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  • A Portrait image of Dr Sarah Jefferson smiling in front of a tree

    Dr Sarah Jefferson

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Dr Sarah Jefferson

Sarah is the Director, Professional Experience and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education.

Background

She provides strategic leadership for Professional Experience across the School, overseeing program quality, accreditation alignment, continuous improvement and partnerships with schools. Her work focuses on strengthening professional experience as a core component of high quality initial teacher education.

Sarah has extensive experience in teacher education, course coordination and academic leadership, including previous leadership of large secondary education programs. A former secondary school leader in the UK and Australia, she works closely with government, school systems and industry to address teacher workforce challenges.

Her research focuses on teacher wellbeing, public value in education, and innovative models of teacher preparation. She is an Honorary Scholar at the University of Western Australia’s Not for Profit Research Group and contributes to national policy and media commentary on education.

Current teaching

  • Unit Coordinator EDU6231 - Teaching and Learning: From Theory to Practice
  • Unit Coordinator EDU6333 - Assessment and Reporting in Teaching

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

  • 2023 - Highly Commended certificate for the ECU Media Awards
  • 2020 - School of Education: Best paper co-published with an ECU team
  • 2018 - Susan Holland Scholarship

Research areas and interests

  • 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

2024

Journal Articles

2023

Journal Articles

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. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7612.
  • 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

  • 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.
  • 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. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/7240.
  • 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.
  • 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. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ecuworkspost2013/6556.

Research Student Supervision

Current Supervisions

Completed Supervisions

Assistant Supervisor

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Western Australia Home Economics Teachers’ Perceptions of the Function and Relevance of Home Economics in the 21st Century: An Exploratory Review.
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