Overview
Background
Dr Leigh Sperka is a Lecturer in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences. She graduated with First Class Honours from the Bachelor of Health, Sport and Physical Education in 2013 and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2018.
Her research focuses on the outsourcing of education. This includes investigating decision-making around the practice, how outsourcing impacts curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, and student perspectives of outsourced lessons.
In her teaching, she emphasises the importance of creating an inclusive environment in Health and Physical Education that allows all students to participate and experience success. Students are at the centre of her teaching. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been awarded:
- U21 Health Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (2021)
- UQ Commendation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2020)
- Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences Awards for Teaching Excellence (2020)
Availability
- Dr Leigh Sperka is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Health, Sport and Physical Education, The University of Queensland
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Youth Voice
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Outsourcing in Education
Health and Physical Education and Higher Education
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Social Justice
Works
Search Professor Leigh Sperka’s works on UQ eSpace
2018
Conference Publication
(Re)defining outsourcing in health and physical education
Sperka, Leigh (2018). (Re)defining outsourcing in health and physical education. Australian Association for Research in Education, Sydney, Australia, 3-6 December 2018.
2018
Other Outputs
The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
Sperka, Leigh (2018). The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. PhD Thesis, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2018.762
2018
Other Outputs
The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
Sperka, Leigh (2018). The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. PhD Thesis, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland.
2018
Conference Publication
Students as pedagogical consultants and advisors: lessons from the coal face
Enright, Eimear, Kurtz, Tessa, Rafferty, Caelan and Sperka, Leigh (2018). Students as pedagogical consultants and advisors: lessons from the coal face. The UQ Student-Staff Partnerships Showcase, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 3 October 2018.
2018
Journal Article
Selecting, understanding and applying theory as a neophyte researcher
Sperka, Leigh (2018). Selecting, understanding and applying theory as a neophyte researcher. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11 (3), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/2159676x.2018.1510430
2018
Conference Publication
Pedagogic rights and the acoustics of health and physical education teacher education: whose voices are heard?
Enright, Eimear, Williams, Benjamin, Sperka, Leigh and Peucker, Kate (2018). Pedagogic rights and the acoustics of health and physical education teacher education: whose voices are heard?. The International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) World Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 25-28 July 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
The impact of the outsourcing of HPE on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
Sperka, Leigh (2018). The impact of the outsourcing of HPE on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. The International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education World Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 25-28 July 2018.
2018
Journal Article
Pedagogic rights and the acoustics of health and physical education teacher education: whose voices are heard?
Enright, Eimear, Williams, Benjamin, Sperka, Leigh and Peucker, Kate (2018). Pedagogic rights and the acoustics of health and physical education teacher education: whose voices are heard?. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 23 (5), 524-535. doi: 10.1080/17408989.2018.1470616
2018
Other Outputs
The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
Sperka, Leigh (2018). The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. PhD Thesis, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland.
2018
Other Outputs
The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment
Sperka, Leigh (2018). The impact of the outsourcing of Health and Physical Education on curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. PhD Thesis, School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland.
2017
Journal Article
Brokering and bridging knowledge in health and physical education: a critical discourse analysis of one external provider’s curriculum
Sperka, L., Enright, E. and McCuaig, L. (2017). Brokering and bridging knowledge in health and physical education: a critical discourse analysis of one external provider’s curriculum. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 23 (3), 328-343. doi: 10.1080/17408989.2017.1406465
2017
Conference Publication
Recognising, respecting and valuing students’ perspectives on the outsourcing of health and physical education
Sperka, Leigh and Enright, Eimear (2017). Recognising, respecting and valuing students’ perspectives on the outsourcing of health and physical education. Australian Association for Research in Education, Canberra, ACT Australia, 27-30 November 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Are students customers and are they always right?: Considering Australian students’ perspectives on the outsourcing of their health and physical education
Sperka, Leigh and Enright, Eimear (2017). Are students customers and are they always right?: Considering Australian students’ perspectives on the outsourcing of their health and physical education. British Educational Research Association, Brighton, United Kingdom, 5-7 September 2017.
