Dr Isaac Coffie | UniSC | University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

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Dr Isaac Coffie

PhD UTS, MPhil(ScEd) UCC, MSc(GeoPhys) KNUST, BEd(Sc) UCC

  • Associate Lecturer, Education (Curriculum and Pedagogy)
  • School of Education and Tertiary Access
Email
Telephone
+61 7 5430 1186
Office location
SD-C-2-2.45
Campus
Sunshine Coast
Isaac Coffie

Dr Isaac Coffie is a teacher educator and researcher with expertise in science education. He has international teaching experience, having worked as both a secondary school science teacher and a teacher educator in Ghana. He is passionate about teaching and is committed to creating a friendly, supportive, and engaging environment for student learning.

Isaac holds a Bachelor and Master of Philosophy in Science Education, a Master of Science in Geophysics, and a PhD in Education. His doctoral research, titled “Transforming Science Teaching and Learning in Ghana Through Teacher Professional Learning: A Change Laboratory Study”, was an interventional study grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). It investigated how teacher professional learning, informed by what matters to students, can drive transformative change in classroom practice. The study highlights the importance of teacher agency, collaborative learning, and the alignment of pedagogical strategies with students' experiences and aspirations.

Professional Membership

  • Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA)
  • International Society of Cultural-Historical Activity Research (ISCAR)
  • Queensland College of Teachers (QTC)

  • Science Teachers Association of Queensland (STAQ)

Professional Social Media

Dr Isaac Coffie’s research is grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), with a particular focus on the Change Laboratory methodology to support transformative change in educational practice. His work explores how teachers can engage in expansive learning processes that respond to what matters to students. He is passionate about collaborative research and welcomes opportunities to work with colleagues and supervise students in these areas.  

Research Grants

Grant/Project Name

Investigators

Funding body and AUD$ value

Year(s)

Focus of Research Grant

Scaling up evidence-based interventions and professional learning in education

Kate Williams, Rachael Dwyer, Vicki Schiever, Isaac Coffie

$10,650

2025-2026

Uplift members in strategic areas across teaching, research and internationalization and engagement

Research areas

  • teacher professional learning and development
  • student engagement 
  • transformative teaching practice
  • teacher knowledge 
  • teacher agency
  • curriculum policy & implementation
  • science education
  • interventional research particularly using Change Laboratory approach

Teaching areas

  • Science Education

Isaac Coffee's specialist areas of knowledge include science education; teacher learning; student engagement; teacher professional development; curriculum; teacher agency; teacher knowledge; cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)

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