Dr Kevin F. McGrath completed a Bachelor of Education in primary education at the University of Technology Sydney, where he graduated with first class honours and was awarded the university medal for outstanding academic achievement. A few months later, he published his first peer-reviewed journal article examining the perceived need for more male primary school teachers. He then taught in NSW public schools before being awarded a Research Excellence Scholarship. He completed his PhD in Education at Macquarie University in 2016, where he received an Excellence in Higher Degree Research award and Vice Chancellor's Commendation - with his doctoral dissertation ranked in the top 5% of all Higher Degree Research.
Working as a primary school teacher, an associate lecturer, and as a tertiary supervisor, he has taught more than 980 primary school students and over 2,600 teacher education students. Additionally, while working in the health sector for a rehabilitation specialist, he developed and delivered professional development training to school teachers on the topic of recognising and responding to trauma in the classroom.
Dr McGrath's research focuses on the importance of student-teacher relationships and on teacher gender as a facet of workforce diversity. His publications include quantitative and qualitative research, a thematic review of literature, a review essay, and a theoretical framework.
While his primary area of study is education, Dr McGrath's published work traverses several other disciplines, including: gender studies, sociology and political science, educational and social psychology, and social economics. His research has been cited more than 570 times internationally (scholar.google) and he has worked collaboratively with researchers in Australia, South Africa, and Ireland.