Dr Craig Johnston presents "'Where are all the men?' working-class male students and care-based degrees"

Dr Craig Johnston, Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England, shared a presentation titled “‘Where are all the men?’ working-class male students and care-based degrees” as part of the Norland research webinar series.

Staff and students were delighted to welcome Dr Johnston, Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Social Sciences at the University of the West of England, for a presentation as part of Norland’s research series bringing early years experts to Norland to share and discuss their research.

Dr Johnston’s research interests lie in the study of class, masculinity, disability and youth (sub)-cultures. His most recent publications examine policy and practice initiatives affecting under-resourced youth existing on the margins of educational communities.

There is little research examining the experiences of working-class men on care-based degree courses. Doctor Johnston’s presentation drew on his recent paper about a small qualitative study of men on care-based courses in one university in England. Working-class male students’ work-related aspirations were accompanied by a sense of transgressing the margins of social and cultural orders, presenting them with challenges but also opportunities to develop new understanding and access new possibilities.

The research outcomes suggest that support with managing these experiences can help develop student confidence at university and in work settings. Students reported that academic staff identifying the relevance of students’ lived experiences to learning tasks, encouraging students to participate and valuing their ‘hidden voice’ provided opportunities for moments of tacit exchange and realisation.  These findings informed Dr Johnston’s argument that changes should be made in higher education to ensure that men are supported to contribute fully to their care courses and care work.  He suggested the creation of safe spaces for all students to explore class, gender and other aspects of social difference through lived experience and theory, and that classes exploring the implications of masculinity and social difference should form part of professional education courses.

Read Dr Johnston’s latest paper, Johnston, C., & Bradford, S. (2021). “‘Where are all the men?’ working-class male students and care-based degrees” in the Journal of Further and Higher Education.