2017
Journal Article
Network ethnography applied: understanding the evolving health and physical education knowledge landscape
Sperka, Leigh and Enright, Eimear (2017). Network ethnography applied: understanding the evolving health and physical education knowledge landscape. Sport, Education and Society, 24 (2), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2017.1338564
2017
Journal Article
The outsourcing of health and physical education: a scoping review
Sperka, Leigh and Enright, Eimear (2017). The outsourcing of health and physical education: a scoping review. European Physical Education Review, 24 (3), 349-371. doi: 10.1177/1356336X17699430
2016
Conference Publication
Network Ethnography Applied: Understanding the evolving Health and Physical Education knowledge landscape
Sperka, Leigh and Enright, Eimear (2016). Network Ethnography Applied: Understanding the evolving Health and Physical Education knowledge landscape. Australian Association for Research in Education, Melbourne, VIC Australia, 28 November - 1 December 2016.
2015
Conference Publication
Comparing the outsourcing of health and physical education in four different countries: Purpose, products and practice
Enright, Eimear, Macdonald, Doune, Rossi, Tony, McCuaig, Louise, Sperka, Leigh, Hogan, Anna and Hansen, Scott (2015). Comparing the outsourcing of health and physical education in four different countries: Purpose, products and practice. Australian Association for Research in Education, Fremantle, WA Australia, 30 November - 3 December 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Who is knocking on the door?: A critical discourse analysis of an external provider in Health and Physical Education
Sperka, Leigh, Enright, Eimear, Macdonald, Doune and McCuaig, Louise (2015). Who is knocking on the door?: A critical discourse analysis of an external provider in Health and Physical Education . Australian Association for Research in Education, Fremantle, WA Australia, 30 November - 3 December 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Symposium: HPE without borders
Macdonald, Doune, McCuaig, Louise, Enright, Eimear, Sperka, Leigh, Hogan, Anna, Rossi, Tony, Kirk, David, McCullick, Bryan, Ha, Amy, O'Sullivan, Mary and Hansen, Scott (2015). Symposium: HPE without borders. The International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) International Conference, Madrid, Spain, 8-11 July 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
Outsourcing in health and physical education: a critical review of predictions and realities
Sperka, Leigh, Enright, Eimear, Macdonald, Doune and McCuaig, Louise (2015). Outsourcing in health and physical education: a critical review of predictions and realities. The International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) International Conference, Madrid, Spain, 8-11 July 2015.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Leigh Sperka is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
The full-service community school in an Australian context: stakeholders and student voice
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Lewis
-
Doctor Philosophy
Commercialisation and Outsourcing in Schooling: A Case Study of Neoliberal Policy Reform and Autonomous Practice in a New Zealand Primary School
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Doune Macdonald
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the role of community dance on wellbeing in Australian culture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rebecca Olive
-
Doctor Philosophy
Commercialisation and Outsourcing in Schooling: A Case Study of Neoliberal Policy Reform and Autonomous Practice in a New Zealand Primary School
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Doune Macdonald
-
Doctor Philosophy
External provision of the school curriculum: local needs to global networks in health and physical education a New Zealand context
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Doune Macdonald
-
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the role of community dance on wellbeing in Australian culture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rebecca Olive
-
Master Philosophy
The Australian full-service secondary school: What does 'full-service' look like and which factors influence this?
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Lewis
-
Doctor Philosophy
Enduring policy conundrums in the education of young people with disabilities: The case of Health, Sport and Physical Education
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sean Tweedy
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Commercialisation and Outsourcing in Schooling: A Case Study of Neoliberal Policy Reform and Autonomous Practice in a New Zealand Primary School
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Doune Macdonald
Media
Enquiries
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