Research Projects
Active studies
2017 - Present
PhD thesis
The examination of the social inclusion of adolescents with visual impairments, which has been conceptualised as a multidimensional term by developing my own socio-ecological model. The relationship between social inclusion (here defined as participation in school activities, development of the sense of belonging and social relationships with teachers and peers), academic inclusion (here defined as academic performance and classroom participation), self-esteem (here defined as a multidimensional term which consists of domain-specific and global self-esteem) and social competence has been also examined using a quantitative approach (currently writing-up and finishing the analysis of the data). Teachers’ perceptions towards the inclusion of their students with visual impairments has been also examined. The project has been presented to various conferences and invited talks and it has been promoted by numerous organisations in the field of SEND and Visual Impairment, as well as schools. The following published manuscript analyses the theoretical background of the first study which has been now completed: Manitsa, I., Barlow-Brown, F., & Lyons, E. (2019). Self-concept of adolescents with visual impairments. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 38(2), 160-167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0264619619883900. More manuscripts based on the findings of this research project will be prepared during this academic year.
June 2021 - Present
Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Kingston University London
Project title: How toddlers make judgements about trustworthiness
Principal Investigator (PI): Dr Claudia Uller
Tasks: puppet experiment (Baby Research Unit, Kingston University London
June 2021 - Present
Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Kingston University London
Project title: How observation influences moral decisions and compliance
Principal Investigator (PI): Dr Amanda Rotella
Research team: Dr Pat Barclay (University of Guelph), Mrs Sharmistha Chaudhuri
Tasks: coding methods sections of academic articles (meta-analysis)
April 2021 - Present
Principal Researcher, Department of Psychology, Kingston University London
Project title: Exploring the service experiences of LGBTQ+ youth with special educational needs and disabilities: A multi-perspective focus group study
Research team: Dr Maria Livanou, Dr Fiona Barlow-Brown, Ms Amy Montague
Tasks: grant application, literature review, ethics application, development of the research tool (interview schedule - focus groups), data collection, analysis, writing of the paper and dissemination of the findings
Mar 2021 - Present
Co-Researcher, Department of Psychology, Kingston University London
Project title: Siblings’ experiences of having a brother or sister with an eating disorder: A mixed-methods systematic review
PI: Anya Heneghan
Supervisor: Dr Maria Livanou
Tasks: systematic review and dissemination of the findings
