Dr Karen Wallace
Lecturer
Indigenous Education and Research
- Email:karen.wallace@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:0249215145
Career Summary
Biography
Qualifications
- Doctor in Philosophy in Education, University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Education (Primary), University of Western Sydney
Keywords
- Aboriginal
- Aboriginal identity
- Gender diversity
- Gender dysphoria
- Indigenous education
- Indigenous ethics
- Qualitative
- Quantitative Ethnography
- cultural equity
- cultural support
- education policy
- policy analysis
- primary teaching
- urban
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 450213 | Embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, histories, culture, country, perspectives and ethics in education | 40 |
| 450208 | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary education | 30 |
| 451906 | Indigenous data and data technologies | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
| Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|
| Lecturer | University of Newcastle Indigenous Education and Research Australia |
Academic appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 9/1/2017 - 9/1/2020 |
Associate Lecturer Karen has worked closely with her local Aboriginal community, pre-service educators, principals, teachers, students and parents to increase respectful relationships that can help support Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. Listening to her local community on the issues and their local needs forms the foundation of Karen's teaching and research approaches. Karen has redesigned higher education courses, developed professional learning and development for schools and community organisations resulting in a greater level of support for Aboriginal children in mainstream education. Students who have completed Karen's courses have gone on to lead the Aboriginal Education Team and Indigenous education in numerous schools across the Central Coast and Hunter regions. She continues to mentor students throughout their employment as they become leaders in their communities. |
Wollotuka Institute Australia |
Teaching appointment
| Dates | Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|---|
| 20/7/2014 - 9/1/2017 |
Tutor Karen's passion for inspiring and generating genuine, respectful teachers of Aboriginal students has resulted in the highest student satisfaction and an increased ability for pre-service teachers to consult with and be connected to their local Aboriginal communities and cultures. She has consistently improved the quality of courses she teaches on with students' requesting for Karen to provide professional learning for schools where her students gain employment. Her idea to establish an Aboriginal education conference for educational stakeholders on the Central Coast was implemented in 2022 with great success. |
Wollotuka Institute Australia |
Awards
Award
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
10 Year Service Award Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research |
| 2018 |
Excellence in Teaching and Learning Academic Excellence, University of Newcastle |
Thesis Examinations
| Year | Level | Discipline | Thesis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Honours | Education | What culturally responsive pedagogical approaches have a positive impact on First Nations student outcomes in Australia: A scoping review of empirical research, 2006-2022 |
Teaching
| Code | Course | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABOR1110 |
Introduction to Aboriginal Studies Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research This course provides students with a knowledge of traditional Aboriginal society, imperialism and the effects of colonisation, contribution of Aboriginal people to society, government policies and practices, stolen generation, Aboriginal health, housing, employment and reconciliation. |
Tutor/ Lecturer | 20/2/2018 - 1/5/2019 |
| EDUC1103 |
Schooling, Identity and Society University of Newcastle The course prepares students to explore and understand historical and contemporary education systems and care, including elements of education curriculum, policy and practice both in Australia and globally. |
Tutor | 20/7/2019 - 20/11/2024 |
| ABOR3500 |
Aboriginal Education, Policies and Issues Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research The course addresses Aboriginal education and social policies that have impacted on Aboriginal communities, particularly in NSW; cultural differences and related pedagogues; teaching strategies, including anti racism strategies; and the inclusion of the Aboriginal community in the delivery of knowledge within the schooling system. |
Tutor | 20/7/2014 - 1/5/2019 |
| EPHUMA124 |
Aboriginal Tertiary Studies 2 Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research Tertiary Foundation Studies 2 provides an opportunity for students to develop further academic literacies including Indigenous literacies, by undertaking research focused activities including short film analysis. |
Tutor | 20/7/2017 - 20/11/2017 |
| ABOR2001 |
Development of Inclusive Workplace and Entrepreneurial Identities Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research This course introduces students to the key skills, and job ready skills which pay due diligence to both learning from Indigenous studies as well as developing applicable skills for modern day work and workplaces. |
Course Coordinator | 20/2/2025 - 20/7/2025 |
| EDUC1048 |
Becoming a Primary Teacher: Primary and Early Childhood Context University of Newcastle This course helps students understand the demands of academic culture and literacy, and education as a field of study. |
Tutor | 20/2/2021 - 20/7/2021 |
| ABOR1410 |
Academic and Career Communication Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research Designed to provide the fundamentals in academic and career written communication, and an understanding of the purpose and use of these styles in a range of academic assessment tasks and professional work environments. |
Course Coordinator/Tutor | 20/2/2017 - 20/11/2018 |
