Research
Dr. McGannon’s research has two themes:
- The socio-cultural investigation of sport/exercise
- Advancing qualitative methods/methodologies in Sport Psychology and Sport Sociology.
Under these two intersecting research themes, Dr. McGannon explores:
- Sport/exercise and health topics (e.g., identity exclusion, gender-based violence, mental health, gender equity) by attending to discourses that (dis)empower people.
- Digital media stories/narratives in relation to identity, sport participation, gender equity, and health.
Recent Achievements
Dr. McGannon and her research team recently completed the CROSH-funded project, Motherhood Journeys On and Off the Ice: A Narrative Analysis of Digital Media Stories of Professional Hockey Mothers. She worked with Dr. Ann Pegoraro (CROSH researcher and Professor at University of Guelph) and Laurentian MHK student (and CROSH Student Member) Willa Hladun. This work explored media stories of LGBTQ+ hockey mothers related to culturally safe workspaces and formed part of Willa’s masters’ thesis (defended in April 2024). This work is currently under review with a peer reviewed journal.
Dr. McGannon was awarded an Insight Grant ($130,556, 2021-2025) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for her project, Expanding Understanding of Motherhood and Sport in Socio-Cultural Context: A Narrative Analysis of Stories in the Digital Landscape. Dr. McGannon and co-investigators Drs. Ann Pegoraro and Andrea Bundon (University of British Columbia), are undertaking a critical exploration of digital media sources in relation to motherhood, elite sport, and gender equity. Three peer reviewed articles exploring sport media stories of elite athlete mothers and their journeys to the Olympic Games are published (see ‘next reads’), with two peer reviewed articles in submission. Doctoral student Shaantanu Kulkarni (and CROSH Student member) is currently exploring data from this project for his dissertation centring elite curling mothers’ Instagram stories in relation to community and social belonging.
Next Reads
Looking for your next read? Dr. McGannon also has two recently published books, one centring trauma informed qualitative research in sport, exercise and health (Co-Edited with Dr. Jenny McMahon, University of Tasmania, Australia) and one centring motherhood and sport, stories and identities (Co-Edited with Dr. Lucy Spowart, University of Plymouth, UK).
Join the Team
If you're interested in joining Dr McGannon’s team as a graduate student related to her research themes/topics, you can reach her at kmcgannon@laurentian.ca.
Follow Dr. McGannon on Social Media
X: @FlockeKerry
LinkedIn: Kerry R McGannon, PhD
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