Skip to main content
Dawn Mannay  BA MSc MA PhD

Professor Dawn Mannay

BA MSc MA PhD

Professor of Creative Research Methodologies

School of Social Sciences

Email
MannayDI@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 29208 74774
Campuses
Glamorgan Building, Room 1.26, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA
Comment
Media commentator
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

My research interests revolve around education, identity and inequality; and I employ participatory, visual and creative methods in my work with communities. I was the Principal Investigator on a Welsh Government commissioned project exploring the educational experiences and aspirations of children and young people who are care experienced. I have also worked on projects related to motherhood, health, the arts, care experiences, poverty, and migration funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Welsh Crucible, the Wales Millennium Centre, The Fostering Network and the Economic and Social Research Council. I manage the online community of practice ExChange: Care and Education, which hosts free-to-access multimodal materials, case studies, and best practice guides to inform key stakeholders with an interest in the education of care experienced children and young people, and the platform ExChange: Family and Community.

I wrote the book ‘Visual, narrative and creative research methods: application, reflection and ethics’ (Routledge 2016), edited ‘Our changing land: revisiting gender, class and identity in contemporary Wales’ (University Wales Press 2016); co-edited ‘Emotion and the researcher: sites, subjectivities, and relationships’ (Emerald 2018 - with Tracey Loughran); co-edited ‘Children and young people ‘looked after’? Education, intervention and the everyday culture of care in Wales’ (University Wales Press 2019 - with Alyson Rees and Louise Roberts); and co-edited The SAGE handbook of visual research methods (2nd Edition) (SAGE 2019 - with Luc Pauwels). My most recent book is Creative research methods in education: Principles and practices (Policy Press 2021 - co-authored with Helen Kara, Narelle Lemon and Megan McPherson).

I am interested in increasing the impact of research findings through the use of film, art work, music and a range of other participatory and co-produced multimodal materials. My work has been recognised with the Health and Care Research Wales 2017 Public Involvement Award, the Social Research Association 2017 Innovation Award and the Learned Society of Wales Dillwyn Medal 2018 and the Cardiff University Celebrating Excellence Awards 2019 - Excellence in Civic Mission.  This work formed part of a 4* Impact Case Study in the 2021 REF. I undertook a secondment with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales in 2019 to explore innovative ways of involving young people with cultural heritage and I am currently revisiting and updating this work in 2022, as well as contributing to projects with children, young people and parents in Wales. Find out more about Dawn's work in this film clip; film

Supervision

I am interested in supervising doctoral students and establishing research collaborations on applications of visual, narrative and creative methods in substantive sociological and psychological fields.

Doctoral Students Supervised to Completion

Current Doctoral Students

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

Articles

Book sections

Books

Conferences

Datasets

Monographs

Thesis

teaching_resource

Research

My research interests revolve around class, education, gender, geography, generation, national identity, care experienced children and young people and inequality; and I employ participatory, visual, creative and narrative methods in my work with communities.

