2024: A year of growth and impact

In 2024, the School made significant progress in enhancing our research culture and output, with a strategic focus on capacity building and mentoring our staff and research students. We welcomed several new academics and supported early career researchers through leadership programs and tailored research plans.

In June, we welcomed Professor Kate Williams to the role of Associate Dean, Research. Professor Williams works at the intersection of health and education, designing programs and studies that aim to reduce the disadvantages some children face as they grow up. She is internationally recognised for her expertise in understanding how children develop important life skills, and how parents, teachers and early learning environments can best support this development.

The School launched the Education and Learning Futures research cluster, consolidating six dynamic themes including social justice, STEM, and teacher professionalism. We also strengthened our governance and support structures, with high engagement in our research committee and monthly seminars, workshops, and writing retreats.

Our staff also formed new partnerships and strengthened existing relationships with schools, early childhood education providers, local government and state government agencies, key community partners, and national and international education research organisations.

Highlights

• Research publications rose by 35 percent from 2023.
• Ethics applications for new research projects also increased by 47 percent.
• Research funding applications tripled, with a 267 percent increase in awarded funds (from $132,000 in 2023 to $484,000 in 2024).
• The School achieved a 100 percent promotion success rate, reflecting our robust support framework. In recognition of their research achievements (along with their impact in learning and teaching), Dr Rachael Dwyer, Dr Erin Siostrom, Lyris Snowden, Judi Warmerdam, Dr Karien Call and Brendon Munge were promoted.
• Following the success of the Marigurim Yan pilot program (see p. 3), Dr Sharon Louth and team were awarded $292,000 for rural and remote research with Indigenous students funded by the John Villiers Trust, along with $97,536 from the Queensland Department of Education for a new research project exploring factors that influence educational success for First Nations students in state schools.
• Associate Professor Michael Nagel partnered with lead researchers at the Australian Catholic University in a successful Australian Research Council Linkage grant valued at $539,000 for a project titled Utilising Digital Texts to Foster Volitional Proficient Readers.

Celebrating our staff

• Professor Kate Williams and Associate Professor Michael Nagel became affiliate members of UniSC’s Thompson Institute.
• Associate Lecturer in Outdoor Education Robyn Fox and Senior Lecturer in Outdoor Education and Environmental Studies Glyn Thomas received the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education’s inaugural Outdoor Education Research Award, which recognises research that has significantly influenced the field of outdoor education, especially in Australia.
• The 2024 School awards ceremony recognised a number of staff for their outstanding research achievements:
  • Excellence Award for Outstanding Early or Mid-Career Researcher and Overall Research Excellence Award: Dr Natalie McMaster, for her groundbreaking work in STEM education research.
  • Excellence Award in Cultivating Productive Research Partnerships: Art and Wonder in Education (AWE) research theme, for their work to build a research community that values creativity, deep thinking, and relational scholarship.
  • Excellence Award for Fostering High-Quality Research Supervision: Dr Ali Black, for her commitment to uplifting others and fostering a culture of relationality and care that has transformed the research experience for many.
  • Excellence Award for Research Impact Beyond Academia: PhD candidate Rebecca Burtenshaw, for her contributions to mathematics education, which have already prompted schools to reconsider traditional measures of ‘success’.
  • Excellence Award for Outstanding Postgraduate Research Student: PhD candidate James Toohey, for excellence in academic performance, publications and teaching.

Making a difference: Our research in action

Marigurim Yan: Strong futures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people

Marigurim Yan is a community-driven education initiative designed to improve school engagement and career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth living in regional and remote Queensland.

The program was co-developed with community in the Fraser Coast region in response to concerns raised by Elders – particularly from the Butchulla community – about low school engagement and limited future opportunities for Indigenous students. UniSC researchers Dr Sharon Louth and Dr Tracey Sanderson worked alongside Elders Uncle Barry Bird and Aunty Joyce Bonner and key community partners – including the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC), Central Queensland Indigenous Development (CQID), and the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Foundation (QATSIF) – to design Marigurim Yan, which is the Butchulla word for ‘strong walk’.

The program is designed to help students find self-belief and confidence through their culture, and to raise aspirations around goals like completing Year 12 and university. The initiative works by boosting the capacity for schools and their surrounding communities to succeed in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ study and career outcomes.

Launched in 2023, the pilot delivered 12 workshops to 63 students in Years 7–9 across three schools. These workshops were led by UniSC academics and Elders, supported by 12 school Community Education Counsellors (CECs). Students also participated in three combined events across the year, including an Opportunities Expo, a Celebration of Achievement at UniSC Fraser Coast, and a goal-setting camp at Dilli Village on K’gari.

Evaluation in 2024 showed significant improvements in students’ cultural awareness, motivation, educational aspirations, and personal accountability. Students reported increased confidence and a broader understanding of career and study options, including more specialised fields such as paramedicine and aged care.

Findings from the pilot have informed a full-scale program design, which has included ongoing collaboration with schools and community partners. Marigurim Yan has strengthened relationships between schools and Indigenous organisations, reinforcing the role of Elders and community members in education. Since 2023, five additional schools have requested to participate.

In recognition of its impact, the program received $292,000 in philanthropic funding from the John Villiers Trust to expand across six Fraser Coast schools from 2025 to 2027.

MindSET-do: Expanding access to STEM education across Queensland

Australia faces challenges in engaging school students in STEM subjects, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds, regional and remote areas, and underrepresented groups such as girls and Indigenous students. Despite national strategies like the STEM School Education Strategy (2016–2026), participation in STEM subjects and careers remains limited due to systemic barriers including early access inequalities, gender stereotypes, and inconsistent teacher preparation.

To address these issues, researchers from the School launched MindSET-do, a research-informed initiative aimed at providing equitable, early exposure to STEM learning. Funded by the Higher Education Participation and Pathways Program (HEPPP) and supported by industry and government grants, the program targets students in Years 4–10 with hands-on, inquiry-based STEM activities aligned with the Australian Curriculum. These activities – which include in-school lessons, coding clubs, homeschool sessions, and community events – are designed to spark interest, build teacher capacity, and strengthen engagement in low-SES and regional communities.

Since its inception, MindSET-do has reached over 12,000 students across more than 200 schools, including nearly 3,400 students in 2024 alone. Researchers use surveys conducted before and after participation, and longitudinal tracking from Year 4 to Year 7, to assess how students’ attitudes and aspirations toward STEM evolve over time.

In 2024, over 80 percent of participants expressed interest in further education at TAFE or university. Survey results also showed significant improvements in confidence and aspiration around mathematics and programming for Year 6 girls – a finding referenced in a 2024 European Commission report on addressing the gap in STEM education.

Teacher and community engagement are also cornerstones of the program. More than 200 teachers and 400 preservice educators have participated in MindSET-do professional development, reporting increased confidence in teaching STEM and better understanding of STEM career pathways. In 2024, workshops for parents and caregivers helped 71 families better understand STEM education and university pathways, and the project’s website offers free resources and has attracted over 24,500 visitors from more than 110 countries.

Through this work, in addition to strategic partnerships with organisations like Engineers Australia and RoboCoast, MindSET-do is helping to close equity gaps and build inclusive pathways into STEM careers for Queensland’s future generations.

Resources

Download the report (PDF)