Professor Robyn Gillies
Professor

Robyn Gillies

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Phone: 
+61 7 336 56541

Background

Professor Robyn Gillies' major research interests are in the learning sciences, classroom discourses, small group processes, including co-regulated learning, classroom instruction, student behaviour, and students with disabilities. Professor Robyn Gillies has worked extensively in both primary and secondary schools to embed STEM education initiatives into the science curriculum. This includes helping teachers to embed inquiry skills into the science curricula so they capture students’ interests, provide opportunities for them to explore possible solutions to problems, explain phenomena, elaborate on potential outcomes, and evaluate findings. In short, through these investigations, students learn how to engage critically and constructively with others’ ideas, challenge and rebut proposals, and discuss alternative propositions. In so doing, they learn to talk and reason effectively together. These STEM education initiatives have been funded by research grants and contracts from the Australian Research Council, the Department of Education and Training (DET), the Queensland Museum Network (QMN), and the Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT). Professor Gillies is a Chief Investigator on the Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC) where she has been instrumental in implementing two recent science-based research projects in primary and secondary schools to help teachers embed inquiry-science pedagogy into their science curricula. Her recommendations on how teachers can translate research into practice have been widely profiled in the international literature and on the website of the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, DC.

Availability

Professor Robyn Gillies is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Education Education systems

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Educational Studies, The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Coursework) of Educational Studies (Adv), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), University of Southern Queensland

Research interests

  • Learning sciences

    Learning and teaching

  • Classroom discourses

    Teacher and student classroom discourses

  • Cooperative learning

  • Classroom instruction

    Pedagogical practices in the classroom

  • Educational psychology

  • Classroom behaviour

  • Guidance, Counselling and Careers

Search Professor Robyn Gillies’s works on UQ eSpace

278 works between 1989 and 2025
All (278) Journal Article (186) Book Chapter (42) Conference Publication (31) Book (11) Other Outputs (3) Edited Outputs (5)

81 - 100 of 278 works

2017

Journal Article

The development and validation of the student engagement scale in an Ethiopian university context

Tadesse, Tefera, Manathunga, Catherine E. and Gillies, Robyn M. (2017). The development and validation of the student engagement scale in an Ethiopian university context. Higher Education Research and Development, 37 (1), 1-18. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2017.1342605

The development and validation of the student engagement scale in an Ethiopian university context

2017

Journal Article

Genomics literacy: implications for teaching students with a range of special needs

Rafter, Mary and Gillies, Robyn M. (2017). Genomics literacy: implications for teaching students with a range of special needs. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 65 (1), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2017.1334877

Genomics literacy: implications for teaching students with a range of special needs

2017

Journal Article

The effects of teacher-introduced multimodal representations and discourse on students’ task engagement and scientific language during cooperative, inquiry-based science

Gillies, Robyn M. and Baffour, Bernard (2017). The effects of teacher-introduced multimodal representations and discourse on students’ task engagement and scientific language during cooperative, inquiry-based science. Instructional Science, 45 (4), 493-513. doi: 10.1007/s11251-017-9414-4

The effects of teacher-introduced multimodal representations and discourse on students’ task engagement and scientific language during cooperative, inquiry-based science

2017

Book Chapter

The teacher’s role in promoting students’ scientific discourse during a cooperative inquiry science unit

Gillies, Robyn M. and Rafter, Mary (2017). The teacher’s role in promoting students’ scientific discourse during a cooperative inquiry science unit. Classrooms. Volume 2: Academic content and behavior strategy instruction for students with and without disabilities. (pp. 205-229) edited by Jeffrey P. Bakken. New York, NY United States: Nova Science Publishers.

The teacher’s role in promoting students’ scientific discourse during a cooperative inquiry science unit

2016

Journal Article

Cooperative learning: Review of research and practice

Gillies, Robyn (2016). Cooperative learning: Review of research and practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41 (3), 39-54. doi: 10.14221/ajte.2016v41n3.3

Cooperative learning: Review of research and practice

2016

Book

Enhancing classroom-based talk : blending practice, research and theory

Gillies, Robyn M. (2016). Enhancing classroom-based talk : blending practice, research and theory. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315745367

Enhancing classroom-based talk : blending practice, research and theory

2016

Journal Article

The effectiveness of a guided inquiry-based, teachers’ professional development programme on Saudi students’ understanding of density

Almuntasheri, S., Gillies, R. M. and Wright, T. (2016). The effectiveness of a guided inquiry-based, teachers’ professional development programme on Saudi students’ understanding of density. Science Education International, 27 (1), 16-39.

