Dr Suzanne MacQueen

Senior Lecturer

School of Education

Email:suzanne.macqueen@newcastle.edu.au
Phone:(02) 4921 5698

Career Summary

Biography

Suzanne Macqueen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle. Originally trained as a Primary teacher, she now teaches courses in the areas of social studies curriculum, literacy, quality teaching and professional preparation including classroom management.

Higher Degrees by Research

Suzanne completed her PhD at the University of Queensland on the topic of non-traditional student experiences in higher education. Her thesis used narrative inquiry and Bourdieu’s thinking tools of habitus, capital and field. Prior to that, she completed a Master of Education (Research) on the topic of between-class achievement grouping for literacy and numeracy classes in primary schools, and has a number of publications on that research.

Collaborations

Suzanne is a member of the Global Education Research and Teaching (GERT) team which focuses on the promotion of and research into teaching for the development of global citizenship. She has also been the recipient, with various colleagues, of a number of grants to study issues around the equity implications of widening participation, focusing on students who are first-in-family to attend university, with numerous publications arising from these studies.

Publications and Awards

Suzanne’s work has been presented at Australian research conferences as well as at BERA (London, 2011) and UK universities. She has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and has edited a book. She was awarded the University of Newcastle Faculty of Education and Arts (FEDUA) RHD student publication prize (2010) for a strong and substantial publication, the FEDUA Excellence in Teaching Award (2009) for Teaching and a VC Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2010). With her fellow GERT members she received the FEDUA Teaching Excellence Award (2014).

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Queensland
Graduate Certificate Practice of Tertiary Teaching, University of Newcastle
Master of Education, University of Newcastle

Keywords

Behaviour management
Bourdieu
Equity in Education
Global Education
Grouping of students
Higher Education
Initial Teacher Education
Narrative inquiry
Primary English
Primary education
Primary social studies
Primary teacher training
Professional experience
Teacher education
Widening Participation

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
130103	Higher Education	50
130313	Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators	30
160809	Sociology of Education	20

Professional Experience

UON Appointment

Title	Organisation / Department
Senior Lecturer	University of Newcastle School of Education Australia

Academic appointment

Dates	Title	Organisation / Department
1/01/2011 -	Lecturer	University of Newcastle School of Education Australia
1/01/2007 - 1/12/2010	Associate Lecturer	University of Newcastle School of Education Australia

Professional appointment

Dates	Title	Organisation / Department
1/10/1997 - 1/12/2006	Teacher	NSW Department of Education and Training Casual Teacher at various schools

Awards

Award

Year	Award
2014	Teaching Excellence Award University of Newcastle Faculty of Education
2010	Vice-Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning University of Newcastle
2010	Award for Teaching Excellence University of Newcastle Faculty of Education and Arts

Research Award

Year	Award
2010	Research Higher Degree Student Publication Award University of Newcastle Faculty of Education and Arts

Edit

Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Book (2 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2015

Reynolds R, Bradbery D, Brown J, Carroll K, Donnelly D, Ferguson-Patrick K, Macqueen S, Contesting and constructing international perspectives in global education (2015) [A3]

© 2015 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. This volume addresses the need for an international perspective on global education, and provides alternate voices to the theme of global education. The editors asked international educators in different contexts to indicate how their own experience of global education addresses the broad and contested concepts associated with this notion. Following the lead of the internationally acknowledged authors from North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, perspectives were provided on a wide variety of contexts including tertiary education, and teacher education; various pedagogies for global education, including digital pedagogies; and curriculum development at school, tertiary and community levels. Contesting and Constructing International Perspectives in Global Education explores the tensions inherent in discussions of global education from a number of facets including spatial, pedagogical, temporal, social and cultural; and provides critical, descriptive and values-laden interpretations. The book is divided into five sections, Temporal and Spatial Views of Global Education; Telling National Stories of Global Education; Empowering Citizens for Global Education; Deconstructing Global Education; and Transforming Curricula for Global Education. It is envisaged as a starting point for a stronger international conception of global education and a way to build a conversation for the future of global education in a neo-liberal and less internationally confident time.

