Publications

Journal article | Peer reviewed

Forgetting culturally diverse equity groups in Australian doctoral policy: what happens when population parity is reached? ↗

by Catherine Manathunga, Jing Qi and Maria Raciti

First online publication 31-Jan-2025
Discourse, Advanced access

Population parity figures keep governments and universities accountable in ensuring that equity groups have access to higher education. However, what happens once population parity is reached? This paper explores Australian doctoral education policy on culturally and linguistically diverse (transcultural) domestic candidates. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, we suggest that an overwhelming focus on counting avoids addressing vital epistemological questions about the diverse knowledge transcultural candidates bring to Australian research. We highlight the ways doctoral policies do not capture the significant diversities within transcultural communities. We recommend the use of Nancy Fraser’s concept of participatory parity instead of population parity in government policy as a way of incorporating three elements of social justice – redistribution, recognition and representation. Focusing on the element of recognition, we extend Fraser’s notion of cultural recognition to include valuing diverse cultural knowledge systems which might create the conditions for epistemic justice in Australian doctoral education policy.

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How many do we feature? Could be a limited number and then send off to Research Bank.

Explore all Maria Raciti's publications in UniSC Research Bank

Grants

2025 - 2025

Sunshine Coast First Nations Creative Arts Strategic Plan

Sunshine Coast Council (Australia)
Grant no. 0980030567.

Rachael Dwyer, Maria Raciti, Catherine Manathunga, Harriot Beazley, Clare Archer-Lean, Leah Barclay

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2024 - 2025

Turning lemons into lemonade: How first-year, first-time regional and remote university students turn disappointment into satisfaction.

Department of Education, Employment and Training
Grant no. 0980029590.

Maria Raciti, Courtney Geritz

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2023 - 2030

ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures

Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC (ARC Centres of Excellence)
Grant no. CE230100027.

Maria Raciti, Asmi Wood, Andrew Jolivette, Eddie Cubillo, Gail Garvey, Jarrod Harr, Elizabeth McKinley, Larissa Behrendt, Crystal McKinnon, Roxanne Bainbridge, Yvette Roe, Carmen Parter, Paul Gray, Megan Williams, Bronwyn Fredericks, Patricia Dudgeon, James Ward, Brendan Hokowhitu, Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Marnee Shay, Debbie Bargallie, Susan Beetson

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures aims to transform and improve the life chances of Indigenous Australians by utilising Indigenous knowledges in unique trans-disciplinary cross-sector designed research to enhance our understanding about the complex nature of Indigenous intergenerational inequity. The Centre expects to generate new knowledge to enable evidence-based policy formulation and implementation including best practice models. The Centre will be entirely led by Indigenous researchers working with communities, government agencies and practitioners to strengthen the delivery of outcomes and linkages intentionally focused on all four of the National Agreement Close The Gap -2020’s Priority Reform areas.

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2022 - 2022

Building capabilities for success - targeting preparedness for ongoing learning

Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Grant no. 0980027607.

Maria Raciti, Bronwyn Fredericks, Maree Dinan-Thompson, Martin Nakata, Tracey Bunda, Katelyn Barney, Wojtek Tomaszewski, Wes Heberlein, Yvonne O'Neill, Veronica Sanmarco, Geoffrey Mitchell, Rachel Woodford, Les Raveneau, Angela Dekker

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2021 - 2025

Implementing Indigenous knowledge approaches in Australian doctoral education

Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC (Discovery Projects)
Grant no. DP210100647.

Catherine Manathunga, Jing Qi, Maria Raciti, Michael Singh, Wenqin Shen, Kathryn Gilbey, Sue Stanton

This project aims to apply Indigenous knowledge approaches (agency of Country; power of stories and iterative, intergenerational and intercultural knowledge production) to Australian doctoral education. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of Indigenous and transcultural (miGrant, refugee and international) doctoral education. Expected outcomes of the project include multimedia portal/app and policy recommendations for doctoral supervision, language and examination protocols that place Indigenous and transcultural knowledges at the forefront of Australian research. This should provide significant benefits to Australian higher education, enabling Australia to become a world leader in global knowledge production.

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2019 - 2022

Success from the Perspective of the Successful: Low SES Students, Success and Completion in Higher Education

Department of Education, Employment and Training
Grant no. 0980026043.

Maria Raciti, Mark Rubin, Olivia Evans, Penny Jane Burke, Anna Bennett, Sarah O'Shea, Peter Howley, Suzanne Macqueen, Kristen Allen, Nida Denson, Carmen Mills, Ryan Naylor

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2018 - 2018

Aspirations, Risk and Grit: How the interplay between aspiration, perceived risk and grit of students from low SES backgrounds influences their participation in Australian higher education

Department of Education, Employment and Training
Grant no. 0980025264.

