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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  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3038-1399

Sarah is currently the Director, High Achieving Teachers (HAT) Program and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education.

Background

Sarah leads one of Australia’s most significant employment-based postgraduate teacher education pathways, working in partnership with federal and state governments, school systems and industry to address teacher workforce challenges. A former secondary school leader in the UK and Australia, her work bridges policy, practice and research to improve teacher recruitment, development and retention. She is a highly experienced former Course Co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and Acting ADTL with full delegations and her dedication is on making a substantial contribution to leadership and governance and the best possible outcomes for students.

Her PhD examined the role of social support in sustaining experienced teachers, and her current research focuses on teacher well-being, public value in education, and innovation in initial teacher education. She has advised government agencies and curriculum authorities on policy design, inclusion and funding models, and is an Honorary Scholar at the University of Western Australia’s Not-for-Profit Research Group.

Sarah is a former Director of the Australian Council of State School Organisations and contributes regularly to national policy debates 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). 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.
  • 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.

2020

Journal Articles

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

2019

Journal Articles

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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