Dr Mags Crean

    Applied Social Studies

    Lecturer/ Assistant Professor

    Auxilia, North Campus, Maynooth University
    Level 2
    2.2

    Biography

    Mags Crean is Assistant Professor in Social Policy in Maynooth University. 
     
    Mags holds undergraduate degrees in Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, as well as a Masters degree in Equality Studies and PhD in Social Justice from University College Dublin. In addition to research and academic work on social policy issues, Mags has worked in both the community and NGO sectors across a range of policy areas including ageing, education, community, health and housing. This work informs her further academic focus on the role of civil society and community groups in making, analysing and researching social policy.
     
    As a former elected Independent county councillor, Mags has a particular interest in policy change that facilitates a more participatory approach to the policy process and connects local, national and global policy issues. In 2008, she was awarded a UCD Egalitarian World Initiative/ Combat Poverty Agency, Civil Society Scholarship. Taking a social justice and critical policy analysis approach to her work, Mags draws on her personal, professional and political experiences to highlight the ways in which social policy can play a role in creating a more egalitarian society.

    Research Interests

    Educational inequalities
    Poverty
    Equality
    Social class
    Care
    Health
    Ageing

    Critical education

    Research Projects

    Title Role Description Start date End date Amount
    Children's School Lives Associate Research Fellow 02/09/2019
    It Takes A Village Research Evaluation Principal Investigator 01/10/2023
    Dementia Advocacy: A human rights and social justice lens Principal Investigator 01/10/2023
    Research evaluation Zero Tolerance Meath community prevention project CO PI 01/04/2024

    Book Chapter

    Year Publication
    2018 Lynch, K and Crean, M (2018) 'Economic Inequality and Class Privilege in Education' In: Harford, J (ed) Education for All? The Legacy of Free Post-Primary Education. Oxford : Peter Lang. [Full-Text]
    2016 Lynch, K., Cantillon, S. & Crean M. (2016) 'Inequality' In: W.K. Roche, PJ O’Connell and A. Prothero (eds) Austerity’s Poster Child: Ireland’s Experience of Austerity and Recovery. Oxford : University Press.
    2011 Crean, M. and Lynch., K. (2011) 'Resistance, Struggle and Survival: The University as a Site for Transformative Action' In: A. O’Shea and M. O’Brien (Eds) Pedagogy, Oppression and Transformation in a Post-Critical Climate. London : Continuum.
    2010 Lynch, K. Crean, M. and Moran, M (2010) 'Equality and Social Justice: the university as a site of struggle’' In: Michael Apple, Stephen J Ball and Luis Armando Gandin (eds) International Handbook of the Sociology of Education: Critical Research for Social Justice. New York : Taylor and Francis.

