.
Biggart, L. & O’Brien, M. (Jan 2008). ‘Fathers' Work-Family Conflict and the influence of Emotional Intelligence’. The British Psychology Society, Post-Graduate Occupational Psychology Conference, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Research Seminar Presentation
University of Bristol, Dept of Experimental Psychology
Emotional Intelligence – examining the psychometric construct - August 2008
Indicative Publications
Schofield, G., Beek, M., Biggart, L., Ward, E. (2013). Professional foster carer and committed parent: role conflict and role enrichment at the interface between work and family in long-term foster care. Child & Family Social Work, 18, 46-56.
Biggart, L., and O’Brien, M. (2010). UK Fathers’ Long Work Hours: Career Stage or Fatherhood?. Fathering, 8(3), 341-361.
Biggart, L., Corr, P., O’Brien, M., Cooper, N. (2010). Trait emotional work and work-family conflict in fathers. Personality and Individual Differences, Vol 48, Issue 8, 911-916.
Schofield, G., Ward, E., Biggart, L., Scaife, V., Dodsworth, J., Larsson, B., Haynes, A., Stone, N. (2012). Looked After Children and Offending: Reducing Risk and Promoting Resilience.
Teaching Interests
BSc Psychology
Year 1 – Research Design & Analysis I
Year 2 – Research Design & Analysis II, Social Psychology
Year 3 - Psychosocial perspectives on the family, Cognitive processes, Research project, Psychosocial perspectives on gender
Individual Differences to Psychology - Year 1
MA/MSc in Child and Family Research/Psychology
Introduction to Research Methods
Further Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics
Further Qualitative Research Methods
Key Responsibilities
Director of the SSF MRes in Social Sciences
