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  • Dr Sarah Jefferson

    Dr Sarah Jefferson

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Dr Sarah Jefferson

Senior Lecturer

Staff Member Details
Telephone: +61 8 6304 6032
Email: sarah.jefferson@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Mount Lawley  
Room: ML17.113  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3038-1399

Sarah is Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Education - Secondary, within the School of Education.

Current teaching

  • Unit co-ordinator EDU2110 Teaching, Learning and Assessment
  • Unit co-ordinator EDU6231 Teaching and Learning: From Theory to Practice
  • Unit co-ordinator EDU6333 Assessment and Reporting in Teaching

Background

Sarah is a highly experienced secondary educator who has held extensive school based teaching and leadership positions in both the United Kingdom and Australia. Her PhD focused on identifying positive veteran teachers and examining the role of social support in sustaining their commitment to teaching.

Sarah has worked with government agencies and curriculum authorities advising on policy and curriculum development in a diverse range of fields, including social support, inclusion and funding models.

Sarah is also engaged with research examining the role of public value in relation to education. Most recently, Sarah has become a Scholar at the Not-for-profit UWA Research Group which fosters interdisciplinary research, collaboration and engagement with the not for profit sector.

Professional associations

  • ACSSO  - Australian Council of State School Organisations (2018-2022 Director)
  • Diverse Women in Leadership
  • Golden Key International Honour Society
  • TRBWA - Teachers Registration Board of Western Australia
  • Not-for-profits University of Western Australia Research Group – Scholar

Awards and recognition

  • 2020 - School of Education: Best paper co-published with an ECU team
  • 2018 - Susan Holland Scholarship

Research areas and interests

  • Not-for-profit and education
  • Social support and well-being
  • Teacher well-being
  • Long term and later career teachers
  • Diversity and inclusion in education
  • Educational policy design and implementation

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2020.
  • Graduate Diploma in Education, The University of Western Australia, 1997.
  • Bachelor of Arts, The University of Western Australia, 1996.

Research Outputs

2023

Journal Articles

  • Jefferson, S., Lowe, G., Gray, C., Prout, P. (2023). The search for marigolds: Positive veteran teachers and why social support matters. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 29(2), 150-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2151430.
  • Gilchrist, D., Jefferson, S. (2023). Achieving Public Value in Human Services: Moving Beyond the Public Sector. Third Sector Review, 29(1), 37-46.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Gray, C., Lowe, G., Prout, P., Jefferson, S. (2021). ‘Just like breathing’: A portrait of an 85-year-old veteran teacher. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 27(6), 571-586. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2021.1977275.
  • Gray, C., Lowe, G., Prout, P., Jefferson, S. (2021). Growing through life’s bumpy moments: key experiences transforming the careers of positive veteran performing arts teachers. NJ Drama Australia Journal, 44(2), 106-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/14452294.2021.1886287.

2020

Journal Articles

  • Lowe, G., Prout, P., Gray, C., Jefferson, S. (2020). Reappraising the AITSL Professional Engagement Domain: Clarifying Social Capacity Building for School Leaders to Enhance Overall Teacher Job Satisfaction and Career Longevity. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(9), 62-78. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n9.4.
  • Prout, P., Lowe, G., Gray, C., Jefferson, S. (2020). Examined lives: The transformative power of active interviewing in narrative approach. Qualitative Report: an online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990, 25(1), 14-27.
  • Gray, C., Lambert, K., Jefferson, S. (2020). Fish out of water: Investigating the 'readiness' and proficiency of beginning drama teachers in Western Australia secondary schools. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(2), 65-80. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2020v45n2.4.

2019

Journal Articles

  • Lowe, G., Gray, C., Prout, P., Jefferson, S., Shaw, T. (2019). Positive veteran teachers: Who are they, and where are they to be found?. Issues in Educational Research, 29(3), 823-840.
  • Lowe, G., Gray, C., Prout, P., Jefferson, S., Shaw, T. (2019). Still keen and committed: Piloting an instrument for identifying positive veteran teachers. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 25(4), 418-433. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2019.1621829.
  • Prout, P., Lowe, G., Gray, C., Jefferson, S. (2019). An elixir for veteran teachers: The power of social connections in keeping these teachers passionate and enthusiastic in their work. Qualitative Report: an online journal dedicated to qualitative research since 1990, 24(9), 2244-2258.
  • Gray, C., Lowe, G., Prout, P., Jefferson, S. (2019). “I feel very fortunate to still be doing what I love”: Later career performing arts teachers still keen and committed. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 20(7), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.26209/ijea20n7.

Research Student Supervision

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