Postgraduate wins UKLA Research Prize for study on English teachers' journeys since the 2020 iteration of Black Lives Matter

New College postgraduate, Adrian Fernandes, has been awarded the UK Literacy Association Student Research Prize 2025 for his Masters-level research. Now completing his DPhil at New College, Adrian's award-winning research investigated whether and how secondary school English teachers changed their teaching journeys following the 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. 

The UKLA Student Research Prize is awarded annually and is given for an outstanding student dissertation at undergraduate, postgraduate or higher degree level undertaken at a UK institution. Studies using any research approach (ethnographic, experimental, historical, etc.) are encouraged. Each study is assessed in the light of the chosen approach, the scholarly quality of its report, and its contribution to the field of literacy. 

We spoke to Adrian about the significance of this achievement and where his research will lead him next: 

What does this prize mean to you? How does it feel to be recognised for your work in this way?

This prize means a great deal to me, especially given that the research for my masters stemmed from 12 years of teaching and some slightly unusual life choices. To undertake this work, I gave up my job as Head of English in a London school, moved to Oxford with my young family and even back into university accommodation. It is good to know that I am on the right path with my research, which I am expanding for my DPhil project at New College.

Can you tell me a bit more about the research topic you submitted for the award?

My study investigated whether and how secondary school English teachers changed their teaching journeys following the 2020 resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. BLM reignited debates about systemic inequities, and in schools in England, engaged students wrote to their teachers demanding change. They highlighted the lack of Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) texts in their English literature curriculums, which relied heavily on a White literary canon. Since 2020, examination boards have responded to BLM-inspired calls for more GEM texts, increasing the number of GEM texts offered on GCSE and A-level syllabuses, with some boards doubling their offering. However, canonical texts remain as options for teaching alongside these new choices. For students to encounter the GEM texts for which they called, their teachers have to select them. Teachers serve as gatekeepers of the texts studied in schools, so understanding their attitudes towards change became a pressing research priority.

My study focused on the teaching journeys of 11 teachers. I conducted in-depth interviews, including journey plots, with these participants. The sample included four teachers, who like me, are from the GEM. We used BLM as a starting point for our conversations, which covered a wide range of experiences, from their own education to parenthood. The themes emerging from my data analysis serve as a summary of the journeys my participants made: all underwent change after BLM, aided by various opportunities, but importantly, they faced major barriers that prevented meaningful change.

What motivated you to explore English teachers’ journeys since the 2020 iteration of Black Lives Matter?

I did not undertake my career change and research lightly—I wanted to investigate something that had become increasingly important to me, namely, the experience of teachers teaching texts by GEM authors. I had encountered varied reactions to my own attempts to diversify texts in my English classes, and I wanted to understand why these changes were so challenging to implement. The opportunity to explore other teachers’ experiences felt important, and I am glad to have heard from all of my participants.

Your research focuses on integrating Global Ethnic Majority texts into the curriculum. Why is this such an important issue for teachers to address?

The need for change is urgent, given stark disparities: while 29% of students in England are from the GEM, fewer than 1% of English literature students studied GEM texts for GCSE. There is a powerful body of evidence showing the value of teaching texts that represent a wide range of stories and reflect the diversity of our classrooms. Without teachers enacting change, GEM stories risk remaining unheard, further harming GEM students’ sense of belonging, limiting the worldviews of all students and threatening the relevance of English literature, a subject already experiencing declining A-level uptake.

How did you approach gathering data and understanding attitudes and experiences in your study? What were some surprises or challenges you discovered while conducting this research?

I was keenly aware that teachers are incredibly busy, so I was grateful that they gave up an hour of their time to be interviewed by me. I was surprised that each of them developed some degree of critical consciousness after BLM, which helped to show how wide-reaching its effects had been. Some teachers had not thought about issues related to race and representation in their English teaching before, and they started interrogating many of the texts that they had previously taken for granted as suitable for school study. One particularly heartening moment was when the parent of a GEM student contacted a teacher to express gratitude for introducing more diverse texts into the classroom. The greatest challenge was keeping our conversations on track—English teachers can be quite eloquent and talkative, so I had to consider how to best bring our conversations closer to the relevant topic. Ultimately, I wanted their stories to come to the fore though, so relinquishing control became a priority to which I had to adapt. 

What do you hope the implications of this research will be for educators, schools or policy-makers?

My research contributes to discourses on equity in education by exposing the disconnection between aspirations for inclusivity and the realities of implementing change within a constrained system. To achieve the genuine integration of GEM texts, robust institutional support, professional development and resources must accompany the symbolic gestures of change. My project demonstrates the need for sustained efforts to address systemic inequities, only then can the momentum sparked by BLM lead to tangible changes in curriculum diversity.

What’s next for you academically? 

I am completing my DPhil here at New College. A major barrier that emerged from my research was that teachers felt ill-equipped to teach GEM texts because they did not feature in their training. This finding has caused me to pivot in my DPhil research and focus on teacher training. I hope that getting in at the ground floor will mean that, in future, a greater array of students can benefit from having had better informed English teachers. I have taught on this topic on the Oxford PGCE, and I have seen that trainee teachers are enthused by being empowered to deliver the change that their students desire.