Key research areas: Intellectual and developmental disability; Inclusive mathematics education; Down syndrome; Mathematics learning difficulties; Quality of life.
Dr Rhonda Faragher AO is a Professor in Inclusive Education. She has internationally recognised expertise in the mathematics education of learners with Down syndrome. In her research and teaching, she works to improve the educational outcomes of students who have difficulties learning mathematics, for whatever reason, including through educational disadvantage. Beyond mathematics education, she has expertise in inclusive education in a range of contexts, including secondary classrooms.
Dr Faragher is the Director of the Down Syndrome Research Program within the School of Education. She is an appointed Board member to the Academy on Education, Teaching and Research of IASSIDD - the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Chair of the Down syndrome Special Interest Research Group of IASSIDD, Vice-President of Down Syndrome International and an Independent Director of Down Syndrome Australia. She is Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities.
Dr Faragher is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of IASSIDD and has received a number of awards for her work including the 2020 UQ Award for Excellence in Community, Diversity and Inclusion, the 2016 ACU Vice-Chancellor's Medal for Staff Excellence, a Commonwealth of Australia Endeavour Executive Award and the 2011 Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Research Award. In 2023, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.
Recent books / chapters
Faragher, R. (2023). A practical guide to educating learners with Down syndrome. Supporting lifelong learning. Routledge.
Faragher, R. M. (2023). Individual student characteristics, abilities and personal qualities and the teacher’s role in improving mathematics learning outcomes. In A. Manizade, N. Buchholtz, & K. Beswick (Eds.), The evolution of research on teaching mathematics. International perspectives in the digital era. (pp. 227-253). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-31193-2
Faragher, R., Robertson, P., & Bird, G. (2020). International guidelines for the education of learners with Down syndrome. DSi.
Siemon, D., Warren, E., Beswick, K., Faragher, R., Miller, J., Horne, M., Jazby, D., & Breed, M. (2020). Teaching mathematics: foundations to middle years. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press.
Brown, R. I., & Faragher, R. (Eds.). (2018). Quality of life and intellectual disability. Knowledge application to other social and educational challenges. (Revised ed.). Nova.
Recent articles
Faragher, R., & Lloyd, J. (Early View). Continuing conceptualising QOL through application to the lives of young adults with Down syndrome. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12479
Vassos, M., Faragher, R., Nankervis, K., Breedt, R., Boyle, F., Smith, S., & Kelly, J. (2023). The ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics and disability: Findings from a scoping review and their humanrights implications. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00362-1
Yanes, T., Vaishnavi, N., Wallingford, C., Faragher, R., Nankervis, K., Jacobs, C., Vassos, M., Boyle, F., Carroll, A., Smith, S., & McInerney-Leo, A. (2023). Australasian genetic counselors’ attitudes toward disability and prenatal testing: Findings from a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 1-12. https://doi.org/http://doi.org/10.1002/jgc4.1788
Wanjagua, R., Hepburn, S., Faragher, R., John, S. T., Gayathri, K., Gitonga, M., Meshy, C. F., Miranda, L., & Sindano, D. (2022). Key learnings from COVID‐19 to sustain quality of life for families of individuals with IDD. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 19(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12415
Faragher, R., Chen, M., Miranda, L., Poon, K., Rumiati, Chang, F., & Chen, H. (2021). Inclusive Education in Asia: Insights From Some Country Case Studies. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 18(1), 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.12369
Faragher, R.M. & Clarke, B. A. (2020). Inclusive practices in the teaching of mathematics : some findings from research including children with Down syndrome. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 32(1), 121–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-019-00294-x
Faragher, R,M. (2019). The New 'Functional Mathematics' for Learners with Down Syndrome : Numeracy for a Digital World. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 66(2), 206–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2019.1571172
Jenny is the Deputy Director (Training) at Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland. In this role Jenny leads the development and implementation of ISSR's training programs. This includes professional short courses aimed at Industry, tailored capability training for industry, Higher Degree Training, external and internal internships/placements, internal staff capability training, and teaching opportunities for ISSR staff in the schools including Honours supervision. In addition to leading this portfolio of work and teaching professional short courses, Jenny continues to lead a Research Group (Social and Educational disadvantage), contribute as an Associate Investigator to research for the ARC Centre of Excellence on Families and Children over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre), and supervise HDR students. She is a Psychologist and obtained her BA Honors, MA and PhD from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. Before coming to ISSR, Jenny worked as a Chief Researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa in the area of Education effectiveness.
Jenny’s research focuses on education effectiveness, parent engagement, student wellbeing, evidenced-based practice, and research that impacts policy and practice. She has extensive experience in large scale mixed methods evaluations, using administrative data together with survey and qualitative data. Jenny has worked closely with Government Departments and Ministries both in Australia (e.g., Tasmania DHHS; Australian DoE; Qld DoE; CESE NSW; Australian DSS; Qld DCSSD; Department of Home Affairs) and internationally (e.g., South Africa, Eritrea, Cambodia and the Solomon Islands) to gather research evidence from a wide range of disadvantaged communities to inform policy. Jenny is a Chief Investigator on an ARC Linkage project which investigates how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children experience Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) using elicitation methods and a longitudinal qualitative research design to provide evidence to improve service agencies’ understanding of children’s experiences in OOHC and how agencies can best support families, carers and communities to promote the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children in OOHC. This research will improve service provider capability and test Government reform interventions. In addition to leading large commissioned evaluations and academic grants, Jenny is continues to build her research focusing on understanding why and how some schools located in disadvanatged areas are more effective at parent engagement than others and how improving parent engagement in these schools effects the learning and wellbeing of students living in these communities over their life course.
