Meet our researchers, visiting scholars and honorary appointments at the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, as well as current Higher Degree Research students.
ILSTE hosts a team of eminent researchers and international scholars, research students and professional staff working in a range of capacities in support of our research.
Browse our researchers, staff, students and graduates, and find out how to get in touch.
NAME |
COURSE NAME |
THESIS TITLE |
ILSTE’s PRINCIPAL SUPERVISOR |
Jane Caughey |
Master of Education (Research) |
Play as a leading activity for children in a digitally-mediated environment in the home setting |
Dr Karen McLean |
Sarah Nailer |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
Those who stay: examining the role of a school-university partnership in supporting teachers as they move from 'proficient' to 'highly accomplished' |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Sarah Young |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
Teacher as Player: Co-creating with children in play |
Professor Suzy Edwards |
Rebecca Matthews |
Master of Education (Research) |
What is an 'educator'?: The impact of policy discourses on early childhood professionals. |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Rachel Hughes |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
An Exploration of Love in the Practice of Infant and Toddler Teachers |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Deirdre Tate |
Doctor of Education |
Measuring the value of developmentally appropriate pedagogy in the early years to improve literacy skills by prioritising oral language |
Professor Suzy Edwards |
Marijne Medhurst |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
Access to Achievement: Enabling Students with Disability to Engage with Classroom Assessment. |
Professor Joy Cumming |
Phung Nguyen |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
Developing the Evaluative Language Competence of Teacher Education Students in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Courses in Vietnam. |
Professor Len Unsworth |
Phillipa McKeering |
Doctor of Education |
Acculturation and wellbeing for international school students: examining the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention. |
Assoc Prof. Clarence Ng |
Angela Morcos |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
Processes of early childhood education policy development in local government in Victoria, Australia: An institutional ethnography. |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Maryam Razmjoee |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
The association between teachers implemented assessment adjustments, students academic and life outcomes |
Professor Joy Cumming |
Rachel Foster |
Doctor of Education |
Exploring sector specific needs and expectations of ECE positional leaders from a lived experience perspective. |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Melanie Thomas |
Doctor of Philosophy in Education |
The implications of families' experiences of play for playgroup participation in culturally diverse communities |
Dr Karen McLean |
Gillian Roberts |
Doctor of Education |
Perspectives and practices that characterise effective leadership in early childhood education in New Zealand |
Professor Joce Nuttall |
Chu Poh Yoke |
Master of Philosophy in Education |
Parents Learning About Play at a Community Playgroup: A Case Study |
Dr Karen McLean |
Federica Caccioppola |
Doctor Philosophy |
Education for global citizenship and open class climate. Video-analysis of verbal and non-verbal interactions in the classroom |
Prof Sir Gabriella Agrusti |
Julie Robinson |
Master of Education (Research) |
To what extent are the current HALT and graduate accreditation processes impacting the improvement of teaching quality within schools as a whole rather than recognising individual teacher status? |
Professor Joce Nuttall Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith -Co-Supervisor |
Jennifer Allen | Master of Philosophy | A Child's Right to Play in a Digital Society | Professor Suzy Edwards Dr Karen McLean (Co-Supervisor) |
Honor Mackley | Doctor of Philosophy in Education | Tinkering in Early Childhood Learning: Developing Concepts of Digital Technologies Through 'hands on' Manipulations of Digitally Themed Loose Parts Materials | Professor Suzy Edwards Dr Karen McLean (Co-Supervisor) |
Julie Plows | Doctor of Philosophy in Education | Assessing the arts of learning of two-year-olds within teacher-led early childhood education and care environments in Aotearoa New Zealand | Professor Joce Nuttall Dr Jenny Martin -Co-Supervisor |
Nathan Lowien | Doctor of Philosophy in Education | The semiotic construction of attitude in video games: explicating the portrayal of values. | Professor Len Unsworth |
Associate Professor Susan Bridges - awarded to 1 March 2022 - in recognition of her outstanding achievements in medical and dental education as well as her expertise and significant strengths in the area of research.
Associate Professor Mary Macken-Horarik - awarded to 10 September 2021 – in recognition of her international reputation and scholarly expertise in the field of Senior Secondary English Curriculum.
Dr Graham Maxwell - awarded to 31 May 2021 - in recognition of his national and international reputation as a leader in the area of educational assessment.
Professor Harry Daniels - awarded to 1 March 2022 - in recognition of his reputation as an internationally-renowned expert educational researcher and his willingness to provide research mentorship and raise the profile of ACU in international research communities.
Professor Theo van Leeuwen - awarded to 31 December 2023 - in recognition of his leadership in the field of social semiotics, in particular his development of social semiotics theories and methods for the analysis of multimodal communication.
Dr Lee-Anne Perry AM - awarded to 9 April 2021 - in recognition of her reputation as a leader in the field of education and acknowledges her willingness to collaborate with ACU in partnership building, developing excellent teacher education programs and in building enhanced capacity in Catholic schools through collaborative professional development and policy formation.
Mr Mike Byrne - awarded to 1 March 2022 - in recognition of his extensive professional experience and willingness to support the work of ACU and ILSTE in developing strong educational networks with Catholic Education and Dioceses.
Professor Rudolf Straesser - awarded to 31 July 2023 - in recognition of his publication record in Mathematics Education, his preparedness to provide strategic advice about publication and project application opportunities and willingness to participate in joint research projects with Australian Catholic University.
Professor Joy Cumming – awarded to 31 December 2021 – in recognition of her contribution as a leader in the field of education, and support of ILSTE through the supervision of doctoral students.
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