Overview
Background
I am Senior Lecturer in Endangered Languages, and convenor of the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Language Revitalisation. I am also an active researcher, with several projects on Indigenous language revitalisation and maintenance in Central Australia and in Queensland.
My approach to both teaching and research is collaborative, community-guided and applied. This informed by my on-going self-reflexivity as a non-Indigenous woman and my experience living and working on unceded Kaurna, Arrernte, Warumungu, Warlpiri, Pintupi-Luritja country and, since moving to the University of Queensland in 2019, Jagera and Turrbal country.
I have supervisory expertise in Indigenous language revitalisation and the sociology of language, including languages in education, language policy and planning and language in the arts.
The research I am commited to generates both academic publications and high impact non-traditional research outputs. I have published 15 articles, 11 book chapters, 4 books, including a Warumungu learner's dictionary and a co-edited volume. I have co-developed and co-curated two exhibitions, created curriculum and learning materials, compiled a language teacher resource books and image bank for language, teaching, and co-authored commissioned reports and reviews in languages education and languages policy.
Availability
- Dr Samantha Disbray is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne
Research interests
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Languages education
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Bilingual education
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Indigenous languages reclamation, revitalisation and maintenance
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Discourse studies
Research impacts
My work has made diverse impacts, locally, nationally and internationally.
In the field of languages in education, I led the 'First Languages Literature Review' report commisoned for the Gumbaynggirr Freedom School by the NSW Languages Trust (2023-2024) to support the strategic planning of Australia's first Indigenous Language Revitalisation Immersion school. I am co-author of a 2022 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) international report on good practice models for Indigenous languages education. The collaborative report with the Indigenous peak body First Languages Australia on successful language program practice is foundational to the 2021 National Workforce Strategy for Indigenous Languages. I was contracted by the Warlpiri Education and Training Trust to carry out a review of program development and implementation (2017).
In my arts-Language research, the Wangka Walytja project and exhibition has ensured safe-keeping of the Papunya Bilingual Collection, created new digital responses and made the collection accessible to the Community and, through the national tour will make it available to national audiences. Through the project, I have forged enduring industry links; with the National Library of Australia, which has resulted in an extensive digitisation program of the books and newsletters, contributed oral histories to the National Collection and a host for the Wangka Walytja exhibition (2026); with Libraries and Archives of the Northern Territory to ensure local safekeeping of materials and an exhibition host (2025); and to Artback NT, which provides arts and tour development.
The Ankkinyi Apparr, Ankkinyi Mangurr (Our language, our designs) exhibition grew from an archival repatriation project (2015-2021), and saw the return of historic audio recordings to families, transcription of family stories and recordings and the development of a Community-wide arts development project. The resultant body of work showed in the 2019 Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Indigenous Arts in Adelaide to 16,000 visitors and at Nyinkka Nyunyu Culture Centre in Tennant Creek in 2020-2021. The entire collection was purchased by AIATSIS .
Works
Search Professor Samantha Disbray’s works on UQ eSpace
2018
Other Outputs
Global Lessons: Indigenous languages and multilingualism in school programs. First Languages Australia
Disbray, Samantha, Barker, Carolyn, Raghunathan, A. and Baisden, Faith (2018). Global Lessons: Indigenous languages and multilingualism in school programs. First Languages Australia. First Language Australia Resources Wallsend, NSW Australia: First Languages Australia.
