Three A level psychology students at Barrow Sixth Form College have been putting their time in lockdown to good use by preparing for a national competition.
Charlotte Dixon, Cecilia Card and Jack Knight have been looking at the psychological impact of COVID-19 on children as part of their entry for this year’s Royal Holloway University Psychology competition.
The team, who are all first-year students, are tasked with creating a video and poster on the topic ‘How can psychology be used to explain current events’.
The teenagers have chosen to focus on how lockdown and social distancing could affect the development of children now and in their future, being in an area hardest hit by the virus.
Barrow Sixth Form College A level Psychology tutor Candis Douglas, said they are one of 30 teams nationwide who are taking part in the event and will present their research findings virtually on July 1.
“They’ve applied psychological theories and research findings that they have found, going beyond their classroom learning, that can best explain the current situation,” she said. “Then they have used this knowledge to inform and suggest ways to limit potential damage to development and also take advantage of the positives that could arise.
“I’ve been so impressed by their positivity and dedication to research and present their findings in this video in light of this challenging topic.”
She said the team would have originally been going to the university in London to present their work, enjoy psychology lectures and meet other entrants but the competition will be going ahead online instead.
“Despite lockdown issues hindering their plans, they’ve been amazing organising and are recording everything on Zoom meetings,” she said.
Jack Knight, a former Chetwynde School student who is now doing his A levels at the Rating Lane campus, said: “It’s been a great experience that’s really helped broaden my knowledge of psychology further, and that learning will stay with me well into the future.”
Cecilia is also a former Chetwynde School student while Charlotte studied at Furness Academy before joining Barrow Sixth Form College.
Their entry will be judged by a panel with £100 book vouchers for the winners and £75 book vouchers for the runners up, courtesy of Oxford University Press.
