Staff Profile
Dr Matthew Green
Lecturer in Children, Young People and Education
I graduated from York St John University with a first-class degree in Physical Education and Youth sport before completing a MSc in the Sociology of Sport and Exercise at the University of Chester. In 2021, I returned to York St John to undertake a PhD where I explored gendered peer group dynamics in secondary Physical Education, in September 2024 I became the first PhD researcher to complete through Institute for Social Justice funding. Upon completion, I began lecturing in the School of Sport, teaching across Levels 4-7. In 2025, I joined the School of Education, Language and Psychology as a Lecturer in Children, Young People & Education. In 2025, I also gained Fellowship at the Higher Education Academy.
- School – School of Education, Language and Psychology
- Email – m.green2@yorksj.ac.uk
- Postgraduate Research Supervisor
Further information
Teaching
I generally teach across modules concerning theoretical approaches to education, social justice, qualitative research methods and contemporary issues in education. Currently I am the module director for: CYE4006M Effective Communication and Teamwork.
I am also a module tutor on the following modules:
- CYE4004M Protection and Safeguarding in Context
- CYE5004M Social Divisions, Inequities and Inclusion
- CYE7001M Critical Approaches to Education
Alongside teaching, I supervise undergraduate student dissertations and Master’s by Research students.
Research
My research broadly interest lies in how children and young people experience and navigate Physical Education and school sport. More specifically, I am interested in how young people socially constructed and differentiate banter from bullying, as well as how young people’s behaviours and emotional expressions in differing school spaces (i.e., changing rooms, toilets, swimming pools). To date, I have extensively applied figurational sociology and have a adopted a range of qualitative research methods.
Publications and conferences
Journal articles
Green, M.J., and Mierzwinski, M.F. (2025). ‘It is hard to established boundaries’: Pupils’ and teachers’ perceptions of blurred lines between banter and bullying in secondary Physical Education. European Physical Education Review. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X25135545
Green, M.J., Haines Lyon, C., Little, A., and Telford, J. (2025). Teachers’, parents’, and pupils’ perceptions and described experiences of toilet provisions and practices within English schools. British Educational Research Journal. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4198
Mierzwinski, M.F, and Green, M.J. (2025). How do 9-10-Year-Olds Conceptualise, Engage in, and Navigate Banter within Primary Education? A Figurational Analysis. Children & Society. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12973
Swain, S., Green, M.J., and Mierzwinski, M.F. (2025). Decoloniality and anti-racist pedagogy: sport students’ experiences of enhancing their racial literacy. Sport, Education and Society. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2025.2502493
Green, M.J., Dopson, T., and Haines Lyon, C. (2025). ‘Student voice is not important compared to teachers/adults’: towards critical capacity building for school-based youth participatory action research. Quality Education for All, 2(2): 41-57.
Green, M.J., Mierzwinski, M.F., and Haines Lyon, C. (2025). Conceptualising and navigating bullying in England secondary schools: A figurational analysis of power imbalances in Physical Education. Sport, Education and Society, 30(3): 340-352.
Green, M.J., and Mierzwinski, M.F. (2025). A figurational analysis of secondary Physical Education gendered changing room procedures and practices in England. European Physical Education Review. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356336X251326481
Green, M.J., and Mierzwinski, M.F. (2025). ‘It is a grey area in sport, not just in school’: A figurational analysis of banter in secondary Physical Education in England. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. Epub ahead of print https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902251318441
Green, M.J., Little, A., Dobson, E., Glover, O., and Patterson, J. (2023). Humanising research relationships: Democratising education-based enquiry with student researchers. Research in Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/00345237231213575
Collaborative research reports
Green, M., Swain, S., and Mierzwinski, M. (2023). Decolonising the Curriculum and Anti-Racist Pedagogy in Sport and Leisure Education. York St John University.
Green, M., Dobson, T., and Haines Lyon, C. (2023). ‘I want to make the biggest difference’: A case study of project-based learning through the NextGenLeaders programme. York St John University.
Green, M., Baker, S., Smith, N., and Laver Fawcett, A. (2022). Supporting Health Improvement in North Yorkshire: Research Needs, Barriers, and Challenges of Local Authority Staff. York St John University.
Conference presentations
Swain, S., Mierzwinski, M., and Green, M.J. (2024). Investigating the impact and value of anti-racist pedagogy within the undergraduate sport and leisure curriculum. In: Leisure Studies Association Conference, 2nd July 2024. (Unpublished).
