
Overview
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
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
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Learning sciences
Learning and teaching
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Classroom discourses
Teacher and student classroom discourses
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Cooperative learning
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Classroom instruction
Pedagogical practices in the classroom
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Educational psychology
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Classroom behaviour
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Guidance, Counselling and Careers
Works
Search Professor Robyn Gillies’s works on UQ eSpace
2005
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, Robyn (2005). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 15 (1), iii-iv. doi: 10.1375/ajgc.15.1.iii
2005
Journal Article
Stress associated with the transition from high school to university: The effect of social support and self-efficacy
Wilson, G. and Gillies, R. M. (2005). Stress associated with the transition from high school to university: The effect of social support and self-efficacy. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 15 (1), 77-92. doi: 10.1375/ajgc.15.1.77
2005
Edited Outputs
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling. (2005).
2005
Conference Publication
The effects of communication training on teachers' and students' verbal behaviours during cooperative learning
Gillies, R. M. (2005). The effects of communication training on teachers' and students' verbal behaviours during cooperative learning. British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Glamorgan, Wales, 15-17 September, 2005. UK: BERA.
2005
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, R. M. (2005). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 15 (1), 3-4.
2005
Book Chapter
Programs and strategies that support inclusive education
Gillies, R. M. (2005). Programs and strategies that support inclusive education. Educating children with diverse abilities. (pp. 103-136) edited by Adrian Ashman and John Elkins. Sydney, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.
2004
Journal Article
Editorial: Australian journal of guidance and counselling
Gillies, R. M. (2004). Editorial: Australian journal of guidance and counselling. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 14 (2), iii-iv.
2004
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, Robyn (2004). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 14 (02), iii-iv. doi: 10.1017/s1037291100002430
2004
Journal Article
How adolescents cope with bullying
Martin, J. and Gillies, R. M. (2004). How adolescents cope with bullying. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 14 (2), 195-210. doi: 10.1017/s1037291100002508
2004
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, Robyn (2004). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 14 (01), iii-iv. doi: 10.1017/s1037291100002624
2004
Journal Article
The effects of cooperative learning on junior high school students during small group learning
Gillies, R. M. (2004). The effects of cooperative learning on junior high school students during small group learning. Learning and Instruction, 14 (2), 197-213. doi: 10.1016/S0959-4752(03)00068-9
2004
Conference Publication
Teachers' and Students' interactions during cooperative and small-group learning
Gillies, R. M. (2004). Teachers' and Students' interactions during cooperative and small-group learning. American Educational Research Association 2004 Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, 12-16 April 2004. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
2004
Conference Publication
Teacher-student discourse during co-operative small group learning
Gillies, R. M. (2004). Teacher-student discourse during co-operative small group learning. 26th Annual International School Psychology Colloquium, Exeter, UK, 27-31 July. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter.
2004
Conference Publication
Communication training: Effects on teachers' and students' interactions during cooperative learning
Gillies, R. M. (2004). Communication training: Effects on teachers' and students' interactions during cooperative learning. IASCE Conference 2004, 22-24 June 2004. International Association for the Study of Cooperation in Education.
2004
Journal Article
Inclusion: Culture, policy and practice: A Queensland perspective
Gillies, R. M. and Carrington, S. (2004). Inclusion: Culture, policy and practice: A Queensland perspective. Asia-Pacific Journal of Education, 24 (2), 117-128. doi: 10.1080/02188791.2004.10600204
2004
Journal Article
The effects of communication training on teachers’ and students’ verbal behaviours during cooperative learning
Gillies, Robyn M. (2004). The effects of communication training on teachers’ and students’ verbal behaviours during cooperative learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 41 (3), 257-279. doi: 10.1016/j.ijer.2005.07.004
2003
Edited Outputs
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling
Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling. (2003). 13 (2)
2003
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, Robyn (2003). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 13 (02), iii-iv. doi: 10.1017/s1037291100002818
2003
Journal Article
Editorial
Gillies, Robyn (2003). Editorial. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 13 (01), iii-v. doi: 10.1017/s1037291100004672
2003
Journal Article
The behaviors, interactions, and perceptions of junior high school students during small-group learning
Gillies, R. M. (2003). The behaviors, interactions, and perceptions of junior high school students during small-group learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95 (1), 137-147. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.95.1.137
Funding
Supervision
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
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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
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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
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
Critical thinking reflected in the academic writing of Chinese and Australian PhD students
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Garth Stahl
-
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
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
Cultural Competence Strategies to Support Chinese International Students Studying in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Elizabeth Edwards
-
2024
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
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Writing as a 21st century skill: A dialogic approach to literacy pedagogy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Deborah Brown
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Adolescent Curiosity in Science Class: A mixed methods study of student curiosity across early adolescence and its presence in learning science.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Tisha Morrell
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Cognitive Acceleration and the Science of Learning: In Search of the Plasticity of Intelligence
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Bridging the gap between formal and informal learning: An application of neuroscience to improve student learning outcomes through interest-driven learning
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
The Strategies and Practices of Resilience: What Everyone Can Learn from Resilient Undergraduate Students from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Teacher learning about dialogical pedagogy: A multiple case study of Vietnamese educators from a Bakhtinian perspective
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Ian Hardy