| ABOR3024 |
Aboriginal Community Development and Advocacy Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research |
Tutor | 20/3/2017 - 10/4/2017 |
| EDUC1050 |
K-6 Pedagogies University of Newcastle This course provides an introduction to effective teaching practices in K-6 contexts and an understanding of the various discourses and disciplines that inform teachers' practice in primary contexts. |
Tutor | 20/2/2023 - 20/8/2024 |
| ABOR3001 |
Building Skills for Change Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research This course prepares students for their capstone project/placement whilst embedding many critical skills for successful work life. |
Course Coordinator | 20/2/2025 - 20/7/2025 |
| ABOR3500 |
Aboriginal Education, Relationships and Responsibilities Wollotuka Institute of Indigenous Education and Research This course explores the impacts of colonial policies and challenges faced by Aboriginal students, families and communities when accessing the schooling system. Students learn about best practice approaches for creating culturally responsive schools, and gain an awareness of their responsibility to deliver Aboriginal histories, cultures and languages in teaching and learning. This course also centres relationship building and collaboration between teachers and their learning communities. |
Tutor/Course Coordinator | 20/2/2025 - 20/11/2025 |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (2 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
Wallace K, Heath T, 'Confirmation of Aboriginality, financial equity and policy implementation in higher education', Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management (2025) [C1]
|
||||
| 2025 |
Wallace K, 'Cultural intersectionality and school leadership: decision making and Aboriginal education in the NSW urban primary school context', AUSTRALIAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHER [C1]
Despite the exponential growth of urban Aboriginal populations in Australia over the past four decades, the complexities of establishing, leading, and maintaining suppo... [more] Despite the exponential growth of urban Aboriginal populations in Australia over the past four decades, the complexities of establishing, leading, and maintaining support for Aboriginal children in urban primary education has vastly been overlooked. Focusing on a specific case study in urban NSW, this paper identifies the influence of intercultural intersectionality and the prevalence of colonial power dynamics in decision-making processes and school-community partnerships. It investigates the potential impact of the existence of colonial structures that endorse the reproduction of Euro-Australian dominant cultural and social norms and values, which may generate barriers for educational leaders attempting to facilitate Aboriginal Education in an urban context. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, this paper highlights the dominance of non-Aboriginal authority in daily decision-making in primary education, and the positionality of non-Aboriginal educational leaders and community within a corresponding cultural intersectional interface which may impact on Aboriginal children's identities. Furthermore, it outlines how the urban Aboriginal community are virtually non-existent in daily educational governance due to a lack of opportunities for participation and the incongruence of cultural norms and values. It concludes with summarising the potential consequences of disregarding Aboriginal sovereignty within decision-making processes in education.
|
Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wallace K, 'An investigation into the alignment of policy, practice, and Aboriginal community involvement to support urban Aboriginal children’s identities in an NSW primary school' | Open Research Newcastle |
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 1 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $3,000 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20221 grants / $3,000
NAIDOC Community Grant$3,000
The Objective of the NAIDOC Grants Program is to support events and activities in NSW marking NAIDOC week that:
- Celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements
- Align with the theme of NAIDOC Week
- Promote a greater awareness and understanding of Aboriginal history and/or culture within the broader local or regional community.
Funding body: Aboriginal Affairs NSW
| Funding body | Aboriginal Affairs NSW |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Karen Wallace, Terry Hayek |
| Scheme | NAIDOC Grants |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2022 |
| Funding Finish | 2022 |
| GNo | |
| Type Of Funding | C1600 - Aust Competitive - StateTerritory Govt |
| Category | 1600 |
| UON | N |
Research Projects
Addressing the gap between policy and practice: Strategies for improving educational outcomes of Indigenous students. 2017 - 2020
This project was a cross-institutional study funded by the Australian Government of Education and Training, Office of Learning and Teaching which investigated barriers and enablers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education. The project initially aimed to identify relevant policies that may have been impacting on Indigenous student outcomes across each partner university and subsequently bench mark these policies against the recommendations outlined in the Behrendt Review (2012). Furthermore, the study aimed to incorporate the narratives and experiences of Indigenous students and staff, resulting in recommendations for improvement in policy implementation and to establish guidelines for best practice. An Indigenous reference group assisted in guiding the overall project.
Universities included Central Queensland University (Lead), Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, University of Newcastle, University of South Australia.
Edit
Dr Karen Wallace
Position
Lecturer
Indigenous Education and Research
Engagement and Equity Division
Contact Details
| karen.wallace@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | 0249215145 |
| Mobile | 0452651978 |
| Link | Personal webpage |