2018
Book Chapter
Curriculum as knowledge system: the Warlpiri theme cycle
Disbray, Samantha and Martin, Barbara (2018). Curriculum as knowledge system: the Warlpiri theme cycle. Language practices of indigenous children and youth: the transition from home to school. (pp. 23-48) edited by Gillian Wigglesworth, Jane Simpson and Jill Vaughan. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/978-1-137-60120-9_2
2017
Book Chapter
Consolidation, power through leadership and pedagogy, and the rise of accountability, 1980–1998
Disbray, Samantha and Devlin, Brian (2017). Consolidation, power through leadership and pedagogy, and the rise of accountability, 1980–1998. History of bilingual education in the northern territory: people, programs and policies. (pp. 101-112) edited by Brian Clive Devlin, Samantha Disbray and Nancy Regine Friedman Devlin. Singapore: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-2078-0_9
2017
Book
History of bilingual education in the Northern Territory
Brian Clive Devlin, Samantha Disbray and Nancy Regine Friedman Devlin eds. (2017). History of bilingual education in the Northern Territory. Language Policy, Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-2078-0
2017
Book Chapter
A thematic history of bilingual education in the Northern Territory
Devlin, Brian, Disbray, Samantha and Devlin, Nancy (2017). A thematic history of bilingual education in the Northern Territory. History of bilingual education in the Northern Territory: people, programs and policies. (pp. 1-10) edited by Brian Clive Devlin, Samantha Disbray and Nancy Regine Friedman Devlin. Singapore: Springer Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-2078-0_1
2017
Book Chapter
Policy and practice now
Disbray, Samantha (2017). Policy and practice now. History of bilingual education in the Northern Territory: people, programs and policies. (pp. 237-246) edited by Brian Clive Devlin, Samantha Disbray and Nancy Regine Friedman Devlin. Singapore: Springer Singapore. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-2078-0_19
2017
Book Chapter
‘Red dirt’ schools and pathways into higher education
Guenther, John, Disbray, Samantha, Benveniste, Tessa and Osborne, Sam (2017). ‘Red dirt’ schools and pathways into higher education. Indigenous pathways, transitions and participation in higher education: from policy to practice. (pp. 251-270) edited by Jack Frawley, Steve Larkin and James A. Smith. Singapore: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-4062-7_15
2016
Journal Article
The development of reference realization and narrative in an Australian contact language, Wumpurrarni English
Disbray, Samantha (2016). The development of reference realization and narrative in an Australian contact language, Wumpurrarni English. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 43. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00043
2016
Other Outputs
Red dirt education: a compilation of learnings from the Remote Education Systems project
Guenther, John, Disbray, Samantha and Obsorne, Sam (2016). Red dirt education: a compilation of learnings from the Remote Education Systems project. Alice Springs, NT Australia: Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation.
2015
Journal Article
Spaces for learning: policy and practice for indigenous languages in a remote context
Disbray, Samantha (2015). Spaces for learning: policy and practice for indigenous languages in a remote context. Language and Education, 30 (4), 317-336. doi: 10.1080/09500782.2015.1114629
2015
Journal Article
Building on ‘red dirt’ perspectives: what counts as important for remote education?
Guenther, John, Disbray, Samantha and Osborne, Sam (2015). Building on ‘red dirt’ perspectives: what counts as important for remote education?. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 44 (2), 194-206. doi: 10.1017/jie.2015.20
2015
Journal Article
Child-caregiver interaction in two remote Indigenous Australian communities
Vaughan, Jill, Wigglesworth, Gillian, Loakes, Deborah, Disbray, Samantha and Moses, Karin (2015). Child-caregiver interaction in two remote Indigenous Australian communities. Frontiers in Psychology, 6 (APR) 514. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00514
2014
Book Chapter
Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools
Disbray, Samantha (2014). Evaluating the Bilingual Education Program in Warlpiri schools. Studies in Language Companion Series. (pp. 25-46) Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company. doi: 10.1075/slcs.147.03dis
2014
Journal Article
Review of Eades, D. (2013) Aboriginal ways of using English
Disbray, Samantha (2014). Review of Eades, D. (2013) Aboriginal ways of using English. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 37 (3), 276-279. doi: 10.1075/aral.37.3.06dis
2013
Journal Article
Writing Aboriginal English and Creoles: five case studies in Australian education contexts
Disbray, Samantha and Loakes, Deborah (2013). Writing Aboriginal English and Creoles: five case studies in Australian education contexts. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 36 (3), 285-301. doi: 10.1075/aral.36.3.04dis
2005
Book
Warumungu Picture Dictionary
Disbray, Samantha (2005). Warumungu Picture Dictionary. Alice Springs, NT Australia: Institute for Aboriginal Development.
Funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Samantha Disbray 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
THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN EARLY LITERACY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Adriana Diaz, Associate Professor Marnee Shay
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Doctor Philosophy
Language rights and minority language publishing in Australia.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Paul Harpur, Associate Professor Pradip Thomas
Media
Enquiries
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