Understanding the role and professional development of educators, and factors impacting teaching and learning, to improve access, equity, innovation and quality in education.
Our research explores one of the most integral features of the education and learning landscape: educators. The education profession is pivotal to the success of any society. We investigate the nature and traditions of what it is to be an educator, how educators develop, and workforce conditions. We explore both macro and micro-environments including socio-cultural, economic, political and material factors that influence educator and learner wellbeing, and the nature of the teaching and learning dynamic.
Addressing areas of national priority
This research and scholarship group addresses the five priority areas of The National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (December 2022), that aims to:
- Improve teacher supply
- Strengthen initial teacher education
- Keep the teachers we have
- Elevate the profession
- Better understand future teacher workforce needs
Supporting equal opportunities
We align with the overarching goal of promoting inclusive and equitable quality education, through exceptional teachers, so that all young people can become confident and successful learners and become active and informed citizens. Reconceptualising how the education profession responds to the extrinsic and intrinsic factors which impact learning and teaching enables future educators to create equitable and innovative learning environments for their students.
We aim to investigate what it means to be a teacher, how teachers develop, and the conditions they work in to improve teacher supply, training, retention, and overall professionalism, ensuring quality education for all.
Our work
Research questions
Projects within the Teacher Professionalism research and scholarship group focus on exploring key overarching research questions:
- What is Professionalism?
- What knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, abilities and practices do professional teachers need / have / exhibit?
Overarching aims
The Teacher Professionalism and Practice research and scholarship group has four overarching aims:
- Theoretical aims: concerning the exploration of what it means to be professional and critical development of key concepts and understandings of professionalism and practice.
- Practical aims: concerning the quality and transformation of educational praxis in teacher education and impact on school communities.
- Policy aims: to explore and inform policy to promote professionalism and transform practice to promote wellbeing and learning.
- Strategic aims:
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- By encouraging the development of critical praxis in pedagogy, aiming to foster the development of new kinds of transformative education for changing times,
- By fostering collaboration and the development of networks between academics interested in these problems and issues.
Publications
Research grants
| Project name | Investigator(s) | Funding body (AUD $ amount) |
Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Linda Mahony Dr Tracey Sanderson |
Queensland Government Teach Queensland. Ethics approval number: A242133 |
2024 | |
| Adopting a Dadirri mindset to build educational success for First Nations young people | Dr Tracey Sanderson
Dr Sharon Louth |
Education Horizon First Nations, Queensland Department of Education. (A$73,238) | 2025 |
| Marigurium Yan: Strong Walk to Strong Futures |
Dr Tracey Sanderson |
John Villiers Trust. (A$291,978) |
2025 |
| Marigurium Yan: Strong Walk. | Dr Tracey Sanderson Dr Sharon Louth Bird, B |
UniSC HEPPP, Fraser Coast Campus | 2023 |
| Establishing place and space for Rural Regional and Remote preservice and graduate teachers through out-of-system professional networks. | Dr Sharon Louth Dr Alison Willis Young, K. |
School of Education and Tertiary Access, UniSC. (A$3,000). | 2021 |
| Don’t close the Gap – Jump it! Using physical activity and wearable technology to engage indigenous children in STEM | Wheeler, K Willis, C Dr Sharon Louth Lee. J Parker, J James, D |
Ergon Energy Community Fund, Australia (A$4,950) | 2020 |
| Culturally Safe Learning in Higher Education | Dr Sharon Louth Raciti, M. McMaster, N Dann, B |
Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor- Academic, UniSC | 2019 |
| Culturally Safe Learning in Higher Education. | Dr Sharon Louth Raciti, M. McMaster, N. Dann, B. |
Transcultural and Indigenous Pedagogies Research Group, UniSC (A$3,000) | 2019 |
| Fraser Coast Community Statement of Commitment | Dr Sharon Louth Bird, V Bonner, J. |
Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID) (A$5,000) | 2019 |
| First Nations Voices | Dr Sharon Louth | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Sub-Committee, School of Education, UniSC (A$10,000) | 2018 |
News
‘Don’t stand up in a hammock’: Stories from rural teachers changing attitudes
As Australia struggles with teacher shortages outside of major cities, how can more early career teachers be convinced to go to hard-to-staff places? University of the Sunshine Coast initiatives are helping to make a difference.
New focus on learning as Indigenous students walk strong towards their futures
Attendance is up and engagement with learning has improved for more than 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 7 and 8 Fraser Coast students taking part in a UniSC-led pilot program called Marigurim-Yan (‘Strong Walk’).