COVID 19 & Everyday Life Research  – recruiting participants

COVID 19 & Everyday Life Research – recruiting participants

 

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Are you interested in taking part in an international study exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday life practices among citizens across different countries of the world? An international research team, including researchers from NUI Galway and Wageningen University (The Netherlands) are looking for males and female participants working to explore the impact of the pandemic on everyday life practices at home, including those of food, mobility, family dynamics and others.

 

Participation in the study involves an initial online interview of approximately 1 to maximum 1.5 hour in length, with the option to partake in a follow up interview later in the summer.  There is also the option to take part in a photo participation task, where you take photos of things in your daily life that have taken on new significance in the context of the pandemic. Detailed guidelines on this will be provided on this during the first interview.

 

In taking part, you will be part of a study that will help to shed light on the impact of the pandemic on people’s everyday lives and domestic consumption as well as how governments can best respond in the post-COVID recovery. The broader study involves citizens across Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Frances, China, the USA and Vietnam. You do not need to prepare anything for this research or have any special knowledge. If you live in Ireland and follow some sort of domestic routine at home, you are an expert.

 

If you are interested in participating, please fill out this short online survey and a member of the research team will contact you to discuss your participation.

 

For more information, please contact Mary Greene (mary.greene@wur.nl) and Mike Hynes (mike.hynes@nuigalway.ie).

 

Kind Regards,

Mary Greene (Project Coordinator)

Assistant Professor in the Sociology of Consumption
Environmental Policy Group
Wageningen University
The Netherlands
mary.greene@wur.nl
Phone: +353 (0) 85 7318953

Searching for a master’s research topic?

Searching for a master’s research topic?

Are you a WUR student searching for a master’s thesis topic? Write your master’s thesis on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday life and consumption practices.

Are you interested in consumption and an opportunity to undertake research for your master’s thesis exploring cultural differences in the lived experience of the coronavirus pandemic? The investigation will explore the research question How are everyday consumption practices changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic across different cultural contexts?

We are searching for an enthusiastic and ambitious master’s student to investigate this topic.

Study context:
The scale and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in recent history. The Corona pandemic is currently disrupting everyday life in 189 countries of the world. In their attempt to urgently control the healthcare implications of the pandemic, governments are placing restrictions on the freedom of movement of citizens and their participation in economic and social activities. These measures are impacting many of the social practices (travel, food, work, gym, school, holidays) that comprise everyday life in contemporary societies. However, different experiences and intervention strategies across Europe point to the importance of socio-political and governing contexts for meditating the form and effect of the disruption being caused by the pandemic on experiences and practices in daily life.

The current COVID-19 pandemic provides an important and immediate empirical context in which to advance understandings of the social dynamics of everyday consumption practices

Research focus:
This research opportunity will involve comparing the lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday domestic life and consumption practices among Dutch and Irish citizens through a social practice theory lens. In the context of constraints placed on empirical research in the context of the pandemic, all methods will be implemented through online platforms. You will be supported to develop your critical sociological research and analytical skills and contribute to important empirical research.

Interested in writing your master’s thesis on this topic?

Please get in touch if you :

  • Are interested in sociology and consumption research
  • Have a background in or familiarity with social practice theories
  • Are experienced in and interested in doing qualitative and/or quantitative research; e.g. semi-structured interviews, video diary methods, surveys
  • Are interested in comparative research methods (e.g. comparing two cultural contexts)
  • Are willing to conduct online interviews and/or surveys with Irish and Dutch citizen’s on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on everyday life and consumption practices
  • Are fluent in English and Dutch and are willing to conduct and write your research in English
  • Have an average grade of 7.5/8 or above
  • Are able to start this April (possible to start immediately)

If you are enthusiastic about this research topic, please send an e-mail to mary.greene@wur.nl at your earliest convenience (cc. gert.spaargaren@wur.nl and sigrid.wertheim-heck@wur.nl) Please provide a short statement that outlines why you are interested in the topic and how you fit the profile outlined.

Best wishes,

Mary Greene

Dr. Mary Greene

Assistant Professor –  Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands  –  mary.greene@wur.nl   –  +353 (0)85731 8953  –  Twitter