Maria Raciti

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2018 - 2022

Culturally Safe Learning in Higher Education

University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC (Office of the DVC-Academic)
Grant no. USC-SL-DVCA-2019.

Sharon Louth, Maria Raciti, Natalie McMaster, Beverly Dann

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2018 - 2022

Culturally Safe Learning in Higher Education

University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC (Transcultural and Indigenous Pedagogies Research Group)
Grant no. USC-SL-TIPRG-2019.

Sharon Louth, Maria Raciti, Natalie McMaster, Beverly Dann

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2017 - 2018

Widening Regional and Remote Participation: Interrogating outreach programs across Queensland

Department of Education and Training (Australia, Canberra)
Grant no. 0980025159.

Maria Raciti

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2015 - 2016

Social Marketing Strategy for Low-SES Communities

Department of Education, Employment and Training
Grant no. 0980023466.

Maria Raciti

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2015 - 2017

The 'university place': How and why place influences the engagement and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students

Office for Learning and Teaching (Australia, Sydney) - OLT
Grant no. 0980023801.

Maria Raciti, Jennifer Carter, David Hollinsworth, Lisa Chandler, Paul Williams, Christine Jacobson, Tristan Pearce, Mary-Rose Adkins, Valerie Cooms, Michael Leslie Gardiner, Kerry Jones, Michael Mace

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2012 - 2014

Valuing an Events portfolio: User/Non-user community perspectives, A pilot study

University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
Grant no. 0980022213.

David Gration, Maria Raciti

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2011 - 2014

Developing markets and products for the Pacific Island and PNG Canarium nut industry

National Agricultural Research Institute (Papua New Guinea, Lae) - NARI
Grant no. PARDI/2010/no.

Helen Wallace, Jennifer Carter, Maria Raciti, Kim Jones, Colin Blunt, John Moxon, I Viji

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2011 - 2015

Developing markets and products for the Pacific Island and PNG Canarium nut industry

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (Australia, Canberra) - ACIAR
Grant no. FST/2010/013.

Helen Wallace, Jennifer Carter, Maria Raciti, Kim Jones, Colin Blunt, John Moxon, I Viji

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2006 - 2007

For creating a successful relational learning environment for business students of all ability

Department of Education, Employment and Training
Grant no. 0980024500.

Maria Raciti

Teaching

BUS512 Introduction to Research Concepts and Design

Supervision - completed

Doctoral Thesis Supervision - Completed

The Experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Music Teachers in Australian Schools

Students: Tuxworth, Jiao (Mengjiao Wang)

Associated Researchers: Rachael Dwyer, Catherine Manathunga, Maria Raciti and Jing Qi

