For all PGRs, participating in conferences is crucial to sharing our research objectives and findings. It is also a context for networking, socialising and meeting twitter colleagues. In this blog, I will offer my reflections on both presenting online and in-person.

I started my PhD in 2019 (pre covid era) and continued to study throughout the lockdown and I am still a PGR in the post covid era. It feels different but special!

My First Conference Experience

My first conference experience was in 2021 where I presented my preliminary findings: Working Towards Inclusive Education for Autistic Children in Algeria: An Analysis of EFL Teacher Preparation Programme. I still remember how the session went and who attended. Although it was not my first time presenting, it was very stressful to be speaking in front of experienced people in my field of interest. However, given that my supervisor, Dr. Ines Alves, attended made the whole experience smooth and enjoyable.

Presenting Online

In 2022, I presented at two conferences online. It was during the transition period after a very long lockdown where some conferences were both online and in-person. I chose to attend online because of the complicated visa process that international PGRs have to go through in order to attend a 3-5 days conference. My first presentation was an online poster presentation at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) providing an in-depth analysis of my PhD research. During the same year, I joined ECER hybrid conference as both a presenter and technical assistant volunteer. I, again, preferred to participate online rather than in-person because of the complex Visa system that makes it difficult for Global South Researchers. The conference was very interactive and there were many opportunities to network with other researchers with similar interests. I presented a paper titled: Terminology Used to Describe Disability in Algeria: A Case Study of Current and Prospective Teachers’ Perceptions. Discussing this paper permitted me to join a group of researchers from different countries to collaborate on a workshop about “Methodological and Research-Related Challenges and Strategies in Multilingual Research in Multicultural Settings”.

Moving To In-Person Attendance

Photos: Of Imene at conferences (left: name badge; middle: poster; right: Imene speaking and presenting)

Moving from online to in-person became mandatory in 2023 which means that I had to speak in front of people and make eye contact. Given that everything was online/hybrid for more than two years, presenting in person was a new challenge for me. I joined ITAKOM (It Takes all Kinds of Minds) in March 2023 in Edinburgh and presented a poster about “Defining Neurodiversity in the Context of Algerian Teacher Education: Perspectives from the Global South”. It was a new experience as I saw people in person, and I could network with similar-minded people. It was a very convenient location as I did not need to apply for any Visa or other entry documents. However, in May 2023 I had to go to Sweden to present my INSAR cultural diversity internship findings that I was awarded in 2021 by the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR). The process of going to Sweden was one of the most difficult and uneasy processes I have ever encountered. If Global South Researchers have to go through this stress to simply present their research: location needs to be taken into consideration and there should be accommodations made. Nonetheless, my experience at INSAR was very fruitful. I presented my internship findings in front of large group of attendees where I received very thought-provoking questions. I also met scholars and researchers that are working on similar topics, and I got to engage with them in various discussions around our shared research interests. Also, as a member of INSAR Students/Trainees Committee, I got to meet other students and trainees, participate in planning events, helping people around and enjoy a very social event.

My Reflections

To conclude, attending conferences is a vital part of PhD students’ path towards engaging with similar-minded people. I participated in online and in-person conferences and both of them allowed me to learn about how to engage with people in different ways rather than the traditional physical oriented conferences.

Imene Zoulikha KASSOUS is a PhD student at University of Glasgow, School of Education. Her research interests include autism, inclusive education, and disability studies.