DOI	10.1007/978-94-6209-989-0
Citations	Scopus - 2
Co-authors	Joanna Brown, Debbie Bradbery, Ruth Reynolds, Debra Donnelly, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2015

Reynolds R, Bradbery D, Brown J, Carroll K, Donnelly D, Ferguson-Patrick K, Macqueen S, Contesting and constructing international perspectives in global education (2015) [A3]

DOI	10.1007/978-94-6209-989-0
Citations	Scopus - 2
Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Debra Donnelly, Ruth Reynolds, Debbie Bradbery, Joanna Brown

Chapter (5 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2018

Ferguson-Patrick SK, Reynolds R, MacQueen S, 'The 4Cs of Global Education for Teacher Education Students: Culture, Confidence, Context, and Crowded Curriculum', The Globalisation of Higher Education Developing Internationalised Education Research and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, Australia 427-445 (2018) [B1]

Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Ruth Reynolds

2017

Reynolds RM, Macqueen S, ferguson-patrick K, '"Players in the World": Action for Intercultural Competence in Classroom Pedagogy', Educating for the 21st Century. Perspectives, Policies and Practices from around the World., Springer, Singapore, Singapore 47-72 (2017) [B1]

DOI	10.1007/978-981-10-1673-8
Co-authors	Ruth Reynolds, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2015

Macqueen S, Ferguson-Patrick, 'Where¿s the Action in Global Education? Employing Global Education for Lasting Change through Teacher Education', Contesting and Constructing International Perspectives in Global Education, Sense Publishers, Rotterdam 115-124 (2015) [B1]

Citations	Scopus - 3
Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick

2015

Reynolds RM, Bradbery D, Brown J, Donnelly D, Ferguson-Patrick K, Macqueen S, Ross A, 'A Values-based Pedagogical Stance: Teaching Teachers for Global Education in Australia', The State of Global Education: Learning with the World and its People, Routledge, New York 174-188 (2015) [B1]

Citations	Scopus - 4
Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Debra Donnelly, Debbie Bradbery, Ruth Reynolds, Joanna Brown

2015

Reynolds RM, Brown J, Carroll K, Donnelly D, Ferguson-Patrick, Macqueen S, Bradbery D, 'Introduction: Interpreting Global Education', Contesting and Constructing International Perspectives in Global Education, Sense Publishers, Rotterdam 1-7 (2015) [B2]

Co-authors	Debra Donnelly, Kate Fergusonpatrick, Ruth Reynolds, Debbie Bradbery, Joanna Brown

Show 2 more chapters

Journal article (11 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2018

MacQueen S, 'Family and social capital for the success of non-traditional students in Higher Education', International Studies in Widening articipation, 5 37-50 (2018) [C1]

2018

Ferguson-Patrick SK, Reynolds RM, MacQueen SE, 'Integrating curriculum: a case study of teaching Global Education.', European Journal of Teacher Education,, 41 187-201 (2018) [C1]

Citations	Scopus - 2
Co-authors	Ruth Reynolds, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2018

Rubin JM, Scevak J, Southgate E, Macqueen S, Williams P, Douglas H, 'Older women, deeper learning, and greater satisfaction at university: Age and gender predict university students¿ learning approach and degree satisfaction.', Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11 82-96 (2018) [C1]

DOI	10.1037/dhe0000042
Citations	Scopus - 1Web of Science - 2
Co-authors	Heather Douglas, Erica Southgate, Jill Scevak, Mark Rubin

2014

Ferguson Patrick K, MacQueen S, Reynolds R, 'Pre-service teacher perspectives on the importance of global education: World and classroom views', Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 20 470-482 (2014) [C1]

In an era of international multimedia exposure and a global economy, there is no question that global education (GE) must be part of the school curriculum. Effective delivery of G... [more]

In an era of international multimedia exposure and a global economy, there is no question that global education (GE) must be part of the school curriculum. Effective delivery of GE is reliant on adequate teacher preparation. A group of teacher educators at one University sought to raise the profile of GE with pre-service teachers through the integration of global perspectives in various courses. This paper explores pre-service teacher perceptions of the importance of GE and their learning as a result of this emphasis. Additionally, pre-service teacher preferences for further learning about GE are examined. It is apparent that pre-service teachers are interested in GE, especially in terms of how they can incorporate it in their teaching and, with exposure over a number of semesters student understandings develop, creating better prepared teachers of GE. Not surprisingly, these students were primarily focused on their future classroom practices rather than their role in the world more generally. Additionally, it was clearly evident that unique GE approaches were linked to specific teaching disciplines, an indication that GE continues to be a difficult concept to incorporate without explicit guidance for integration, something not always easy in a university setting. © 2014 Taylor and Francis.