The effectiveness of a guided inquiry-based, teachers’ professional development programme on Saudi students’ understanding of density

2016

Journal Article

A professional learning model that cultivates primary science classrooms’ representational profiles

Nichols, Kim, Gillies, Robyn and Kleiss, Donna (2016). A professional learning model that cultivates primary science classrooms’ representational profiles. International Journal of Educational Research, 76, 12-33. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2015.12.002

A professional learning model that cultivates primary science classrooms’ representational profiles

2016

Journal Article

Multimodal representations during an inquiry problemsolving activity in a Year 6 science class: a case study investigating cooperation, physiological arousal and belief states

Gillies, Robyn M., Carroll, Annemaree, Cunnington, Ross, Rafter, Mary, Palghat, Kelsey, Bednark, Jeff and Bourgeois, Amanda (2016). Multimodal representations during an inquiry problemsolving activity in a Year 6 science class: a case study investigating cooperation, physiological arousal and belief states. Australian Journal of Education, 60 (2), 111-127. doi: 10.1177/0004944116650701

Multimodal representations during an inquiry problemsolving activity in a Year 6 science class: a case study investigating cooperation, physiological arousal and belief states

2015

Journal Article

Nurturing cooperative learning pedagogies in higher education classrooms: Evidence of instructional reform and potential changes

Tadesse, Tefera and Gillies, Robyn Margaret (2015). Nurturing cooperative learning pedagogies in higher education classrooms: Evidence of instructional reform and potential changes. Current Issues in Education, 18 (2), 1-18.

Nurturing cooperative learning pedagogies in higher education classrooms: Evidence of instructional reform and potential changes

2015

Journal Article

School reform for positive behaviour support through collaborative learning: utilising lesson study for a learning community

Saito, Eisuke, Watanabe, Miki, Gillies, Robyn, Someya, Ikuo, Nagashima, Takashi, Sato, Masaaki and Murase, Masatsugu (2015). School reform for positive behaviour support through collaborative learning: utilising lesson study for a learning community. Cambridge Journal of Education, 45 (4), 489-518. doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2014.988684

School reform for positive behaviour support through collaborative learning: utilising lesson study for a learning community

2015

Journal Article

Preliminary evaluation of the FRIENDS for Life program on students' and teachers' emotional states for a school in a low socio-economic status area

Iizuka, Cristina A., Barrett, Paula M., Gillies, Robyn, Cook, Clayton R. and Marinovic, Welber (2015). Preliminary evaluation of the FRIENDS for Life program on students' and teachers' emotional states for a school in a low socio-economic status area. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 40 (3), 1-20. doi: 10.14221/ajte.2014v40n3.1

Preliminary evaluation of the FRIENDS for Life program on students' and teachers' emotional states for a school in a low socio-economic status area

2015

Other Outputs

Queensland primary teachers' professional development model for collaborative multimodal inquiry practices in science: responding to the Australian curriculum

Nichols, K. and Gillies, Robyn (2015). Queensland primary teachers' professional development model for collaborative multimodal inquiry practices in science: responding to the Australian curriculum.

Queensland primary teachers' professional development model for collaborative multimodal inquiry practices in science: responding to the Australian curriculum

2015

Journal Article

The effects of scientific representations on primary students’ development of scientific discourse and conceptual understandings during cooperative contemporary inquiry-science

Gillies, Robyn M., Nichols, Kim and Khan, Asaduzzaman (2015). The effects of scientific representations on primary students’ development of scientific discourse and conceptual understandings during cooperative contemporary inquiry-science. Cambridge Journal of Education, 45 (4), 427-449. doi: 10.1080/0305764x.2014.988681

The effects of scientific representations on primary students’ development of scientific discourse and conceptual understandings during cooperative contemporary inquiry-science

2015

Book Chapter

Teacher dialogue that supports collaborative learning in the classroom

Gillies, Robyn M. (2015). Teacher dialogue that supports collaborative learning in the classroom. Socializing intelligence through academic talk and dialoguee. (pp. 335-345) edited by Lauren B. Resnick, Christa S. C. Asterhan and Sherice N. Clarke. Washington DC, United States: American Educational Research Association (AERA). doi: 10.3102/978-0-935302-43-1_26

Teacher dialogue that supports collaborative learning in the classroom

2015

Book Chapter

Developments in collaborative learning

Gillies, Robyn M. (2015). Developments in collaborative learning. Collaborative Learning: Developments in Research and Practice. (pp. 1-15) edited by Robyn M. Gillies. New York, United States: Nova Science Publishers.

Developments in collaborative learning

2015

Journal Article

Primary teachers' representational practices: From competency to fluency

Nichols, Kim, Stevenson, Michael, Hedberg, John and Gillies, Robyn (2015). Primary teachers' representational practices: From competency to fluency. Cambridge Journal of Education, 46 (4), 509-531. doi: 10.1080/0305764X.2015.1068741

Primary teachers' representational practices: From competency to fluency

2015

Journal Article

Social interactions that support students' self-regulated learning: A case study of one teacher's experiences

Alvi, Effat and Gillies, Robyn M. (2015). Social interactions that support students' self-regulated learning: A case study of one teacher's experiences. International Journal of Educational Research, 72, 14-25. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2015.04.008

Social interactions that support students' self-regulated learning: A case study of one teacher's experiences

2015

Book Chapter

Academic talk in the collaborative classroom

Gillies, Robyn M. (2015). Academic talk in the collaborative classroom. Collaborative Learning: Developments in Research and Practice. (pp. 141-156) edited by Gillies, Robyn M.. New York, United States: Nova Science Publishers.

