Education experts

Sue Ledger

International, rural/ remote education, literacy and policy studies

Sue is a Lecturer in International Education and Inclusive Education and coordinates the Murdoch School Experience team.Her teaching and research interests include International, rural/ remote education, literacy, policy studies. Sue has co-authored nine books for the Asian Education Foundation and designed curriculum for Languages Other Than English (LOTE) and Literacy. She recently developed a Post Graduate Certificate in International Education in partnership with the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

Sue is part of a combined university team awarded an ALTC grant to better prepare students for rural areas. She is a member of the Western Australian School Experience Committee, holds a position on the national executive of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Areas, and is an Education and Training committee member for the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Sue has taught in a range of teaching and administrative roles throughout state and international tertiary contexts. Her PhD is a policy analysis that blends her interest for international education and rural and remote contexts.

Dr Susan McKenzie

Gifted education, inclusive education, school improvement and family-school collaboration

Susan McKenzie is senior lecturer in educational psychology with research interest and expertise in the fields of gifted education, inclusive education, school improvement and family-school collaboration. Her current research is focused on students who are gifted and have diverse learning needs.

Dr Renato Schibeci

School science education and science communication

Dr Renato Schibeci's area of expertise is public engagement with science and technology and, more specifically, how interested citizens can contribute to science and technology policy.

He has worked on research projects dealing with the impact of biotechnology on ordinary people, for example: how do people perceive products of biotechnology, such as genetically modified foods and stem cell research? Should interested citizens have a say on these research areas in biotechnology?

He is currently looking at the implications of research on woodland health and sea water desalination on ordinary people. What do ordinary people think about this research? Should interested citizens have a say on these two science research areas? Or should these decisions be left to the ‘experts’?

Professor Jan Herrington

Authentic learning and technology

Dr Jan Herrington is a Professor in the School of Education, specialising in research on authentic learning in realistic and complex contexts, similar to the way professionals learn and work in the real world.

This research includes consideration of technology-based learning, such as e-learning and mobile learning, using mobile phones and other personal communication devices.

Dr Herrington works with international colleagues including USA, Finland, Singapore and Korea, and serves on several international journal and conference committees. She has published several books on e-learning and other technology-related subjects, including ‘A Guide to Authentic e-Learning’.

Dr Laura Perry

Sociology of education, education policy, comparative/international education

Dr Laura Perry is best known for her work about educational equity and student outcomes. She has been conducting secondary analyses of the international student assessment test, PISA, to examine the relationship between school socio-economic composition and student academic outcomes in Australia.

In 2010 Dr Perry was awarded an Australian Research Council Discovery grant to examine the relationships of school socio-economic composition and academic outcomes in a cross-national perspective. By analysing how the importance of school socio-economic composition varies for different students and in different countries, she aims to show how the Australian educational system can be made more equitable.

At the foundation of all her work is an interest in the ways in which education systems and school structures, contexts and practices influence student outcomes, and a commitment to improving educational opportunities and outcomes for all students.

Dr Lisa Cary

Curriculum studies and educational research in societal contexts and with the aim for social justice

Dr Lisa Cary is investigating issues in curriculum by deconstructing central notions of schooling and revealing the way social constructions of worthwhile knowledge and good teaching (for example) are inextricably linked to issues of social justice and equitable access to learning opportunities.

Her research brings together recent moves in educational research and curriculum as an ethical move towards more equitable educational opportunities for all students.

Dr Cary has worked in educational contexts in Australia, Canada and the United States for over 20 years. Her experience and qualifications have led to the analysis of local, national and international curriculum issues and she has a strong international reputation as a scholar and researcher.

Dr Peter Wright

Creativity and arts in educational learning and development

Dr Peter Wright researches artistically-based approaches to educational research, creativity and community cultural development.

He studies drama education, applied theatre, transformational learning and teacher development in the arts, and playback theatre.

Dr Wright is currently involved in projects with Big hART, a social impact of the arts company.

Dr Nado Aveling

Anti-discriminatory education and social justice

Dr Nado Aveling is an expert on anti-discriminatory education within a post-colonial framework. Her research focuses on the social construction of gender and race identities and deconstructing the “normativity of whiteness" through field-based research.

She is a senior lecturer in Education teaching social justice studies.

Associate Professor Libby Lee-Hammond

Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogy, Aboriginal Early Years, Outdoor Learning

A passionate advocate for the early learning years, Associate Professor Lee-Hammond has developed Murdoch’s Early Childhood Education Programs for a decade.

Associate Professor Lee-Hammond researches parent/school partnerships and learning outcomes for young Aboriginal children.

She is presently running projects in outdoor learning with young children following the Forest/Bush School model. She is conducting an evaluation of the Statewide Best Start Playgroups on behalf of the State Department for Communities. She has a long-standing relationship with the Mungullah Aboriginal Community and continues to work with elders and community members to enable children to gain the full benefits of their school education.

Barry Kissane

Mathematics and numeracy education

Professor Barry Down

Teacher education, youth policy and vocational education and training

Dr Judy MacCallum

Enhanced learning strategies in child education, youth mentoring and teacher professional learning

Dr Judy MacCallum is Dean of the School of Education and associate professor in educational psychology. She is a respected researcher in strategies to enhance children’s participation in learning. Her collaborative research with a primary teacher colleague is building theory on instructional practice, motivational change and teacher professional learning.

She was part of a team pioneering Australian research on mentoring and strategies such as intergenerational exchange, which has since been used as the basis for policy development and implementation at national, state and community levels. Dr MacCallum is working with the Australian Youth Mentoring Network and the WA Department for Communities to develop a mentoring research strategy to build our understanding of mentoring and improve practice.