DOI	10.1080/13540602.2014.881639
Citations	Scopus - 12Web of Science - 4
Co-authors	Ruth Reynolds, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2014

Southgate E, Douglas H, Scevak J, MacQueen S, Rubin JM, Lindell C, 'The academic outcomes of first-in-family in an Australian university: An exploratory study.', International Studies in Widening Participation, 1 31-45 (2014) [C1]

Co-authors	Mark Rubin, Jill Scevak, Erica Southgate, Heather Douglas

2014

Southgate E, Douglas H, Scevak J, MacQueen SE, Rubin M, Lindell C, 'The academic outcomes of first-in-family in an Australian university: An exploratory study', International Studies in Widening Participation, 1 31-45 (2014)

2013

Macqueen SE, 'Grouping for inequity', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION, 17 295-309 (2013) [C1]

DOI	10.1080/13603116.2012.676088
Citations	Scopus - 9Web of Science - 6

2013

Reynolds R, Brown JR, Donnelly D, Bradbery D, Ferguson-Patrick, Macqueen S, 'Teaching Global Education: Lessons Learned for Classroom Teachers', Ethos, 21 18-22 (2013) [C2]

Co-authors	Joanna Brown, Debbie Bradbery, Debra Donnelly, Kate Fergusonpatrick, Ruth Reynolds

2012

MacQueen SE, 'Academic outcomes from between-class achievement grouping: The Australian primary context', Australian Educational Researcher, 39 59-73 (2012) [C1]

Citations	Scopus - 9Web of Science - 7

2010

MacQueen SE, 'Primary teacher attitudes in achievement-based literacy classes', Issues in Educational Research, 20 118-136 (2010) [C1]

Citations	Scopus - 4Web of Science - 3

2009

MacQueen SE, 'Preservice teaching and values education: Achieving authenticity', The Social Educator, 27 16-22 (2009) [C1]

Show 8 more journal articles

Conference (16 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2014

Reynolds RM, Bradbery D, Brown J, Donnelly D, Ferguson Patrick K, Macqueen S, 'Building a Global Education perspective in teacher education', Abstracts. Pacific Circle Consortium Conference, Sydney (2014) [E3]

Co-authors	Debra Donnelly, Joanna Brown, Debbie Bradbery, Kate Fergusonpatrick, Ruth Reynolds

2012

Ferguson-Patrick SK, MacQueen SE, Reynolds RM, 'Global education in teacher education programs: Views from pre-service teachers', AARE 2012 Conference Proceedings & Program, Sydney, NSW (2012) [E1]

Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Ruth Reynolds

2012

MacQueen SE, 'Studying the experiences of non-traditional students in teacher education', AARE 2012 Conference Proceedings & Program, Sydney, NSW (2012) [E1]

2012

Reynolds RM, Brown JR, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, Ferguson-Patrick SK, MacQueen SE, 'Globalizing teacher training: Embedding global education perspectives in multi-disciplinary pre-service teacher programs', AARE 2012 Conference Proceedings & Program, Sydney, NSW (2012) [E1]

Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Joanna Brown, Ruth Reynolds, Debra Donnelly, Debbie Bradbery

2012

MacQueen SE, Southgate EL, Scevak JJ, Clement ND, 'It's HEPPP to be fair! Approaches to supporting the learning and well-being of low SES students in higher education', AARE 2012 Conference Proceedings & Program, Sydney, NSW (2012) [E3]

Co-authors	Jill Scevak, Erica Southgate

2011

MacQueen SE, 'Implications of widening participation for teacher education', BERA Annual Conference. Abstracts., London (2011) [E3]

2011

MacQueen SE, Ferguson-Patrick SK, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, McLeod JC, Reynolds RM, 'Integrating global education with teacher education', BERA Annual Conference. Final Programme, London (2011) [E3]

