Our recent graduate, Amanda, published their MSc work and we caught up with Amanda to hear more about their research journey.
We are proud to celebrate the academic achievement of Amanda Ferrer Knight, a recent graduate of our MSc Clinical Psychology programme. Their MSc thesis, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Deirdre Birtles has been published in the peer-reviewed journal, Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice.
The study, titled “‘I feel trapped in my safe clothes’: The impact of tactile hyper-sensitivity on autistic adults,” found that tactile sensitivity towards clothing can impact autistic adults’ appearance satisfaction, self-esteem, clothing options and choices, and self-expression through clothing.
We caught up with Amanda to hear more about their research journey, the experience of publishing as a postgraduate student.
What motivated you to explore this topic?
When I saw the list of proposed MSc projects and supervisors, the option of doing a research project on clothing and disability stood out to me. Clothing is such a fundamental part of daily life that we often don’t realise how many people struggle to access this. From an early age, I saw first-hand how clothing that works for one person can be inaccessible for another. For example, certain fabrics, tags, or seams in clothing that many people barely notice can cause intense discomfort for others. Moreover, clothing isn’t just a practical necessity – it can be used to express parts of your identity, to feel comfortable, to make a statement about your beliefs, and more. For me, clothing has always been a way of expressing my interests. As a result of these experiences, I became interested in exploring how tactile sensitivity influences self-expression through clothing and other related aspects of appearance, such as satisfaction with how one looks.
How did the process of conducting the research look like?
The MSc Dissertation module walked us through the research process of designing and writing a study plan; applying for ethics; conducting data collection; analysing and interpreting data; and writing a dissertation. It was great to get the chance to conduct my own research in an area I was interested in, and to apply everything I had been learning throughout the course. I felt well supported through both my supervisor and the lectures I was attending for my research and statistics modules.
Can you tell us about the process of turning your thesis into a journal article?
After graduating from my MSc, I contacted my supervisor, Dr. Deirdre Birtles, to talk about the potential of publishing my dissertation, as I felt that this made an important contribution to an under-researched area. Once we had chosen a journal with an aligning scope and aims, I started editing my dissertation to be more in line with the writing style and reporting expectations of a research journal. For example, this involved editing sections to improve clarity and conciseness, incorporating new studies as references, and ensuring that the qualitative and quantitative analyses were of high quality. Once we were satisfied with the manuscript, we sought feedback from another researcher in the field. We then submitted and entered the peer-review process. Overall, this experience taught me a lot about publishing and challenged me to become a better writer.
How did it feel to find out your paper had been accepted?
It was incredibly exciting! Although I was hopeful it would be accepted, I still felt nervous opening the email from the journal when it came through. After I read that it had been accepted, I felt very happy and relieved that my hard work and determination had paid off.