    Peer Reviewed Journal

    Year Publication
    2024 Crean, M (2024) 'Book review: The Making of a Left-Behind Class Educational Stratification, Meritocracy and Widening Participation. by Fred Powell, Margaret Scanlon, Patrick Leahy, Hilary Jenkinson and Olive Byrne'. SOCIAL POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, . https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.13094
    2024 Crean, M; Moore, B; Devine, Dympna; Symonds, J; Sloan, S; Martínez Sainz , G (2024) 'Qualitative research during the COVID19 pandemic: the impact of remote research on the collaborative production of methodological knowledge'. International Journal of Research and Method in Education, . [Full-Text]
    2024 Gleasure, Sean, Devine, D.,; Martinez Sainz, G; Sloan, S; Crean, M., Moore, B., Symonds, J (2024) '“This is Where the Care Can Step Up”: A Typology of Nurturing Pedagogies in Primary Schools Serving Low-Income Communities During COVID-19 Closures'. Early Childhood Education Journal, . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01636-6 [Full-Text]
    2024 Martinez-Sainz, G; Devine, D; Sloan, S; Moore, B; Crean, M; Barrow, N; Greaves, M; Gleasure, S (2024) 'A rights-based exploration of children’s pedagogical voice in the classroom'. Education 3-13, . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01636-6
    2024 Farrell, E; Symonds, J; Devine, D; Sloan, S; Crean, M; Cahoon, A; Hogan, J (2024) 'What does well-being mean to me?’. Conceptualisations of well-being in Irish Primary Schooling'. Health Education, . https://doi.org/10.1108/HE-03-2024-0023 [Full-Text]
    2024 Greaves, M; Devine, D; Martinez-Sainz, G; Moore, B; Crean, M; Barrow, N; Sloan, S; Symonds, J; Ioannidou, O (2024) 'Failing by design; exploring the currere lived experiences of a low-socioeconomic status boy in primary school'. Curriculum Journal, 00 :1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.308
    2023 Crean, Mags, Dympna Devine, Barbara Moore, Gabriela Martínez Sainz, Jennifer Symonds, Seaneen Sloan & Emma Farrell (2023) 'Social class, COVID-19 and care: Schools on the front line in Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic'. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44 . [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2021 Devine D.; Samonova E.; Bolotta G.; Sugrue C.; Sloan S.; Symonds J.; Capistrano D.; Crean M. (2021) 'Gendering childhood(s) and engagement with schooling in rural Sierra Leone'. Compare, . [DOI] [Full-Text]
    2020 Crean, Mags (2020) '‘Personal’ troubles and public spaces: the community as a site of care and social action'. Community Development Journal, 55 (4):607-623. [Full-Text]
    2020 Lynch, Kathleen,Kalaitzake, Manolis,Crean, Margaret (2020) 'Care and affective relations: Social justice and sociology'. Sociological Review, 69 (1). [Link] [Full-Text]
    2019 Lynch, Kathleen,Crean, Mags (2019) 'On the question of cheap care: Regarding A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things by Raj Patel and Jason W Moore'. 27 (2):200-207. [Link] [Full-Text]
    2018 Crean, M (2018) 'Minority Scholars and Insider-Outsider Researcher Status: Challenges along a Personal, Professional and Political Continuum'. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 19 (1). [Full-Text]
    2018 Crean, Margaret (2018) 'Affective formations of class consciousness: Care consciousness'. Sociological Review, 66 (6). [Link] [Full-Text]
    2008 Crean, M (2008) 'Extended book review: DIY Community Action: Neighbourhood Problems and Community Self-help'. Community Development Journal, 44 (4):528-530. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsp046
    2007 Morrell, R., Davies, L., Lynch, K., Crean, M., & Subrahmanian, R (2007) 'Review of Gender, Schooling and Global Social Justice, by E. Unterhalter]'. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28 (6):797-816. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036256

    Report

    Year Publication
    2017 Crean, M and Lynch, K (2017) Evaluation of the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme in County Wicklow. [Report]
    2016 Crean, M (2016) Quantitative survey of dementia specific services in the Republic of Ireland. [Report]

