Dr Stephanie Bengtsson

Biography

Dr Stephanie Bengtsson is a Lecturer in Education at the University of Newcastle in Australia, where she commenced her appointment in January 2012. She holds a Doctorate in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MPhil in Inclusive Education from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelor of Arts (cum laude) in English Literature from Harvard. A Swedish citizen, born in Germany, and raised in Zimbabwe, with university degrees from institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom, she naturally has an interest in all things international, but particularly humanitarian aid and development assistance, the relationship between global and local forces in educational settings, understanding educational discourse, and the Education for All (EFA) agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa. She likes to refer to herself as an "academic practitioner" (a term used by the comparativist Dr David N. Wilson to describe those active in the fields of comparative and international education): in addition to her academic work, she has been involved in a number of projects with UNICEF and the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). She is excited to be experiencing yet another continent, as the lifelong learning continues!

Qualifications

• Doctor of Education, Columbia University - New York - USA, 2011
• Master of Philosophy, University of Cambridge - UK, 2007
• Bachelor of Arts, Harvard University, 2005

Research

Research keywords

• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Education and Development
• Education in Emergencies
• Fragile States and Fragility
• International Aid Policy

Research expertise

Stephanie's research is situated within the field of international education. She completed her doctoral dissertation (entitled "Fragile States and Fragility in Global Education Aid Policy: A Critical Analysis of the Discourse") in May 2011, and has published an additional article on this research in the Oxford Studies in Comparative Education. In addition to her academic research, Stephanie has participated in a number of research-oriented projects with development organisations. From 2007 to 2010, she worked as a lead researcher for a mixed methods study for UNICEF's Learning Plus Initiative in Africa, aimed at improving essential service provision through schools. For this project, Stephanie played a central role in developing a range of research methods and designing an index to improve inclusiveness, participation, and gender equity in education policy and practice. She also helped prepare training materials and co-facilitated a participatory training workshop in Rwanda for researchers, UNICEF country officers, and government officials from five different African countries, and co-conducted data analysis workshops for researchers from Lesotho and Swaziland on location in Lesotho. From 2008 to 2010, Stephanie chaired the Teachers College team that was hired by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) along with a team from the University of Oxford to develop a Strategic Research Agenda for the field of education in emergencies, chronic crises, early recovery, and fragile contexts.

Languages

• English
• German
• Swedish

Fields of Research

Centres and Groups

Group

• ERIN-Comparative and International Education Group University of Newcastle (CIEGUN)

Administrative

Administrative expertise

This is Stephanie's first year at the University of Newcastle. She brings with her a wealth of administration expertise, gained while she was pursuing her doctorate in New York City and working part-time, both for the university and on international consulting projects. At Teachers College, Columbia University, worked as a Peer Advisor in the Comparative and International Education Programmes, advising graduate students on issues related to their academic and professional growth, and providing administrative support to programme faculty. Prior to this, she served as the Coordinator for the Center for African Education (a Centre which was established to promote research and teaching about education, broadly defined, in Africa and the African Diaspora). Her duties included organising workshops, panel discussions, focus groups, and other events, and disseminating information of relevance to and advising students, staff, and others with an interest in Africa. She also worked on grant applications, managed existing funds, and reported to grantors on the use of funds. She was especially proud to be able to help finalise the Centre’s accreditation by New York State to award a certificate in African studies. Outside of academia, she was the chair of a small consulting group that was working on developing a strategic research agenda for the field of education in emergencies, chronic crises, recovery, and fragile contexts. She has also worked as a programme assistant for the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE).

Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Comparative and International Education
• International Educational Development
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Sociology of Education

Teaching expertise

Stephanie loves to teach and has taught in a variety of educational settings. While she was pursuing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a head tutor for the Harvard Program for International Education, whose mission was to help students at Boston high schools to learn about and get engaged in international affairs. She also mentored children with special needs through a programme designed to bring children together for arts, crafts and gym activities in a welcoming inclusive environment on a weekly basis. More recently, Stephanie was a teaching assistant and peer advisor in the Comparative and International Education Programmes at Teachers College, Columbia University, and was frequently invited to give guest lectures on a wide range of topics. She recently completed work for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on revisions of a teaching manual on child protection and education for a Master's in Education in Emergencies programme. Stephanie has also co-facilitated a number of research design and data analysis workshops for a UNICEF project she was involved with.

Teaching responsibilities

• EDUC6260 – Education Systems: Comparative and International Education Perspectives / Tutor (Callaghan)
• EDUC1008 – Foundations of Primary and Secondary Education / Tutor (Callaghan)
• EDUC2103 – Schooling, Identity and Society / Tutor (Callaghan)
• EDUC6911 – Schooling, Identity and Society / Course Coordinator (Callaghan)