Co-authors	Debbie Bradbery, Ruth Reynolds, Debra Donnelly, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2010

MacQueen SE, 'School organisation of students: What does it teach about social justice?', Learning for Life: Sustainability, Global Citizenship and Social Justice. SEAA Biennial Conference with SASOSE Annual Conference. Paper Sessions - Full Abstracts, Adelaide, SA (2010) [E3]

2010

Reynolds RM, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, Ferguson-Patrick SK, MacQueen SE, McLeod JC, 'Global education in teacher education - reflections on initiatives across programs in one university', Paper presented at National Council for the Social Studies conference, Denver, CO (2010) [E3]

Co-authors	Ruth Reynolds, Debbie Bradbery, Kate Fergusonpatrick, Debra Donnelly

2010

Reynolds RM, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, Ferguson-Patrick SK, MacQueen SE, McLeod JC, 'Teaching global education - individual stories of working the politics of teacher education', Paper presented to Collaborative Action Research Network conference, Cambridge, UK (2010) [E3]

Co-authors	Debra Donnelly, Ruth Reynolds, Debbie Bradbery, Kate Fergusonpatrick

2010

Ferguson-Patrick SK, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, MacQueen SE, McLeod JC, Reynolds RM, 'Global Education with pre-service primary teachers: an integrated approach', Paper presented to the Enhancing Learning Experiences in Higher Education: International Conference, Hong Kong (2010) [E3]

Co-authors	Kate Fergusonpatrick, Debbie Bradbery, Ruth Reynolds, Debra Donnelly

2010

MacQueen SE, 'Teachers as practitioners and professionals', AARE International Education Research Conference - 2010, Melbourne, Vic (2010) [E3]

2010

MacQueen SE, Bradbery DR, Donnelly DJ, Ferguson-Patrick SK, McLeod JC, Reynolds RM, 'Integrating for global education with preservice teachers', AARE International Education Research Conference - 2010, Melbourne, Vic (2010) [E3]

Co-authors	Debra Donnelly, Ruth Reynolds, Kate Fergusonpatrick, Debbie Bradbery

2009

MacQueen SE, 'Grouping primary students by achievement for literacy and numeracy instruction: Who wins?', National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy: Bridging Divides: Non-Refereed Papers, Hobart, TAS (2009) [E2]

2009

MacQueen SE, 'Between-class achievement grouping for literacy and numeracy: Academic outcomes for primary students', AARE 2008 Conference Papers Collection: Proceedings, Brisbane, QLD (2009) [E2]

2008

MacQueen SE, 'Values education through authentic integration: An example', SEAA Conference Proceedings, Newcastle, NSW (2008) [E1]

Show 13 more conferences

Report (1 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2015

Scevak J, Southgate E, Rubin, Macqueen S, Douglas H, Williams P, Southgate EL, 'Equity Groups and Predictors of Academic Success in Higher Education.', National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) Curtin University, 19 (2015) [R1]

Co-authors	Jill Scevak, Mark Rubin, Erica Southgate, Heather Douglas

Edit

Grants and Funding

Summary

Number of grants	15
Total funding	$606,215

Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.

20181 grants / $1,000

AARE, Sydney, 1 - 5 December 2018$1,000

Funding body: Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle

Funding body	Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle
Scheme	FEDUA Conference Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2018
Funding Finish	2018
GNo
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	N

20171 grants / $5,454

Future Teaching$5,454

Funding body: Kambala Public School

Funding body	Kambala Public School
Project Team	Associate Professor Ruth Reynolds, Mrs Deborah Bradbery, Mrs Jo Brown, Doctor Debra Donnelly, Doctor Kate Ferguson-Patrick, Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Research Grant
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2017
Funding Finish	2017
GNo	G1701031
Type Of Funding	C2220 - Aust StateTerritoryLocal - Other
Category	2220
UON	Y

20151 grants / $1,000

Australian Association for Research Education, AARE 2015 Conference, University of Notre Dame, Fremantle, WA, 29 November - 3 December 2015$1,000

Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts

Funding body	University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2015
Funding Finish	2015
GNo	G1500963
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