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Teacher attribute and student motivation: The exploration of specific attributes of English teachers teaching English as a foreign language in high schools of China
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Yunxia Zhu
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Collaborative Writing in Arabic as a Second Language (ASL) Classrooms in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-method Study
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Obaid Hamid
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Communication disorders in primary school students with school refusal behaviour
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Developing Social and Emotional Learning Competencies in Classrooms Implementing the Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Support Program: Three Case Studies.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Pre-service teachers' perceptions of cooperative learning in a face-to-face and 3D virtual environment: An exploratory study
Principal Advisor
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Cooperative Learning (CL) in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Context: Investigating, Learning Outcomes, Processes, and Experiences
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Obaid Hamid
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Saudi Science Teachers' Questioning in Support of Students' Inquiry-learning: Investigating the ESRU Framework
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the out-of-field teaching experience
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Beliefs of early-childhood teachers towards cooperative learning in the chilean context
Principal Advisor
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
An exploratory investigation of how teachers foster self-regulated learning (SRL) among primary school students
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Adrian Ashman
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Designing a culturally-relevant pedagogy for Confucian heritage culture (CHC) college students: The case of cooperative learning in Vietnam
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Peter Renshaw
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Male ex-inmates living crime-free: A phenomenological study.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
The nature of learning support as revealed through the practice of six exemplary Support teachers (learning difficulties) based in Queensland state primary schools
Principal Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Cognitive training, conflict resolution, and exercise: Effects on young adolescents' well-being
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Adrian Ashman
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN IN LONG DAY CARE CENTRES: THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING ON CARERS' PRACTICES
Principal Advisor
-
2006
Doctor Philosophy
DOMESTIC ABUSE: COPING STRATEGIES OF CHRISTIAN WOMEN
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Bob Lingard
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
An explorative study of the effect of cooperative learning on creativity in Craft Design and Technology
Principal Advisor
-
2004
Doctor Philosophy
TEACHING AND LEARNING WITHIN THE ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT - A VYGOTSKIAN ANALYSIS
Principal Advisor
-
2002
Doctor Philosophy
THE ADJUSTMENT-ADAPTATION OF ASIAN IMMIGRANTS DURING INTERCULTURAL TRANSITION IN BRISBANE
Principal Advisor
-
2024
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
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
The value of intellectual virtues in critical thinking education
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Ellerton
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
The Impact of Learning Environment on Successful Intelligence: Beyond the Understanding of Socioeconomic Status
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Wojtek Tomaszewski, Associate Professor Jenny Povey
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Mathematics Textbooks as Curriculum Resources: Exploring How the Ministry-Published Textbook Supports Indonesian Teachers in Implementing a Student-Centred Teaching Approach
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jana Visnovska
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Twice-exceptional children in the classroom: Challenges for teachers and students in Indonesia
Associate Advisor
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Subjective Well-Being among Indonesian Students Transitioning to University: a Longitudinal Study of the Influence on Academic Self-Concept
Associate Advisor
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Reaching out for people in need: Promotion of emotional resilience for children in disadvantaged communities
Associate Advisor
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Enacting Learner Autonomy Policy in English Language Teaching: A Case study in Vietnamese Higher Education
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Obaid Hamid
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
The role of dialogic argumentation in science education for decision-making
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Katie Makar
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Test-takers' contribution to the validation of uses of high-stakes language tests
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Asaduzzaman Khan, Associate Professor Obaid Hamid
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Capturing the 'Vibe' in the Classroom: The role of social synchrony in developing connectedness
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Resilience in sport: The development of a resilience program for young athletes
Associate Advisor
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
An investigation on students' educational and occupational aspirations in Brunei Darussalam: Teaching and counselling implications
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mary McMahon
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Cooperative Learning and Student Engagement: A Collective Case Study in Six High School Classrooms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Julie Majella Bower, Professor Annemaree Carroll
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
Feedback for learning: A mixed methods study in the upper primary classroom
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Risk, Offending Behaviour and Young People in the Cook Islands: A Study of Cultural Resilience
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Annemaree Carroll
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Improving Quality in Higher Education through Cooperative Learning Pedagogies: An Ethiopian Example
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Catherine Manathunga
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Building a picture of teacher practice promoting student investigation in the chemistry classroom
Associate Advisor
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
A Universal Evaluation of the Fun FRIENDS Program: Anxiety prevention in Early Childhood.
Associate Advisor
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2013
Master Philosophy
An Exploratory Study of the Teaching for Understanding Framework (TfU) applied to a Year 6 Primary Connections unit.
Associate Advisor
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
AN ANALYSIS OF THE NATURE AND QUALITY OF FRIENDSHIP RELATIONSHIPS IN A SAMPLE OF AUSTRALIAN ADOLESCENTS
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Adrian Ashman
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
Young people's transitions into and out of homelessness in southeast Queensland
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Adrian Ashman
Media
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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