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Kevin F. McGrath

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Affiliated Research Scientist, Department of Education Research, Macquarie University

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. Shortly after graduating, he published his honours research in a peer-reviewed journal - a paper examining the perceived need for more male primary school teachers that is presently the eighth most read publication in Gender and Education. After teaching in NSW public schools, he completed a PhD in Education at Macquarie University, 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 800 primary school students and over 2,000 teacher education students. He has also 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 interests include gender and education, disruptive student behaviour, and the student-teacher relationship. He has published quantitative and qualitative research, a thematic review of literature, a review essay, and a theoretical framework.

While his key area of study is education, Dr McGrath's published work encompasses several disciplines, including: gender studies, sociology and political science, educational and social psychology, and economics and econometrics. His research has been cited more than 200 times internationally (scholar.google) and he has prepared co-authored publications with researchers in South Africa, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Experience

  • 2019–present
    Department of Education Research, Integrative Behavioral Health Research Institute
  • 2012–2019
    Department of Educational Studies, Macquarie University
  • 2017–2019
    Research Team, NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors
  • 2015–2017
    School of Education, University of Technology Sydney

Education

  • 2016 
    Macquarie University, PhD
  • 2010 
    UTS, B.Ed (Hons1)

Publications

  • 2019
    Attributions and emotional competence: Why some teachers experience close relationships with disruptive students (and others don’t), Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice
  • 2019
    When female leaders outnumber men: The decline of male school principals in Australia, Journal of Gender Studies
  • 2019
    Masculinity and risk: Is teaching “too risky” for men in Australia?, Men and Masculinities
  • 2019
    The plight of the male teacher: An interdisciplinary and multileveled theoretical framework for researching a shortage of male teachers, The Journal of Men's Studies
  • 2017
    Are male teachers headed for extinction? The 50-year decline of male teachers in Australia, Economics of Education Review
  • 2017
    Adding colour to conflict: Disruptive students’ drawings of themselves with their teachers, The Elementary School Journal
  • 2017
    Elementary teachers' emotional and relational expressions when speaking about disruptive and well behaved students, Teaching and Teacher Education
  • 2015
    Who, when, why and to what end? Students at risk of negative student-teacher relationships and their outcomes, Educational Research Review
  • 2013
    More male primary-school teachers? Social benefits for boys and girls, Gender and Education

Professional Memberships

  • Australian Men's Health Forum