Researcher Profile

Dr Renata Cinelli

Faculty of Education and Arts, School of Education 

Areas of expertise: qualitative research; programme evaluation; teacher education; health and physical education; community engagement; health; wellbeing; body image; international engagement; intercultural engagement; Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: Provisional

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2090-6390

Phone: +61 2 9701 4132

Email: renata.cinelli@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Strathfield Campus

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Renata is a Senior Lecturer (Health and Physical Education and Educational Psychology) at the Strathfield Campus. Her research interests and experience relate to school health and physical education, body image, wellbeing and Indigenous health and education, and international cross-cultural teaching experiences. Renata has experience in both qualitative and quantitative research.

Select publications

• Eades, O., Toombs, M. R., Cinelli, R., Easton, C., Hampton, R., Nicholson, G. C., McCabe, M. P., Busija, L. (2021).
  The Path to Eldership: Results from a Contemporary Indigenous Australian Community. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnab062
• Lonsdale, C., Sanders, T., Parker, P., Noetel, M., Hartwig, T., Vasoncellos, D., Lee, J., Antkzac, D., Kirwan, M.,
  Morgan, P., Salmon, J., Moodie, M., McKay, H., Bennie, A., Plotnikoff, R., Cinelli, R. L., Greene, D., Peralta, L. R., Cliff, D. P., Kolt, G. S., Gore, J. M., Gao, L., Boyer, J., Morrison, R., Hillman, C., Shigeta, T. T., Tan, E., & Lubans, D. R. (2021). Effect of a scalable school-based intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness in children: a cluster randomised clinical trial. JAMA Pediatrics. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0417
  Peralta, L. R., Cinelli, R. L., & Marvel, C. (2021). Health literacy in school-based health programmes: A case study in
  one Australian school. Health Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969211003600
•  White, R., Bennie, A., Vasconcellos, D., Cinelli, R., Hilland, T., Owen, K., & Lonsdale, C. (2020). Self-determination theory in physical education: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 103247.
• Busija, L., Cinelli, R., Toombs, M., Easton, C., Hampton, R., Holdsworth, K., Macleod, A., Nicholson, G., Nasir, B., Sanders, K., & McCabe, M. (2020). The role of Elders in the wellbeing of a contemporary Indigenous Australian Community. The Gerontologist, 60(3), 513-524. doi:10.1093/geront/gny140
•  Vasconcellos, D., Parker, P. D., Hilland, T., Cinelli, R., Owen, K. B., Kapsal, N., Ntoumanis, N., Ryan, R., & Lonsdale, C. (2020). Self-Determination Theory applied to physical education: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(7), 1444.
• Peralta, L., Cinelli, R. L., & Bennie, A. (2018). Mentoring as a tool to engage Aboriginal youth in remote Australian communities: A qualitative investigation of community members, mentees, teachers, and mentors' perspectives." (2017-3967). Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 26(1), 30-49.
• Cinelli, R. L., & Jones, M. (2017). 'We were the real teacher': Outcomes of an international practicum in the Solomon Islands for Australian preservice teachers. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspective, 16(1), 64-77.
• Lonsdale, C., Sanders, T., Cohen, K. E., Parker, P., Noetel, M., Hartwig, T., Cinelli, R.L. ... & Moodie, M. (2016). Scaling-up an efficacious school-based physical activity intervention: Study protocol for the ‘Internet-based Professional Learning to help teachers support Activity in Youth’(iPLAY) cluster randomized controlled trial and scale-up implementation evaluation. BMC Public Health, 16(1), 873.
• Cinelli, R. L., & O’Dea, J. A. (2016). Obesity Prevention Programs in Children: Impact on Weight, Shape and Food Concern. Current Obesity Reports, 5, 88-96.
• Cinelli, R. L., & Peralta, L. R. (2015). 'Achievement, pride and inspiration': outcomes for volunteer role models in a community outreach program in remote Aboriginal communities. Rural and Remote Health, 15, 3482.
• Peralta, L. R., & Cinelli, R. L. (2015). An evaluation of an Australian Aboriginal controlled-community organization’s remote sports-based programme: a qualitative investigation. Sport in Society, 1-17.
• Cinelli, R. & O’Dea, J. (2012). Body Image, Desired Weight and Body Figure Preferences of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian women across the lifespan. In Cotton, W. & O’Connor, D. (Eds.), University of Sydney Papers in HMHCE (1). The University of Sydney Publishing Service.
• Cinelli, R. L., & O’Dea, J. A. (2009). Body image and obesity among Australian adolescents from Indigenous and Anglo-European backgrounds: implications for health promotion and obesity prevention among Aboriginal youth. Health Education Research, 24(6), 1059-1068.
• Jones, M., & Cinelli, R. L. (2019). Teacher education in the Solomon Islands. In C. Wolhuter (Ed.), International Handbook of Teacher Education Worldwide: second edition (volume 3). Athens: HM Studies and Publishing.
• O’Dea, J. A., & Cinelli, R. L. (2016). Use of drugs to change appearance in girls and female adolescents. In M. Hall, S. Grogan, & B. Gough (Eds.), Chemically Modified Bodies: The use of diverse substances for appearance enhancement (pp.51-76). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• O’Dea, J., & Cinelli, R. L. (2012). Eating disorder prevention programs on the university campus. In J. O’Dea (Ed.), Current Issues and Controversies in School and Community Health, Sport and Physical Education (pp.91-103). New York: Nova Science.
• Cinelli, R. L, & O’Dea, J.A. (2011). Body Image among Aboriginal Children and Adolescents in Australia. In S. Greene (Ed.), Body Image: Perceptions, Interpretations and Attitudes (pp.14-28). New York: Nova Science.

Projects

• 2016- Current: Outcomes of International Engagement in the Solomon Islands
• 2016- Current: The iPLAY Project – an evidence-based teacher professional development research program aimed at improving the quality of PE and school sport in NSW primary schools.
• 2020-Current: Health Literacy in NSW Secondary Schools
• 2021: Physical activity and health in Pacific Islander Youth
• 2021: Aboriginal mother’s group evaluation

Accolades and awards

• 2021-2022 Stakeholder Engaged Scholarship – Project Leader- Gunawirra program evaluation ACU- equivalent ($16,000)
• 2019 Teaching Development Grant: ‘Virtual Reality – A transformational teaching / learning tool or an expensive gimmick’ ($11,975; Parker, Cinelli, A’Beckett).
• 2019 Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning: For leadership that facilitates enhanced social, cultural, and academic student experience; student support; and promotes access to local and global opportunities for ACU students ($5000).
• 2018 Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award: Excellence in Community Engagement ($2,500).
• 2018 New Colombo Plan Funding: Building relationships and inter-cultural capability in teaching through professional experience for undergraduate students in the Solomon Islands ($396,000 for 2019-2021, Jones, Cinelli, & Gallagher).
• 2017 Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (Early Career): For enthusiastic and reflective teaching practice that challenges negative attitudes and promotes positivity, active involvement, confidence, and competence among health and physical education preservice teachers. ($3000).
• 2016 Early Career Researcher Grant (equivalent to $1500). Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA).
• 2016 New Colombo Plan Funding: Building relationships and inter-cultural capability in teaching through professional experience for undergraduate students in the Solomon Islands ($198,000 for 2016-2018, Kostogriz, Jones, & Cinelli).