ECU offers innovative and practical courses across a variety of disciplines and we have a vibrant research culture. ECU is a leader in developing alternative entry pathways to higher education.
We have three campuses in Western Australia. Joondalup and Mount Lawley in the Perth metropolitan area and our South West campus in Bunbury, 200km south of the Perth CBD.
ECU provides a variety of services and facilities that go beyond the classroom, with opportunities for personal development and social interaction for students and staff.
We collaborate with all types of businesses, including new start-ups, small to medium enterprises, not-for-profits, community organisations, government and large corporates in the resources sector.
Children's University Edith Cowan aims to inspire students between seven and fourteen to develop confidence and a love of learning through validated activities beyond the school curriculum.
The Inspiring Minds scholarship program are equity scholarships that give students an opportunity to access an education that may otherwise be out of reach.
Christina is a Lecturer for the School of Education.
Professional Associations
2007 - DramaWest (Professional Association for Drama Educators in Western Australia)
Drama Australia.
Research Interests
Drama education
Pre-service education
Practicum experiences
Teacher identity
Universal needs
Arts education.
Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy, Murdoch University, 2016.
Master of Education, Edith Cowan University, 2007.
Bachelor of Education, Edith Cowan University, 1995.
Bachelor of Arts in Education (Secondary), Edith Cowan University, 1991.
Research
Recent Research Grants
Investigating the 'readiness' and proficiency of beginning Arts teachers in Western Australian secondary schools., Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2018,
2017 - 2019, $10,000.
Arts-based pedagogy: Engaging children with additional needs through multi-sensory storytelling, Sensorium Theatre Inc, Sensorium Theatre Inc - Grant,
2017 - 2018, $10,000.
Recent Publications (within the last five years)
Journal Articles
Lambert, K., Gray, C., (2020), Performing ‘teacher’: Exploring early career teachers’ becomings, work identities and the [mis-]use of the professional standards in competitive educational assemblages. Pedagogy Culture and Society, 28(4), 501-523, DOI: 10.1080/14681366.2019.1663247.
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, United States - Online.
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, Australia, Social Science Press, DOI: 10.14221/ajte.2020v45n9.4.
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, Australia, Social Science Press, DOI: 10.14221/ajte.2020v45n2.4.
Gray, C., Lambert, K., (2019), Being the adult you needed as a kid: Why the AITSL standards are not the best fit for drama teachers. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 2019(Article in press), 1-18, DOI: 10.1080/1359866X.2019.1685645.
Gray, C., Lowe, G., (2019), "Learning the ropes": Pre-service arts teachers navigating the extracurricular terrain. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44(4), 78-90, Australia, Social Science Press, DOI: 10.14221/ajte.2018v44n4.6.
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.
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, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2019.1621829.
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, Online, DOI: 10.26209/ijea20n7.
Gray, C., Wright, P., Pascoe, R., (2019), "They made me feel like a teacher rather than a praccie": sinking or swimming in pre-service drama education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47(2), 193-207, Routledge, DOI: 10.1080/1359866X.2018.1504279.
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.
Gray, C., Pascoe, R., Wright, P., (2018), "I felt that I could be whatever I wanted": Pre-service drama teachers' prior experiences and beliefs about teaching drama. International Journal of Education and the Arts, 19(10), 25 p., Online, Penn State Libraries Open Publishing, DOI: 10.18113/P8ijea1910.
Gray, C., Wright, P., Pascoe, R., (2017), Raising the curtain: Investigating the practicum experiences of pre-service drama teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(1), 36-53, Australia, Social Science Press, DOI: 10.14221/ajte.2017v42n1.3.
Gray, C., Wright, P., Pascoe, R., (2017), There's a lot to learn about being a drama teacher: Pre-service drama teachers' experience of stress and vulnerability during an extended practicum. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67(October 2017), 270-277, Oxford, United Kingdom, Pergamon Press, DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.015.
Research Student Supervision
Co-principal Supervisor
Doctor of Philosophy, Growing phonological and morphological knowledge and improving spelling outcomes in year 2 primary school children through explicit instruction and contextualised dictation
Master of Education, A primary school internship model: Graduate teacher performance as perceived by employing principals
Associate Supervisor
Doctor of Philosophy, A study on the impact of music looping technology intervention upon pre-service generalist teachers' self-efficacy to teach music in primary schools
Assistant Supervisor
Doctor of Philosophy, When Autism Strikes
Doctor of Philosophy, Finding marigolds: A study into the shared characteristics of positive veteran Western Australian teachers and the role of social support in sustaining their commitment to teaching
Master of Education, Influence of a drama based education program on the development of empathy in year ten, Western Australian students
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