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
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
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
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
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.
2015
Conference Publication
External partners engagement with school HPE curricula: from core to bespoke contributions
Macdonald, Doune, Rossi, Tony, Enright, Eimear, Sperka, Leigh, McCullick, Bryan, Ha, Amy and Hansen, Scott (2015). External partners engagement with school HPE curricula: from core to bespoke contributions. The International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) International Conference, Madrid, Spain, 8-11 July 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
To Be(rnstein) or not to Be(rnstein): selecting, understanding, and applying theory
Sperka, Leigh, Enright, Eimear, Macdonald, Doune and McCuaig, Louise (2015). To Be(rnstein) or not to Be(rnstein): selecting, understanding, and applying theory. Australian Association for Research in Education and The University of Queensland Health and Physical Education Theory and Method Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 19-20 June 2015.
2015
Conference Publication
“So he wove a subtle web”: Locating HPE in networks of provision
Enright, Eimear, Macdonald, Doune, McCuaig, Louise, Rossi, Tony, Sperka, Leigh and Hansen, Scott (2015). “So he wove a subtle web”: Locating HPE in networks of provision. 29th Australian Council for Health Physical Education and Recreation International Conference, Adelaide, SA Australia, 13-15 April 2015.
2014
Conference Publication
Fuelling global health issue networks
Macdonald, Doune, Enright, Eimear, McCuaig, Louise, Rossi, Tony, Sperka, Leigh and Kirk, David (2014). Fuelling global health issue networks. The Joint Conference between Australian Association for Research in Education and New Zealand Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 30 November - 4 December 2014.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Leigh Sperka is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring the role of community dance on wellbeing in Australian culture
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rebecca Olive
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Doctor Philosophy
The full-service community school in an Australian context: stakeholders and student voice
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jessica Lee, Associate Professor Peter Lewis
Completed supervision
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2026
Doctor Philosophy
Finding Formative Assessment: Supporting and Activating Students in the Learning Process in Physical Education
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michalis Stylianou
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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
Media
Enquiries
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