My research concerns the relationship between socioeconomic status, pedagogy and self-efficacy. In my doctoral thesis, I focus on the role of Classical Studies, and ancient philosophy in particular, as a means of mitigating inequality in my native North East. This stems from my background in Primary Education and my long-standing concern for Widening Participation. More broadly, I collaborate with colleagues on areas of policy development related to education systems and public health. I have provided Editorial Assistance for an Impact Factor-rated international journal and edited collections. 

Thesis abstract

This thesis aims to understand the prospective role of Classical Studies as a means of mitigating inequality via its effect on self-efficacy among pupils from state schools in the North East of England – an area exposed to high degrees of poverty and exclusion. Self-efficacy concerns belief in one’s capacity to perform an activity well. Highly unequal societies are associated with poor outcomes in self-efficacy among those of lower socioeconomic status. This is because people are subject to socioeconomic structures that distribute wealth, resources and opportunities away from them to others. People are also subject to sociocultural barriers, in which monopolisation of cultural shared understandings are used to exclude and stigmatise, creating phenomena such as ‘imposter syndrome’, partly stemming from having little to no contact with phenomena regarded as ‘elite’. One such area of exclusion in Britain is classical studies, which is marked by social class division, with the North East of England an area of ‘classics poverty’, having the lowest level of opportunity to study classics. This study explores the way in which addressing this area of sociocultural inequality may support individuals and communities in advancing their interests in the context of socioeconomic inequality. Drawing on Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed for its pedagogical framing, this comparative, action research-based study deploys a 10-week intervention in two contrasting socioeconomic primary schools in Newcastle. The study uses Homer’s The Odyssey as a stimulus for philosophical discussion, with each week’s session being based around a different chapter. Sessions are designed to encourage children to participate in a scaffolded Socratic-style seminar to complement PSHE education in order to explore the relevance of ancient storytelling to their own lives. This is in keeping both with Freire’s critical pedagogy, which is grounded in mutual transformation through dialogue, and pupil voice as method, with its commitment to recognising the intrinsic value of pupils and their importance of their views to educational institutions.