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2024 Devine, D; Ioannidou, O; Sloan, S; Martinez-Sainz, G; Symonds, J; Bohnert, M; Greaves, M; Moore, B; Smith, K; CRean, M; Davies, A; Jones, M; Barrow, N; Crummy, A; Gleasure, S; Samonova, E; Smith, A; Stynes, H; Donegan, A (2024) CHILDREN’S SCHOOL LIVES: EQUALITIES IN CHILDREN’S SCHOOL LIVES – THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL BACKGROUND (2019 TO 2023). UCD, . [Full-Text]
    2024 Sloan, S., Martinez Sainz, G., Devine, D., Symonds, J., Ioannidou, O., Moore, B., Davies, A., Bohnert, M., Stynes, H., Senior, J., Osborne, K., Crean, M,. Barrow, N., Grieves, M., Gleasure, S., Donegan, A., Samonova, E., Farrell, E., O’Giobuin, R., Smith, A., Farrell, J (2024) CHILDREN’S SCHOOL LIVES: CHILDREN’S WELLBEING IN IRISH PRIMARY SCHOOLS (2019 TO 2023). UCD, . [Full-Text]
    2023 Martinez Sainz, G; Devine, D; Sloan, S; Symonds, J; Ioannidou, O; Moore, B; Crean, M; Barrow, N; Grieves, M; Gleasure, S; Donegan, A; Samonova, E; Davies, A; Stynes, H; Farrell; E; O’Giobuìin, R; Smith, A; Farrell, J; Gilligan, E. (2023) Curriculum and Assessment in Children’s School Lives: Experiences from Primary Schools in Ireland 2019–2023. NCCA, . [Full-Text]
    2023 Devine, D; Martinez-Sainz, G; Symonds, J; Sloan, S; Moore, B; Crean, M; Barrow, N; Grieves, M; Donegan, A; Samonova, E; Davies, A; Farrell; O’Giobúin, R; Farrell, J (2023) PRIMARY PEDAGOGIES: CHILDREN AND TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN IRELAND 2019–2022. UCD, . https://cslstudy.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CSL_Report5_ForPublication.pdf
    2022 Sloan, S., Devine, D., Martinez Sainz, G., Symonds, J. E., Crean, M., Moore, B., Davies, A., Farrell, E., Farrell, J., Blue, T., Tobin, E. & Hogan, J. (2022) Children’s School Lives: The Preschool to Primary School Transition in Ireland, Report No. 4. NCCA, .
    2021 Sloan, S and Martinez Sainz, G and Devine, D and Symonds, J and Crean, M and Moore, B and Davies, A and Farrell, E (2021) Children's School Lives in Junior Infants. Report 3. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, .
    2020 Symonds, J. E., Devine, D., Sloan, S., Crean, M., Moore, B., Martinez Sainz, G., Farrell, E., Davies, A., Farrell, J., & Blue, T. (2020) Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning in Ireland During the Covid-19 Pandemic (March – May 2020). NCCA, .
    2020 Devine, D.; Symonds, J., Sloan, S., Cahoon, A., Crean, M., Farrell, E., Davies, A., Blue, T. & Hogan, J. (2020) Children’s School Lives: An Introduction, Report No.1. NCCA, .
    2016 Crean, M (2016) Education and Recovery: Achieving Positive Outcomes in Education for Adults with Mental Health Difficulties. Bray Adult Education Network, .
    2015 Trepel, D., Crean, M. and Begley, E. (2015) Executive Summary: An Economic Analysis of Home Care Services for People with Dementia. Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, .
    2015 Crean, M and Carroll, C. (2015) Transport: A practical and psycho-social support for people with cancer. Purple House Cancer Support, .
    2013 Crean, M (2013) Information in Transition: The information, advice and advocacy needs of older people. Citizens Information Board, .
    2008 Crean, M (2008) The Needs of Young People Living in Blakestown. Fingal RAPID & Blanchardstown CDP, .
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2025) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Honors and Awards

    Date Title Awarding Body
    01/01/2008 UCD Egalitarian World Initiative: Combat Poverty Agency, Civil Society Scholarship University College Dublin

    Committees

    Committee Function From / To
    Purple House Cancer Support Trustee/ Board member 01/01/2014 - 01/01/2020
    Wicklow Inclusion and Disability Committee Committee member 24/05/2019 - 01/05/2022
    East Coast Regional Drugs & Alcohol Task Force Board member 24/05/2019 - 01/05/2022
    Wicklow Mermaid Arts Theatre Board member 24/05/2019 - 01/05/2022
    Greystones Family Resource Centre Board member 01/08/2017 -

    Teaching Interests

    Advanced Social Policy - BSocSc - semester 1

    Ageing and Social Policy - BSocSc - semester 2

    Education Inequalities - MSocSc - semester 2

    Policy analysis & dissertation - BSocSc - semester 1 & 2

    Critical Skills for Social Science I - BSocSc - semester 1

    Critical Skills for Social Science II- BSocSc - semester 2