2021–2025
This study investigates the experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) music teachers in Australian schools, focusing on their transcultural experiences and how their life histories influence their professional experiences. Australia, with its significant culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse population, holds rich resources for developing multicultural music education. However, school music education in Australian schools remains predominantly monocultural and monolingual, with the overwhelming majority of teachers from Anglo-cultural backgrounds, a pattern also found in other settler-colonial countries with consistently high immigration rates. This study examines the issues within Australian school music education as a microcosm, to reveal the deep-seated institutional and systemic barriers that impede diversification of the teacher workforce and, in turn, diverse cultural and linguistic representation in music education curriculum and pedagogy. The thesis begins by reviewing existing literature addressing the influence of Western colonisation on global music education, the development of school music education in Australia along with its demographic shifts, and the importance and challenges involved in diversifying the teaching workforce. As there is limited relevant research within Australia, the literature reviewed also draws on studies from other Anglosphere countries. To provide nuanced understanding of the systemic and institutional issues embedded in current school education, this study applies a postcolonial/decolonial theoretical framework to critically analyse how colonial legacies continue to shape the educational environment, and impede cultural diversity and equity. Qualitative methods, including multisensory time mapping and semi-structured life history interviews, were employed to explore the lived experiences of 15 CALD music teachers in Australia, highlighting the strengths that they can bring to education and the challenges encountered by them during their journey. Listening to their micro-histories and perspectives within an Anglo-culture-dominated society enriches the knowledge base which, at present, is largely dominated by Eurocentric discourses. The methodological approach also enhances understandings of the entangled relationship between individual narratives and institutional/social contexts. Through thematic analysis, this study found that CALD music teachers, particularly overseas-qualified CALD teachers, experience numerous challenges during accreditation, job seeking, employment, and introducing the music from their culture of origin into schools. Despite the Australian curriculum's objective to implement cultural and linguistic diversity, CALD music teachers are often overlooked in discussions on diversity in school music education. They are frequently misinterpreted as ‘others’ and feel compelled to hide their expertise in diverse musics and languages. In this study, all participants reported that teaching music itself is not a challenge, but the issues of Whiteness, covert racism, linguistic and cultural discrimination and bias embedded in the school system and/or music teacher education presented significant barriers. These social issues negatively impact their employment, restrain their career advancement, and lead to psychological and physical harms. Additionally, systemic barriers prevent skilled CALD music teachers from participating in school education, potentially leading to the loss of valuable educators who could enrich the learning and teaching environment. The lack of targeted recruitment and employment strategies for CALD teachers may limit the global competitiveness of Australian school education. This study yields several scholarly contributions to the field of education, including theory, policy, and practice. First, it extends postcolonial/decolonial perspectives to music education, highlighting how colonial legacies continue to shape contemporary music education systematically. Drawing on the lived experiences of CALD music teachers, the study provides practical recommendations for aligning music education with the identities and needs of current students in Australian schools. Second, the research offers a critical theoretical contribution by uncovering how postcolonialism is embedded in teacher accreditation and training, influencing professional inclusion and shaping educational practices. This analysis offers a fresh perspective on the unique positioning of CALD teachers, advocating for educational reform to address systemic inequities. Finally, the study proposes key interventions to foster inclusion in schools, diversify the teacher workforce and provide targeted support for CALD educators and students. It presents a comprehensive roadmap for educational stakeholders to advance diversity and inclusion beyond tokenism, building an educational system that reflects Australia’s complex cultural dynamics. By providing actionable insights for reforming educational policies and practices, the study underscores the critical importance of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within school education, with implications extending to wider social contexts in Australia and beyond.

Thesis Supervision - Completed

Does prior knowledge matter? Exploring how prior study and informal learning affects the study of compulsory tertiary Indigenous Studies

Students: Justine Grogan

Associated Researchers: Jennifer Carter and Maria Raciti

01-Jan-2016–31-Dec-2022
Thesis Supervision - Completed

Discovering the Bifrost: Mental Health Messages in Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

Students: Toula Gordillo

Associated Researchers: Clare Archer-Lean, Maria Raciti and Paul Williams

01-Jan-2016–31-Dec-2019
Thesis Supervision - Completed

The envy reflex as a driver of the engagement intentions of positional service consumers

Students: Darren Boardman

Associated Researchers: Maria Raciti and Meredith Lawley

01-Jan-2014–31-Dec-2018
Thesis Supervision - Completed

The impact of junior sports sponsorship on consumer-based brand equity

Students: Leonard Vance

Associated Researchers: Maria Raciti and Meredith Lawley

01-Jan-2013–31-Dec-2017
Thesis Supervision - Completed

The Role of Community Engagement in the Co-creation of Value: The International Student Experience

Students: Fleischman, David

Associated Researchers: Meredith Lawley and Maria Raciti

01-Jan-2009–31-Dec-2013
Thesis Supervision - Completed

Primary caregivers' influences on young children's eating behaviours: A social marketing perspective

Students: Norton, Julie

Associated Researchers: Maria Raciti

01-Jan-2007–31-Dec-2013
Thesis Supervision - Completed

A Social Marketing Study of Financial Giving to Australian Charities: Demographics, Motivations and Relationships

Students: O'Loughlin Banks, Jennifer

Associated Researchers: Maria Raciti

01-Jan-2004–31-Dec-2011

Student research opportunities

This is where possible projects and topics gets listed that students.

Professional activity

Contribution and Advocacy

POLICY BRIEF: Sharing Research Training Program Funding Across Universities to Strengthen Indigenous HDR Supervision and Completions

Maria Raciti and Bronwyn Fredericks

Aug-2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students demonstrate remarkable resilience in navigating research programs. Yet, their full potential remains unrealised due to systemic barriers, including limited access to appropriate supervision by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics that could elevate completion rates to match their non-Indigenous peers, and drive their academic and scholarly success. This brief proposes a formal Research Training Program (RTP) funding portability mechanism that enables cross-institutional Indigenous supervision arrangements, transforming the current informal cultural load practices into recognised, funded partnerships that will improve completion rates while building national Indigenous research capability, and success, along with tangible outcomes for communities. 

