Dr Sara Clayson

Professional biography

My research and scholarship interests focus broadly on narrative and identity across the disciplines of Childhood Studies, English Literature, and Education. Previously based in Arts and Humanities, I have researched evolutionary narratives and gender identity in nineteeth-century popular fiction. I am currently working on a project on Fanfiction, wellbeing and young people's identity with Dr Naomi Holford, Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies at the Open University and the Centre for Children and Young People's Wellbeing  We have recently published a blog post ‘Accepting me’: young people reflecting on fanfic and their identity | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences with the Health and the Arts Research Group | Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

I have also published on narrative scholarship, which reflects on teacher identity and nostalgia in Voices of Practice: Narrative Scholarship From the Margins 

My teaching career started in the Primary School classroom before moving into Adult Education and Further Education. Between 2002 and 2024, I taught as an Associate Lecturer for the Open University, teaching modules in the Arts and Humanities, Children's Literature, Applied Linguistics and Childhood Studies. In 2015 I joined the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies as a Staff Tutor, and since then have primarily worked on the level 3, undergraduate module EK313 Issues in Research with Children and Young People and E320 Contemporary Research with Children and Young People. 

Recent Publications

Clayson, S. (2021) 'Nostalgia and Identity', in Voices of Practice: Narrative Scholarship From the Margins ed. by Sean Michael Morris, Lucy Rai and Karen Littleton, Washington: Hybrid Pedagogy Inc.