Details of External Funding

  • 2022 - Welsh Government - ExChange: Family and Community - Building and Strengthening the Online Community of Practice £21, 893 
  • 2022 - Health and Care Research Wales - Understanding the Subjective Well-Being of Younger Children Looked After in Wales: A Qualitative Study Designed with Children in Care Using Creative Methodologies £295,279 (PI Professor Donald Forrester)
  • 2020 - EPSRC UKRI - Co-designing Community based ITCs: Interventions to Enhance Maternal and Child Health in South Africa £128,654 (PI Dr Nrevo Xavia Verdezoto Dias) 
  • 2020 - British Academy - Creative Heritage and Imagined Futures (CHIF): Young People, Past Conflicts and a Shared Future for Uganda £237,629 (PI Dr Kate Moles)
  • 2020 - TRIUMPH Network - Co-production or adaptation of online interventions for foster care: Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people £28, 733 (PI Dr Rhiannon Evans)
  • 2019 - Welsh Government - Establishing and Developing an Online Community of Practice on ExChange for Families First and Flying Start £48, 657
  • 2019 - Welsh Government - Exchange: Care and Education: Maintaining and Extending the Online Community of Practice Resource £22, 114
  • 2018 - Wales Millennium Centre - The value of cultural and creative engagement: Understanding the experiences and opinions of care-experienced young people and foster carers in Wales £10, 939
  • 2018 - Welsh Government - Developing and Sustaining Exchange: Care and Education: Sharing Expertise about Children and Young People that are Looked After £27, 993
  • 2017 - Economic and Social Research Council - Cardiff University Impact Funding - Kick the Dust: Drawing on Creative and Participatory Approaches to Engage Marginalised Young People with the Opportunities for Learning and Development at the National Museum Wales £12, 815
  • 2017 - Welsh Government - Creating an Online Community of Practice: Developing the Sharing of Expertise for those working with Children and Young People that are Looked After £26, 347 - Principal Investigator
  • 2016 - ESRC - Improving the Educational Experiences and Attainment of Looked After Children and Young People £25,000 - Lead Applicant [with Dr Eleanor Staples and Dr Sophie Hallett]
  • 2015 – Welsh Government - Understanding the educational experiences and opinions, attainment, achievement and aspirations of looked after children in Wales £59,852 – Principal Investigator
  • 2015 - Welcome Trust - Contextualising women’s risky health behaviours within pregnancy: the development of a qualitative longitudinal study using visual methods £19,000 [with Dr Aimee Grant, Cardiff University].
  • 2014 – Children and Young People’s Research Network (CYPRN) Funded - Inter-generational Views and Experiences of Breastfeeding [with Dr Aimee Grant, Cardiff University and Ruby Marzella, Cardiff University] £1,360 – Research Co-Supervisor
  • 2013 - HEA/ Open University Funded - What Students Want? Exploring the Role of the Institution in Supporting Success Learning Journeys [Principal Investigator - Ceri Wilcock, Open University] – Research Assistant
  • 2012 - ACE Development Trust Funded Research Project - Futurespace: assessing community views on strategies to reduce fuel poverty and carbon footprint [with Dr Karen Parkhill, University of Bangor] £800 - Joint Principal Investigator
  • 2008 - 2012 – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded PhD - Mothers and Daughters on the Margins: Gender, Generation and Education (PTA031200600088) - Doctoral Researcher.

Details of Internal Funding

  • 2016 - University of Wales Press - Publication Grant - Children and young people ‘looked after’? Education, intervention and the everyday culture of care in Wales. £9,000 Lead Applicant [with Dr Alyson Rees and Dr Louise Roberts, Cardiff University].
  • 2015 – Cardiff University Engagement Seed Funding - Sharing Stories: Presenting the Educational Experiences of Looked After Children through Rap Poetry and Art £1,500 [with Dr Eleanor Staples, Cardiff University]
  • 2015 - Cardiff Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (CUROP) Funded - Young Parents and the Media: Exploring Visual Representations and their Everyday Impacts £1,440 – Research Supervisor
  • 2015 – ESRC Wales Doctoral Training Centre - Small grant application form for inter-disciplinary or collaborative activities - Constructing and Deconstructing Selfhood [with Dr Katherine Shelton, Dr Tracey Loughran and Dr Melanie Bigold] £1, 935 – Co-applicant
  • 2014 - University of Wales Press Funding – Photography and Musical Productions Development Grant - Our Changing Land: Revisiting Gender and Identity in Contemporary Wales £5.000.
  • 2014 - Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) Transformative Research Seedcorn Funded - Negotiating Young Parenthood: A study exploring the ways in which mediated stereotypes of teenage parents impact on their perceptions of their parenting practices; and their engagement with service providers [with Dr Aimee Grant, Cardiff University] £3,000 – Joint Principal Investigator
  • 2013 - University of Wales Press Funding – Publication Grant - Our Changing Land: Revisiting Gender and Identity in Contemporary Wales. £6,000.
  • 2013 - Cardiff Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (CUROP) Funded - University Challenge: How can we foster successful learning journeys for non-traditional students in a School of Social Science? [with Victoria Edwards, Cardiff University] £1,360 – Research Supervisor