20143 grants / $83,687

Equity groups and predictors of academic success in higher education.$54,700

Funding body: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)

Funding body	National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
Project Team	Doctor Jill Scevak, Associate Professor Erica Southgate, Doctor Suzanne MacQueen, Associate Professor Mark Rubin, Dr Heather Douglas
Scheme	Research Grants Program
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2014
Funding Finish	2014
GNo	G1400235
Type Of Funding	C2110 - Aust Commonwealth - Own Purpose
Category	2110
UON	Y

Project to assess intercultural competency in preservice and in service teachers$27,987

Funding body: Professional Teachers Council of NSW

Funding body	Professional Teachers Council of NSW
Project Team	Associate Professor Ruth Reynolds, Mrs Deborah Bradbery, Mrs Jo Brown, Doctor Debra Donnelly, Doctor Kate Ferguson-Patrick, Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Global Education Project NSW
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2014
Funding Finish	2015
GNo	G1400717
Type Of Funding	Other Public Sector - Commonwealth
Category	2OPC
UON	Y

AARE-NZARE 2014, Brisbane Australia, 30 - 4 December 2014.$1,000

Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts

Funding body	University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2014
Funding Finish	2014
GNo	G1401011
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

20132 grants / $150,750

Swimming with Seahorses academic literacy and achievement project$150,000

Included research and the creation of academic literacy resources to support students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds.

Funding body: University of Newcastle

Funding body	University of Newcastle
Project Team	Erica Southgate, Suzanne Macqueen, Jill Scevak, Debbie Bradbery
Scheme	UoN internal grant from the HEPP scheme
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2013
Funding Finish	2013
GNo
Type Of Funding	Other Public Sector - Local
Category	2OPL
UON	N

AARE 2013 (Australian Association for Research in Education), Hilton Adelaide, 1-5 December 2013$750

Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts

Funding body	University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2013
Funding Finish	2013
GNo	G1301028
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

20121 grants / $250,000

Swimming with Seahorses: An integrated approach to supporting the learning and well-being of students from low socio-economic backgrounds$250,000

This research project involved staff and students from across several organisational divisions within the university. Research was conducted and resources created to support students from low socioeconomic backgrounds at university, addressing learning, technology and well-being.

Funding body: UoN Equity and Diversity Unit via HEPP

Funding body	UoN Equity and Diversity Unit via HEPP
Project Team	Erica Southgate, Suzanne Macqueen, and 34 UoN staff
Scheme	HEPP
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2012
Funding Finish	2012
GNo
Type Of Funding	Other Public Sector - Local
Category	2OPL
UON	N

20112 grants / $92,080

Global Education in Teacher Education$82,581

Funding body: AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development)

Funding body	AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development)
Project Team	Associate Professor Ruth Reynolds, Mrs Deborah Bradbery, Doctor Debra Donnelly, Doctor Kate Ferguson-Patrick, Doctor Suzanne MacQueen, Doctor Julie McLeod
Scheme	Global Education Program
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2011
Funding Finish	2015
GNo	G1000821
Type Of Funding	Other Public Sector - Commonwealth
Category	2OPC
UON	Y

Teaching and learning Project Grant$9,499

Funding body: University of Newcastle

Funding body	University of Newcastle
Project Team	Dr Rachel Buchanan
Scheme	Promote and support development of strategic, sustainable initiatives to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at the University of newcastle
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2011
Funding Finish	2011
GNo
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	N

20091 grants / $1,000

Bridging Divides, Hobart, 9-12 July 2009$1,000

Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts

Funding body	University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2009
Funding Finish	2009
GNo	G0190351
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

20082 grants / $20,244

2008 Equity Research Fellowship - Teaching Relief$19,077

Funding body: University of Newcastle

Funding body	University of Newcastle
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Equity Research Fellowship
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2008
Funding Finish	2008
GNo	G0188211
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

AARE - International Educational Research Conference, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Kelvin Grove, 30/11/2008 - 4/12/2008$1,167

Funding body: University of Newcastle

Funding body	University of Newcastle
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	Travel Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2008
Funding Finish	2008
GNo	G0189511
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

20071 grants / $1,000

The effects of regrouping students for literacy and numeracy in primary schools$1,000

