- ‘It was the small things’: Using the concept of racial microaggressions as a tool for talking to new teachers about racism Pearce, Sarah. 2018. ‘It was the small things’: Using the concept of racial microaggressions as a tool for talking to new teachers about racism. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, pp. 83-92. ISSN 0742-051X
- An emotional, intellectual and practical resource: black experiences and expertise on teaching about racism Pearce, Sarah. 2016. An emotional, intellectual and practical resource: black experiences and expertise on teaching about racism. Pedagogy Culture and Society, 24(1), pp. 161-168. ISSN 1468-1366
- Dealing with racist incidents: what do beginning teachers learn from schools? Pearce, Sarah. 2014. Dealing with racist incidents: what do beginning teachers learn from schools? Race Ethnicity and Education, 17(3), pp. 388-406. ISSN 1361-3324
- Confronting Dominant Whiteness in the Primary Classroom: progressive student teachers’ dilemmas and constraints Pearce, Sarah. 2012. Confronting Dominant Whiteness in the Primary Classroom: progressive student teachers’ dilemmas and constraints. Oxford Review Of Education, 38(4), pp. 455-472. ISSN 0305-4985
- Understanding Institutional Racism Pearce, Sarah. 2010. Understanding Institutional Racism. Race Equality Teaching, 28(2), pp. 15-18. ISSN 1478-8551
- The development of one teacher's understanding of practitioner research in a multi-ethnic primary school Pearce, Sarah. 2004. The development of one teacher's understanding of practitioner research in a multi-ethnic primary school. Educational Action Research, 12(1), pp. 7-18. ISSN 09650792
- Compiling the White Inventory: the practice of whiteness in a British primary school Pearce, Sarah. 2003. Compiling the White Inventory: the practice of whiteness in a British primary school. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33(2), pp. 273-288. ISSN 0305-764X
Dr Sarah Pearce
Staff details
Goldsmiths Research Centres/Groups
Sarah looks at how white teachers understand their racialised positioning and how this impacts on their work.
My research looks at how race and racism impact on teaching and learning. I have studied how white teachers understand their work in multi-ethnic classrooms; how students from diverse backgrounds experience the current schooling system as lacking in care; and how Islamophobia affects relationships between teachers and Muslim families. I am currently looking at how Master’s programmes can better meet the needs of students of colour and respond to the decolonisation movement.
Featured publications
2019:
‘It was the small things’: Using the concept of racial microaggressions as a tool for talking to new teachers about racism
Sarah Pearce. Teaching and Teacher Education, 79, 83–92.
2020:
High attaining students, marketisation and the absence of care: everyday experiences in an urban academy
Kirstin Lewis and Sarah Pearce. Pedagogy, Culture & Society
2018:
Changing attitudes to cultural difference: perceptions of Muslim families in English schools
Sarah Pearce and Kirstin Lewis. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49: 1, 1-14
2005:
You Wouldn’t Understand: white teachers in multi-ethnic classrooms
Sarah Pearce. Trentham/ IoE (book)
2015:
Dealing with racist incidents: what do beginning teachers learn from schools?
Sarah Pearce. Race Ethnicity and Education, 17:3, 388-406
Publications and research outputs
Book
- You Wouldn't Understand: white teachers in multiethnic classrooms Pearce, Sarah. 2005. You Wouldn't Understand: white teachers in multiethnic classrooms. Trentham Books. ISBN 1858563623
Article
- ‘Why are we doing this if there’s no connection?’ The importance of prior experience in academic learning on a Master’s programme Pearce, Sarah. 2023. ‘Why are we doing this if there’s no connection?’ The importance of prior experience in academic learning on a Master’s programme. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(4), pp. 563-575. ISSN 0309-877X
- High attaining students, marketisation and the absence of care: everyday experiences in an urban academy Lewis, Kirstin and Pearce, Sarah. 2022. High attaining students, marketisation and the absence of care: everyday experiences in an urban academy. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 30(2), pp. 261-280. ISSN 1468-1366
- Changing attitudes to cultural difference: perceptions of Muslim families in English schools Pearce, Sarah and Lewis, Kirstin. 2019. Changing attitudes to cultural difference: perceptions of Muslim families in English schools. Cambridge Journal of Education, 49(1), pp. 1-14. ISSN 0305-764X
Report
- “Are you on slide 8 yet?”: The impact of standardised curricula on teacher professionalism Traianou, Anna; Stevenson, Howard; Pearce, Sarah and Brady, Jude. 2025. “Are you on slide 8 yet?”: The impact of standardised curricula on teacher professionalism. Project Report. National Education Union (NEU), London.
Professional projects
I work with schools who want to develop their practice in relation to anti-racism and decolonisation.
Research projects
I am currently working with a team of colleagues researching how race and racism are addressed in schools.
