We welcome you to the September discussion held online on 9th September, 1pm-2.30pm.
Discussion 1: Problematising STEM education: Critical analysis of policy and practice – Amanda Peters, PhD candidate, Deakin University
Over the past decade, the STEM in the Education State (Department of Education and Training (DET), 2016) policy has informed STEM education. To gain insight into the layered complexities of STEM education in the Victorian secondary school context, complementary qualitative methodologies were applied to critically analyse policy and determine how policy is realised in practice.
This presentation will outline findings of the critical policy analysis deploying Bacchi’s What is the Problem Represented to be? (WPR) approach diffracted through stakeholder perspectives of STEM education revealed through arts-based research (ABR). The findings realising STEM education is not a problem to be solved, but a space of ongoing collaborative negotiation, inclusivity, relationality and political and pedagogical possibilities.
Amanda Peters recently completed her PhD in STEM education policy and practice. She has a keen interest in teacher professional learning and is currently developing professional learning for science teachers. Over the past five years she has been involved in the Graduate Certificates of Secondary Science, Mathematics and Design & Technologies courses designed to upskill out-of-field teachers to become in-field teachers. Her interests are in STEM education, critical policy analysis and teacher education. Amanda is a secondary science and mathematics teacher with extensive experience in leading and teaching in secondary schools. She is also involved in VCE curriculum and assessment at the state level.
Discussion 2: Wellbeing Literacy in Mathematics Education Research – Julia Hill, Lecturer of mathematics and numeracy education, RMIT University
Research on teacher wellbeing has predominantly relied on generalist wellbeing models that may not capture the subject-specific dimensions and unique challenges of mathematics teaching. This presentation begins with a scoping review of 37 studies (2004-2024), synthesising the factors associated with mathematics teacher wellbeing. The analysis reveals a limited understanding of ‘wellbeing literacy’ in mathematics education research, with deficit narratives prevailing over positive experiences. Through a synthesis of this literature, I will unpack the hedonic (i.e., positive emotions) and eudaimonic (i.e., positive functioning) factors associated with mathematics teacher wellbeing. Complementing this literature synthesis, I will also present preliminary findings from a prototype analysis adopting a bottom-up approach to understanding how mathematics teachers from Australia and England conceptualise their wellbeing. This methodology explores a lay perspective of wellbeing, addressing limitations in top-down theoretical models by bridging gaps between academic frameworks and lived experiences. Together, these two approaches (the scoping review and prototype analysis) reveal that mathematics teachers navigate unique professional landscapes requiring subject-specific wellbeing frameworks.
Julia Hill is a lecturer of mathematics and numeracy education at RMIT University. Drawing on her background in teaching and educational psychology, her research explores the intersection of values, positive psychology, and STEM education. Her doctoral work developed conceptual frameworks for student wellbeing in mathematics and science education, and her current research extends this to examine teacher wellbeing in mathematics education.
Posted Aug 10, 2026
Online