Teaching

I teach undergraduate and postgraduate modules in the areas of human development, social psychology, cultural psychology; and I am a personal tutor. I also act as a supervisor for dissertation students, both undergraduate and masters; and supervise doctoral researchers.

My current modules include; * SIO0301 – Human Development * SIO606 – Issues in Social and Cultural Psychology * MASW - Social Science Perspectives * MA Childhood and Youth *MSc Social Science Research Methods * Person Tutor and Dissertation Supervision

Biography

Education and Qualifications

  • MA Distance and Online Education – Open University – 2015
  • Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning Module 3 – Cardiff University - 2015
  • Welsh for Adults – Mynediad – Cardiff University - 2014
  • Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning Module 2 – Cardiff University – 2014
  • Postgraduate Certificate in University Teaching and Learning Module 1 – Cardiff University - 2013
  • PhD Social Science - Cardiff University - 2012
  • MSc Social Science Research – Cardiff University - 2008
  • BA Education 1st class honours – Cardiff University – 2006

Honours and awards

  • 2019 - Awarded - Civic Mission - Cardiff University Celebrating Excellence Awards 
  • 2018 - Awarded - Dillwyn Medal - Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine - The Learned Society of Wales
  • 2018 - Cardiff Mini Film Festival - Best Community Film - Shorlisted to screening final with colleagues from the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) and Like an Egg for #messagestoschools
  • 2018 - Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Most Effective Teacher
  • 2017 - Awarded - Wales Social Research Association - Research Innovation Award with colleagues from the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
  • 2017 - Cardiff Mini Film Festival - Best Music Video - Shorlisted to screening final with colleagues from the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) and Ministry of Life for Breathe
  • 2017 - Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Most Effective Teacher
  • 2017 - Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Most Innovative Member of Staff
  • 2016 - Chwarae Teg Womenspire Awards - Shortlisted by Panel to Final – Women in Education
  • 2016 - Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Most Effective Teacher
  • 2015 – Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Shortlisted by Panel to Final – Enriching Student Life Award
  • 2014 – Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Personal Tutor of the Year
  • 2014 – Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Most Effective Teacher
  • 2014 – Enriching Student Life Awards - Nomination by students at Cardiff University – Shortlisted by Panel to final – Employability Award
  • 2012 - Nomination by students at University of Wales, Newport for the Extra Mile Award
  • 2012 - Nomination by students at University of Wales, Newport for the Awesome Team Award

Professional memberships

  • Higher Education Academy - Fellow Status
  • International Visual Sociology Association - Member

Academic positions

  • Cardiff University - Reader in Social Sciences (Psychology) – 2019 - ongoing
  • Cardiff University - Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences (Psychology) – 2016 - 2019
  • Cardiff University - Lecturer in Social Sciences (Psychology) – 2012 – 2016
  • Open University in Wales - Associate Lecturer – 2010 - 2016
  • University of Newport - Visiting Lecturer – 2010 - 2012
  • Women Making a Difference Project – Trainer – 2010 - 2012
  • Beacon Researchers in Schools - Project Assistant – 2010
  • Cardiff University Centre for Lifelong Learning – Tutor - 2009 -2012
  • Cardiff University School of Social Sciences – Tutor – 2006 – 2012
  • BRASS – Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society - Research Assistant – 2003 - 2010

Committees and reviewing

  • Childhood and Youth Research Group - Joint Convener
  • Families, Identities and Gender Research Network (FIG) - Co-convener,
  • Mature Students Coffee Club - Convener