Recent research in trauma-informed pedagogy recommends that tertiary educators consider the risks and benefits of teaching sensitive material and approach the design and delivery of such content with purpose and caution. Engagement with traumatic material can have negative impacts on students’ wellbeing. Tertiary students report high rates of trauma exposure, which negatively impacts their social, emotional, and academic functioning. Education is a preparation for the future, and educators of...

Though there is a significant, international body of literature on the experiences of queer university students, comparatively little is written about the higher education pathways of queer students, especially for those who are working class or live in regional or rural areas. This paper presents data collected from surveys, interviews and focus groups with 93 queer students at two Australian universities who are in, or have completed, an ‘enabling’ pathway program. Participants reflected on...

Tutoring: We raise a call to action for governments and the research community, as regulation and evidence must go together.

Geopolitical tensions have intensified the militarisation of higher education in many countries, where university programmes are steered by governments to enhance sovereign capabilities. Drawing on a policy mobilities perspective, this paper examines Australia’s Nuclear-Powered Submarine Student Pathway (NPSSP), a government-funded initiative that enables universities to offer nuclear-related undergraduate programmes aligned with AUKUS strategies in response to China’s growing influence in th...

The lesson here is that the childcare market has failed to protect both children and the workforce.

While participatory autism research is a priority in supporting the evolution of research in the field of autism, there has been limited consideration of community involvement in higher degree by research (HDR) projects such as PhD study. This is an important issue in higher education that requires focus, as HDR projects should represent significant contributions at the forefront of relevant disciplines. Detailed in this paper is a collaborative autoethnographic approach used to highlight the...

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Middle Leaders, and Principals detail the minimum professional expectations that educators ought to demonstrate at each level. They were developed to ensure equitable practices across the entire Australian education system, including schools and initial teacher education programs. However, limited scholarship has explored the capacity to which these professional standards assist educators in supporting nationally stated goals of First Nation...

What do debates about AERO and ITE have in common? Teacher professionalism. In an open letter in August supporting of the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), teachers Rebecca Birch and Greg Ashman argue criticisms of “the threat of neoliberal policy to teacher autonomy… are tangential to the key question of whether AERO is delivering on ...

Year Coordinators in Australian secondary schools are on the front line of support for students’ wellbeing. Given rising rates of psychological distress amongst high school students and increases in the workload and work complexity of teachers, Year Coordinators may be at particular risk of secondary traumatic stress and burnout—the two components of compassion fatigue. This study examines the prevalence of compassion fatigue and its correlates among Year Coordinators (N = 288) to gain deeper...

Over the past three years, we have been exploring the presence—and perception—of joy in early childhood education. In a profession that should be defined by joy, we asked: has it been lost? We listened to early childhood educators. They shared stories of a sector in crisis. But they also shared stories of the deep joy ...

Principals play an important role in creating positive school climates. However, principals are also at higher risk of having mental health problems and diminished wellbeing due to the complex nature of their work. Research has found that excessive workloads further undermine principal physical and mental health, with supportive networks and peer-supervision serving as examples of interventions found to improve principal wellbeing. Despite the limited research on supervision, its potential be...

This study is an investigation into non-cognitive factors associated with rural and remote teaching practice. Whilst there is a substantial workforce of committed teaching professionals thriving in both their work and personal lives beyond the classroom, preparing and retaining teachers in rural and remote contexts remains a persistent challenge. We report the findings of a study of twenty current rural and remote early in-service teachers which explored their experiences of residing and work...

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has sparked global excitement across sectors from education to healthcare, promising efficiency, personalization, and innovation. But while the technology is marketed as universally transformative, the risks it poses are anything but universal.  GenAI does not land evenly across the globe, nor does it encounter the same infrastructures, ethical frameworks, or regulatory ...

Universities are critical public institutions. But what are they for? This enduring question has never felt more urgent.  On the September 2, 2025, I attended an OECD webinar titled Is Tertiary Education Meeting Today’s Job Demands? The discussion framed higher education primarily in economic terms—measuring its value by graduate employability, alignment with labour market needs, ...

A global shortage of engineers is coinciding with an increasing demand for engineering skills. Clear education pathways are needed to attract future engineers who will work across the traditional boundaries of disciplines. This paper explores the visibility of engineering-related learning in pre-tertiary education as a means to spark students’ interests and skills and encourage them to enter engineering as a profession. The national Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) and Aust...

There is an unprecedented worldwide shortage of teachers that is expected to reach beyond 40 million by 2030. In Australia, this number was reported to surpass 4,000 in 2025. One strategy being promoted to fill the gaps in the workforce is utilising unqualified teachers who are studying an initial teacher education qualification. Conditions for unqualified teachers within Australia vary depending on the state, and Western Australia has had unique requirements in comparison with the remainder ...

Retention: This is not just about keeping teachers in classrooms. It’s about retaining the experience, insight, and leadership of women.

Current discourses on education in Australia link teacher shortages to lack of preparedness upon entering the profession. While initial teacher education (ITE) faces increased scrutiny, few studies examine how ITE content relates to subsequent career outcomes. This study investigates relationships between teachers' professional satisfaction and ITE content using teacher questionnaires from the Program for International Student Assessment collected in 2015 and 2022. The analysis reveals a decl...

Jason Clare’s announced plans to dissolve ACARA, AITSL, ESA, and AERO, into the Teaching and Learning Commission raises questions regarding the need and function, and also what the focal issues are and how they may be addressed. The Teaching and Learning Commission will seek to address issues of inequity and student attrition from public schools ...