Dr Natalie McMaster is an AITSL accredited Lead Teacher who started her teaching career in a bilingual school in a remote community in the Northern Territory and continued teaching in various remote communities in early childhood, primary and middle years settings. She moved into the corporate area of education as Education Advisor for Physical Education, undertaking education policy and teacher professional development roles for the Department of Education in the Northern Territory. In 2011, Natalie was on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Health and Physical Education National Panel and began working for ACARA as an advisor on Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia priority in its inclusion in Health and Physical Education. She went on to become a writer for the Australian Curriculum for Health and Physical Education.
Natalie has previously been the National Vice-President of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER), and has also been the President of ACHPER Northern Territory. She is currently on the Board of the ACHPER Active and Healthy Schools Committee (AHSC), established to assist in advancing ACHPER's engagement with health education communities relevant to Health and Physical Education, Recreation and Sport fields and professional contexts.
Natalie’s PhD research is titled Voices from the field: Understanding the complexities of health work in Australian outer regional and remote schooling. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore the critical nature of health work in outer regional and remote schools, particularly in Northern Territory Government (NTG) schools with a high proportion of Indigenous students. Her PhD was part of an Australian Research Grant (ARC) with University of Queensland's School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences. Passionate about Health and Physical Education, in 2019 Natalie published a textbook titled Teaching Health and Physical Education in Early Childhood and Primary Years of Schooling.
Another area of interest and research for Natalie is STEM, the integration of technologies into teaching and learning and the Technologies curriculum. She is currently one of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Technologies and Learning SIG convenor. In 2022, she edited and authored several chapters in the textbook titled Teaching with Technologies: Digital pedagogies for collaboration and creativity. She also designed the USC ieducate initiative to improve preservice teacher knowledge, confidence and skills in integrating technology into teaching programs. Natalie has also designed and is project lead on the MindSET-do project which aims to garner student interest in STEM subjects at school, encourage their future transition into tertiary studies, support positive growth of STEM occupations and to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. This project is part of a longitudinal study which began with year 4 students in 2022.
Natalie has been awarded several grants including: over $1.8 million in Higher Education, Participation and Pathways Project (HEPPP) funding (2019 – current), $524,455 National Career Institute Partnership Grant, $100,000 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Maker Projects - Community STEM Engagement grant, $84,000 Google Educator Grants (2021 - current). Natalie was a finalist in the 2020 WiT awards in the Regional Award category for women living and working in Queensland’s regional location.
Natalie is a lecturer in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Primary Education and Masters programs in HPE and Technology.
Natalie’s recent awards include a USC Vice-Chancellor and President's Award for Excellence in Engagement, Community Engagement and Impact in 2023, 2020 and 2017, and USC Advance Award for Advancing the Student Experience in 2018. She was also awarded the ACHPER International Conference Young Scholar Award in 2019.
PhD thesis title
Voices from the field: Understanding the complexities of health work in Australian outer regional and remote schooling
Thesis abstract
Schools play a vital role in promoting health and wellbeing among students, families and communities, with teachers identified as potentially the most significant component of effective school health education and promotion. In Australian outer regional and remote communities, schools may be the only access point for health education, health promotion, support services and resources. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to explore the critical nature of health work in outer regional and remote schools, particularly in Northern Territory Government (NTG) schools with a high proportion of Indigenous students. Theoretical frameworks of Culturally Responsive Methodologies and Pierre Bourdieu provided analytical tools to decolonise the research and critically examine the interplay of power dynamics, social structures and behaviours that shape health work in non-urban schooling. The findings highlight the tensions and successes of health work in these settings and calls for greater recognition and support for the crucial work of teachers and school staff in supporting student health and wellbeing. Those undertaking this work were balancing their decision-making on this work based on the needs of their students and the unique context of their schooling communities, influenced by the expectations set by school leadership and educational policies. Given the global interest in health work performed in non-urban school settings, this study contributes to a growing body of literature on this topic and provides valuable insights into the experiences and perspectives of those who work and live in these contexts. It is hoped that this research will encourage the development of more nuanced and culturally appropriate approaches to health work in all schools, ultimately leading to improved health and educational outcomes for all students in these unique settings.
Research areas
- health education
- physical education
- STEM education
- Technology education
Teaching areas
Natalie McMaster completed her PhD with the University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences. Her thesis questions the nature of health work being undertaken by teachers in Northern Territory Government (NTG) schools. This research provides much needed data on NTG teachers’ descriptions of the health work they perform, and the perception of this work from school and community members, in school sites, whose contexts differ greatly from mainstream schools in the rest of Australia. Natalie engages in a culturally sensitive manner with Indigenous participants in the research and seeks to foreground Indigenous ‘voices’. She has been advised by two Indigenous advisors (male and female) on data collection and communication methods (yarning sessions), interpretation of research data, and cultural background on content. Natalie’s research critically reflects on her perspective, position, power and privilege in relation to the data and how it was analysed and reported. Natalie and the MindSET-do research team are also working on a number of research projects including a longitudinal study with Year 4 Primary school students. All of the research projects are focussed on garnering student interest in STEM subjects at school, encourage their future transition into tertiary studies, support positive growth of STEM occupations and to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders.
In the news
Primary school program addresses STEM gender gap
15 Feb 2023A University of the Sunshine Coast program will help young girls catch the STEM bug early and to believe in their ability to succeed in science, technology, engineering and maths.