Key recommendations:

• Introduce RTP portability for Indigenous HDR supervision 
• Formalise cross-institutional supervision through shared funding and recognition 
• Establish a national Indigenous HDR supervision register.

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Workshop

Writing Your Impact Case Study - UniSC School of Business and Creative Industries Planning Day

Margarietha J de Villiers Scheepers and Maria Raciti

University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC09-Jul-2025In this workshop, you will learn about impact and impact case studies, identify key stakeholders, outputs and types of impact, have the opportunity to develop a draft impact case study and learn about additional resources.

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Workshop

An introduction to respectful engagement with First Nations peoples in behaviour change co-design - Harnessing Behavioural Change for Sustainable Futures

Maria Raciti

Australian Association of Social Marketing (Australia) (AUS)18-Jun-2025This workshop focuses on respectful co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, centring self-determination. This workshop explores how to engage ethically and relationally to support behaviour change initiatives that are aligned with community aspirations for flourishing futures.

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Conference

Track Chair - Social Impact in Marketing - Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference

Rebekah Russell-Bennett and Maria Raciti

Dec 2024

Researchers strive to ‘make a difference’ in society and are under more pressure to do so than ever before. Social impact in research is defined as published research results which have been transferred, leading to an improvement in goals agreed on in our societies (Aiello et al 2021). Social impact in marketing research applies to all three sectors (public, private and non-profit), going beyond theoretical models and frameworks of pro-social or socially responsible marketing to examine the demonstrable contribution and actual change that marketing research makes to society.  Papers to be submitted to this track must contain one of the following 1. evidence of social impact from a field-study or real-world marketing program i.e. improvement in consumer wellbeing, reduction in carbon emissions, increase in health status, reduction in speeding, increase in women finding safe housing, improvement in school attendance or 2. critique of current social impact in marketing approaches or measurement.  This track adopts a strengths-based approach so please avoid deficit approaches and language.  Studies that are formative research or are highly theoretical do not meet the scope of this track and will not be accepted (there are other suitable tracks for these papers).

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Contribution and Advocacy

International Social Marketing Association Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Maria Raciti

International Social Marketing Association

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Conference

Panel Moderator - Listening to the Student Voice: Challenges to Student Success at University and Beyond

Maria Raciti

National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education21-May-2024–22-May-2024Panel discussion on cross-dimensional factors affecting student success at the inaugural Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success: Access, Achievement, Accord 2024: The Australian Student Symposium.

Event: EAccess, Achievement, Accord 2024: The Australian Student Equity Symposium

Location: Sydney, Australia

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Contribution and Advocacy

International Social Marketing Association Special Interest Group Guideline

Maria Raciti

International Social Marketing Association2024

Awards and memberships

Professional memberships

• National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium
• Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (Global)
• Higher Education Academy (UK)
• International Social Marketing Association
• United Nations Association of Australia Academic Network
• Australian Association of Social Marketing
• ServCollab: Serving Humanity Through Collaboration

Fellowships

• Fellow, Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology (BEST), Queensland University of Technology (2023-present)
• National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education Grants and Fellowships Committee (2023-present)
• Adjunct Fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, Curtin University (2019-2022)
• Secondment to Departmental Taskforce with the Australian Government Department of Education assisting with the 'Napthine Review': The National Regional Rural and Remote Tertiary Education Strategy (2019)
• Research Fellow with the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (2018)
• Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) (2017)

Journal Editorial Boards

• Higher Education Research & Development College of Reviewers
• Journal of Services Marketing
• Services Marketing Quarterly
• The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
• Student Success Journal 

Journal Associate Editor

• Journal of Social Impact in Business
• Australian Journal of Social Issues

Awards

• Market Research Society (Global) Silver Award Finalist Paper for the International Journal of Market Research, 2024
• Journal of Services Marketing Outstanding Reviewer 2024
• Emerald Literati Award for 2018 Highly Commended Paper for International Journal of Event and Festival Management
• Emerald Top 25 Most Downloaded Articles by Australian Authors Published in 2013
• Emerald Top 25 Most Downloaded Articles by Australian Authors Published in 2013
• Journal of Consumer Marketing Most Highly Downloaded Article in Past Two Years 2011-13
• Best Paper in Track (Social Marketing), Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2014
• Best Paper in Track (Marketing Education), Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2010
• Best Conference Paper with an International Focus, Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2009
• Best Paper in Track (Social Marketing), Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference 2009
• ALTC Carrick Institute Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning 2006
• Vice Chancellor's Medal for Outstanding University Teaching, 2006