Hinna Abid

Doctoral Research

My research explores the experiences of mature male students in access, retention and progress in English universities. It aims to explore through a phenomenographic research methodology, situated within a sociological perspective, how mature male students perceive and experience their participation and progression in higher education. This may be challenging based on financial and familial responsibilities, further complicated by intersectionality of class, race, age and gender as well as a student's own situational circumstances occurring in their own specific contexts. These experiences were captured by incorporating creative methods of data collection, Lego Serious Play and visual timelines. 

Broadly speaking, my work is based on the grounds of social justice and equality. It is concerned with marginalised voices and the social structures of disadvantage which reinforces this marginalisation. The prime purpose of education should be to eliminate social segregation and promote equality. Unfortunately, this may not be the case as the wider social structures support an education system that advantages the privileged and disadvantages those from less privileged backgrounds. My own past exposure and association to academia in a developing country, Pakistan, and my recent post graduate degree in Education has provided me with the privilege of experiencing education system in two diverse countries. It has given me a deeper understanding on the issues impacting the educational development and progress of pupils, which may be affected by a range of social, cultural, financial, ethnic and linguistic factors.

Awards

Games Based Learning Workshop - University of Manchester | Jan 2025

Awarded a small grant (£500) to independently conduct an experimental workshop on games-based learning (GBL). The aim of the workshop was to understand students’ full potential by offering GBL as a solution to help increase student engagement while fostering critical thinking in a more inclusive way.

Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity - University of Manchester | May 2025

Awarded a grant (£1000) to organise and co-facilitate a workshop for early career and postgraduate researchers of colour. The objective of the workshop is to develop effective and impactful grant and funding applications in the field of health inequalities.

WRDTP Event - University of Sheffield | July 2025

Awarded a grant (£500) to organise and co-facilitate a workshop on decolonisation in higher education. 

Research Activities

Innovative Pedagogies and Games Based Learning (GBL) Research Project (Mar - Aug 2023) - I was part of the School of Law 'Innovative Pedagogies and Games Based Learning' project which aimed to create a fun, motivating and interactive learning environment for students to promote experiential learning through GBL. My role in this project was not to just create games for students to play, but design learning activities which would help increase student engagement while fostering critical thinking in more inclusive ways. I worked with academics on different modules to help design and develop alternative innovative pedagogies. This greatly informed my own teaching practice providing me with the experience to introduce GBL into my own classroom. 

Crook Fellowship Research Project (2019) - I was granted a Research Assistant role at the Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences for the Crook Fellowship Research Project. The theme of the project was “Disability and Disadvantage”. It was mandated to research the problems faced by disabled adults in relation to services provided, and the role of government, councils and social workers in it. The project worked to make the lived experiences of differently abled adults part of university curriculum for social work students, by collaborating with academics of the University, responsible for curriculum development and module redesign.

Nuffield Research Placement (voluntary work) - Supervised students for a social science research project as part of the Nuffield Research Placement. 

Publications, Blogs, Conferences

Abid, H., & Herrick, T. (2023). Navigating financial barriers in English universities: a phenomenographic exploration of mature male students' experiences. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 25(2), 6-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5456/WPLL.25.2.6

Published a blog "Games Based Learning: Enhancing Student Engagement & Critical Thinking" on SoSS Teaching and Learning, University of Manchester website. 

Published a review on Hashi Mohamed’s book “People Like Us”: Hinna Abid (2022): Social mobility in a deeply divided nation – the subtle and abstract structures of disadvantage, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, DOI: 10.1080/14681366.2022.2075611

16th European Sociological Association (ESA) Conference 2024. "Crafting Innovative Research Methods In Phenomenography with a Sociological Perspective". 

NEON Widening Access Conference 2024. Integrating Mature Male Students in English Universities: An Exploration of their Perspectives & Experiences 

iHuman 2022 Inclusive Societies Conference. It touched on the theme of Social Harm, elaborating how education may lead to elusive forms of disadvantage: Exploring Experiences of Mature Male Students in Higher Education & Beyond: The Subtle & Abstract Structures of Disadvantage

Teaching Activities

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Teaching Assistant

School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester (2022 - present):

Teaching modules:

1.    Inequalities in Contemporary British Society. 

2.    Education & Society. 

3.    Qualitative Research Design & Methods

Department of Sociological Studies & School of Education, University of Sheffield (2021-2024)

Teaching modules:

1. Introduction to Social Research Methods

2. Exploring Classical Social Theory

3. Language, Society & Education