Funding body: University of Newcastle

Funding body	University of Newcastle
Project Team	Doctor Suzanne MacQueen
Scheme	New Staff Grant
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2007
Funding Finish	2007
GNo	G0187826
Type Of Funding	Internal
Category	INTE
UON	Y

Edit

Research Supervision

Number of supervisions

Completed0

Current3

Current Supervision

Commenced	Level of Study	Research Title	Program	Supervisor Type
2018	Masters	Case Study of Indonesian Teachers' Implementation of Global Project-based Learning in building the students' 4Cs Skills.	M Philosophy (Education), Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle	Co-Supervisor
2017	PhD	Disparities Between National Literacy Targets and Student Writing Outcomes in the Middle Years	PhD (Education), Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle	Co-Supervisor
2010	PhD	The Literacy Load of Science	PhD (Education), Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle	Co-Supervisor

Edit

Research Projects

Social Class Differences in Higher Education 2012 - 2018

Around 25% of the Australian population are from working-class and low socioeconomic status backgrounds, but only 16% attend Australia's universities. In response to this inequity, the Australian Government aims to increase the percentage of these students in the higher education sector nationwide.

However, improving access to university represents only half the battle. We also need to ensure that our new intake of working-class and low SES students perform well at university and don't drop out part way through their studies. The University of Newcastle is well-placed to investigate the experiences of this group of students because it already has a relatively high percentage of low SES enrolments (27%). Dr Rubin is involved in research that investigates the performance and experiences of these students at university, including their social integration, mental health, physical health, academic performance, and persistence in their degree.

This line of research is consistent with the University’s focus on achieving parity of retention and success among students of all SES backgrounds (New Futures Strategic Plan 2016-2025), and it is part of a range of activities undertaken by the University’s Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education.

Grants

Equity in elite degrees: Social difference, institutional practice and processes of change.

Funding body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts

Funding body	University of Newcastle - Faculty of Education and Arts
Scheme	Strategic Networks Grant

A longitudinal study of the relations between students’ socioeconomic status, social integration at university, and mental health.

Funding body: Department of Education and Training

Funding body	Department of Education and Training
Scheme	Research Grant

Equity groups and predictors of academic success in higher education.

Funding body: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)

Funding body	National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE)
Project Team	Doctor Jill Scevak, Associate Professor Erica Southgate, Doctor Suzanne MacQueen, Associate Professor Mark Rubin, Dr Heather Douglas
Scheme	Research Grants Program

Publications

Rubin JM, 'Social class differences in social integration among students in higher education: A meta-analysis and recommendations for future research', Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 5 22-38 (2012) [C1]

Rubin JM, 'Working-class students need more friends at university: A cautionary note for Australia's higher education equity initiative', Higher Education Research & Development, 31 431-433 (2012) [C3]

Rubin M, Denson N, Kilpatrick S, Matthews KE, Stehlik T, Zyngier D, '¿I am working-class¿: Subjective self-definition as a missing measure of social class and socioeconomic status in higher education research.', Educational Researcher, 43 196-200 (2014) [C1]

Rubin M, Wright CL, 'Age differences explain social class differences in students' friendship at university: Implications for transition and retention', Higher Education, 70 427-439 (2015) [C1]

Rubin M, Kelly BM, 'A cross-sectional investigation of parenting style and friendship as mediators of the relation between social class and mental health in a university community.', International Journal for Equity in Health, 14 1-11 (2015) [C1]

Students

Program	Research Title
PhD Faculty of Science	It’s Lonely at the Bottom: Investigating the Role of Social Integration in the Association Between Social Class and Mental Health
PhD Faculty of Science	Sleep Tight and Don't Let the Socioeconomic Inequality Bite! Relations Between Social Class, Sleep, and Mental and Physical Health

Collaborators

Name	Organisation
Doctor Jill Janina Scevak	University of Newcastle
Associate Professor Ross Bernard Wilkinson	University of Newcastle
Nida Denson	Western Sydney University
Chrysalis Wright	University of Central Florida
Doctor Suzanne Elizabeth MacQueen	University of Newcastle

Edit

News

Equity in higher education grant success

April 23, 2014

University of Newcastle researchers win grants to study student equity in Higher Education