Academic talk in the collaborative classroom

2015

Book Chapter

Inclusive practices

Pagliano, Paul and Gillies, Robyn Margaret (2015). Inclusive practices. Education for Inclusion and Diversity. (pp. 131-159) edited by Adrian Ashman. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Pearson Australia.

Inclusive practices

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Contract for intellectual services relative to the global network of learning schools
    Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    'We need to talk' : Genomics and disability
    MRFF Genomics Health Futures Mission, Project Grant administered by AusIndustry
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2021
    Community-based STEM professional learning for teachers of middle years
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2018
    QGC/QMN STEM Education Partnership Program: A Professional Learning, Research and Evaluation Plan for 2015 and 2016
    Queensland Museum
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2019
    School-wide approaches for developing social and emotional wellbeing: New understandings of positive identities, emotions and learning in adolescents
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Queensland Primary Teachers' Professional Development Model for Collaborative Multimodal Inquiry Practices in Science: Responding to the Demands of the Australian Curriculum.
    Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2015
    Step up! Transforming mathematics and science pre-service secondary teacher education in Queensland
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2019
    The Science of Learning Research Centre
    ARC Special Research Initiative for a Science of Learning Research Centre
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2015
    Investing in our Disadvantaged Youth: New School-Wide Approaches to Understanding and Improving School Engagement and Social Connectedness
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    2011 UQ Trans-Pacific Fellowship - Resilience in Sport: A Cross-National Comparison
    UQ Trans-Pacific Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Supporting schools and teachers to improve students' reading achievement in rural communities
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Transforming primary teachers' representational practices: Effects on students' scientific reasoning and discourse within contemporary sciences
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Inquiry Teaching in Mathematics: Accelerating the process of change
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Comparative effectiveness of two strategic and meta-cognitive questioning approaches on children s explanatory behaviour, problem-solving, and learning during cooperative, inquiry-based learning
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2007 - 2008
    The effects of teacher and student dialogues during cooperative learning on students' discourse, problem-solving, and learning
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2005 - 2007
    Effects of training teachers in communication skills during cooperative learning on classroom discourse social inclusion and learning among middle-year students.
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    School Reform and Literacy In Secondary Schools
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2004 - 2005
    The effects of cooperative learning and communication training on classroom discourse, social inclusion, and learning among primary school students
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2002
    The effectiveness of peer collaboration compared with teacher-directed instruction for students with learning difficulties in writing
    University of Queensland Research Development Grants Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2001 - 2002
    Effects of teacher/student interactions in cooperative learning on the development of small group communication and prosocial behaviours in children during the middle years of schooling
    UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards - DVC(R) Funding
    Open grant
  • 1999 - 2001
    Effects of Cooperative Learning on Young Adolescents' Learning and Small Group Interactions
    ARC Australian Research Council (Large grants)
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Robyn Gillies is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Built In or Bolt On? A Policy Analysis of Non-Government Programs in Indigenous Education

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Ian Hardy

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Thinking as collaboration: Exploring students thinking via collaborative endeavours in the primary school classroom

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Peter Ellerton

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Implementing Quality Management in Saudi Education by Designing a Program to Improve Teachers¿ Performance

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cultural Competence Strategies to Support Chinese International Students Studying in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards

  • Master Philosophy

    Giving Our Girls A Voice: Using Dialogic Teaching to improve gender equity in classrooms.

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Deborah Brown

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cultural Competence Strategies to Support Chinese International Students Studying in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Career Development and Career-Related Choices of China-Educated International Medical Students: Insights for Career Guidance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Asaduzzaman Khan

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Student and Teacher Relationship: Exploring Behavioural and Neuroscience Variables that impact upon Student and Teacher Wellbeing

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chase Sherwell, Professor Ross Cunnington

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Career Development and Career-Related Choices of China-Educated International Medical Students: Insights for Career Guidance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Asaduzzaman Khan

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Cultural Competence Strategies to Support Chinese International Students Studying in Australia

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards

  • Master Philosophy

    Pedagogies that promote cognitivee and academic success

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Dialogic Pedagogy and the Impact on Gender Equality in Classroom Interactions

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Deborah Brown

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring Language Learning Strategies and Learners¿ Identities Using WhatsApp Chats to Enhance the Learning of Arabic Grammar in Cooperative Learning Settings Online

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Simone Smala

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Critical thinking reflected in the academic writing of Chinese and Australian PhD students

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Garth Stahl

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Robyn Gillies directly for media enquiries about:

  • Behaviour - children in schools
  • Child behaviour in school
  • Discipline - in schools
  • Group learning
  • Guidance counselling - in schools
  • Learning - cooperative group
  • School - child behaviour
  • School - guidance counselling
  • Schools and discipline

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