Dr Emily Ross is a Lecturer in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. She has extensive experience in curriculum implementation, supporting school leadership teams and teachers to implement some of the most exciting and cutting-edge curriculum initiatives. She has led the design and implementation of key curriculum and assessment initiatives for the state of Queensland and at a national level. Emily's doctoral research on curriculum interpretation and implementation has shaped government policy in Queensland. It has influenced the method and messaging for implementation support of the Australian Curriculum, and the professional development and resources that have been developed to aid teachers in the curriculum planning work. After completing her doctoral studies, Emily was asked to lead the project for the renewal of the QCAA Australian Curriculum website, including the redevelopment of over 500 curriculum support resources.
Emily's expertise in curriculum development and implementation has continued to be drawn upon by several national organisations, including the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and Education Services Australia. Through these organisations, she has been invited to continue to serve on Advisory Groups and National Expert Panels to support the development and delivery of the Australian Curriculum and resources to support its implementation in Australian schools.
Previously, Emily held senior leadership positions at the QCAA, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the interim National Curriculum Board, as well as in Queensland government and independent schools. Emily’s research focuses on curriculum and assessment policy and its implementation, particularly in areas of STEM education.
Associate Professor Stahl's research interests focus on the relationship between education and society, socio-cultural studies of education, student identities, equity/inequality, and social change. Currently, his research projects and publications encompass theoretical and empirical studies of youth, sociology of schooling in a neoliberal age, gendered subjectivities, equity and difference as well as educational reform.
To date his scholarship has focused upon:
· Social and educational inequalities
· Learner Identities
· Student mobilities
· Masculinities
· Widening participation
He holds a PhD in Education (University of Cambridge), a Masters degree in International Education (New York University) and a Bachelors Degree in Secondary Education and English (Indiana University). He is a member and SIG Convener for the Australian Association of Researchers in Education (AARE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Associate Professor Stahl was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council (2017-2019) where he researched the relationship between extreme disadvantage, masculinities and widening participation. In 2019, he was ranked by The Australian newspaper as one of the top 40 researchers in Australia who were less than 10 years into their career. Dr. Stahl is particularly interested in qualitative research methods, visual research methods and ethnography. At the University of Queensland, Dr. Stahl's teaches at the Undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels.
His research has been published in a range of international journals, including the Pedagogy, Culture and Society, the Journal of Educational Policy and Gender and Education. His books include Identity, neoliberalism and aspiration: educating white working-class boys (2015, Routledge), Ethnography of a neoliberal school: building cultures of success (2018, Routledge), Working-class masculinities in Australian higher education: policies, pathways and progress (2021, Routledge) and Gendering the First-in-Family Experience: Transitions, Liminality, Performativity (2022, Routledge) co-authored with Sarah McDonald.
He has held leadership positions in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE).
Prior to working as a researcher, Stahl taught in secondary schools in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Professor Wojtek Tomaszewski is Deputy Director (Research) and a Research Group Leader at the Institute for Social Science Research, and is also Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (the Life Course Centre). He holds a BSc and MSc in Mathematics, as well as an MA in Sociology from the University of Warsaw, Poland and a PhD in Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Wojtek joined UQ from the National Centre for Social Research in London and has specialist expertise in quantitative research methods and advanced statistical analysis.
Wojtek has a strong research interest in the impact of disadvantage on educational and labour market outcomes in young people. He has undertaken a number of research projects for the State and Commonwealth Governments in Australia, and previously for the British Government. He has published in high-profile international academic journals across the fields of social sciences, education, and beyond.
Paul Treschman is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences (HMNS). He is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Queensland (UQ).
His research interests are in formative assessment and feedback in the Physical Education setting. This includes investigating the influence of teachers’ behavaiours on students' motivation, learning and performance.
I am a senior lecturer in mathematics education at the University of Queensland. My research centres around design and theorising of resources for teaching mathematics well. This includes development of classroom mathematical activities, in which students encounter significant mathematical ideas and joy of the experience; support of mathematics teachers’ work so that they can organise their classrooms for their students' meaningful engagement with mathematics; and inquiries into history of mathematics and education aimed at understanding of possibilities for change. I have served as an editor of the Australian Mathematics Education Journal and currently am the Vice President for Publications within Mathematics Eudctaion Research Group of Australasia (MERGA), and an IPC member for the International Symposium on Elementary Mathematics Teaching.
I completed a Magister degree in mathematics at Comenius University in Slovakia and a PhD in mathematics education at Vanderbilt University in the USA. Before taking my role at UQ, I have taught middle-years mathematics and lectured in mathematics and mathematics education at Comenius, Vanderbilt, and University of California, Santa Cruz. As part of my research, I regularly spend time in schools and classrooms.
Tomasz holds a MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of Warsaw, Poland. He has joined Wojtek Tomaszewski’s team at ISSR, coming from the University of Warsaw where he was an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Sociology and a researcher at the Education Quality Evaluation Unit (PEJK). Moreover, he worked at the National Processing Institute (OPI) in Warsaw where he was a member of the team responsible for developing the Polish Graduate Tracking System (ELA) on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
He was also a visiting scholar at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley and The Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences (BAGSS), University of Bamberg, Germany. Tomasz’s research interests include individual educational trajectories especially within tertiary education, labour market outcomes of graduates, and social inequality and its impact on the educational and professional paths of young people.
