Overview
Alex has an established reputation as a leading voice in national conversations relating to masculinity, education, inequality and access to Higher Education.
Since completing his doctoral research which focused inequality and access to university for white working-class boys in the West Midlands in 2020, he has been a regular speaker at national conferences of the British Sociological Association, British Educational Research Association, Forum for Access and Continuation, and Higher Education Liaison Officers Association, delivering talks, workshops and training with practitioners across the education sector.
In 2023, he founded Boys' Impact, a UK wide network of educators who are committed to taking an evidence-based approach in closing the gap in educational outcomes for young men who are eligible for Free School Meals.
His primary interests centre around how creative research methods can be mobilised as tools to understand issues related to masculinity and inequality in education. His first monograph, Lost Boys: How Education is Failing Young Working-Class Men, will be published by Policy Press in the summer of 2025.
Contact:
Qualifications
Qualifications
- PhD Education and Sociology (University of Wolverhampton)
- MA Drama (University of Wolverhampton)
- BA (Hons) Drama (University of Wolverhampton)
Teaching Qualification
- Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Research
Research Interests and Projects
Research Projects
Boys' Impact National Pilot
Through the Boys' Impact Network, founded in 2023, the University collaborating on a large scale pilot of innovative approaches to close the gap in educational outcomes for young men who are eligible for Free School Meals in partnership with the United Learning Multi Academy Trust.
Boys will be Boys?
A large scale piece of research was launched with with educators and young men nationally. The 'Boys will be boys?' project explores the influence of educator perceptions and relationships with young men in the school classroom. Findings will be published in 2025.
Boys who Care: Exploring the negotiation of young male carers’ educational identities and future orientations
A project conducted in partnership with MYTIME Young Carers, exploring the experiences of male young carers in education. The project mobilises creative, participatory methodologies, to explore the role that the young men's caring role plays in their identity formation, and experiences in education.
Publications
Blower, A., (2025) Lost Boys: How Education is Failing Young Working-Class Men. In Lost Boys. Policy Press.
Blower, A. (2025). Getting in and getting on needs to go up the agenda, not down. Wonkhe. (online) Available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/getting-in-and-getting-on-needs-to-go-up-the-agenda-not-down/
Blower, A. and Rainford, J. (2023). Internalizing the Present in the Articulation of the Future: Masculinity, Inequality, and Trying On New Possible Selves. Boyhood Studies, 16(2), pp.109-132.
Blower, A. (2023) 'Learning to level-up? Taking action to supporting working-class boys in education', Emerald Publishing, 29 November. Available at: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/opinion-and-blog/learning-level-taking-action-supporting-working-class-boys-education
Blower, A. (2022) 'How to support working-class boys’ attainment and progression to higher education', Wonkhe. (online) Available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/how-to-support-working-class-boys-attainment-and-progression-to-higher-education/
Blower, A. (2021) 'White working-class students have been let down – just not by a debate over “white privilege”', Wonkhe. (online) Available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/white-working-class-students-have-been-let-down-just-not-by-a-debate-over-white-privilege/
Blower, A. (2020) Walking the Black Country tightrope: the development of white working-class males’ expectations toward (non) participation in higher education. University of Wolverhampton.
Research Supervision
I would welcome applications from prospective PhD students with an interest in masculinity, education, inequality and applied creative research methodologies.
Professional Engagement
Evaluation Projects
Authentic Education, Lyfta Evaluation
An evaluative mixed methods research project in partnership with Authentic Education Multi Academy Trust. The project engages with 60 young men who are engaging with the Lyfta platform across six primary and secondary schools to understand the influence of engagement with the Lyfta platform on participant’s wider cultural and societal understanding.
Memberships
Advance HE Membership
- Fellow (FHEA)
Professional Memberships
- Fellow RSA