Mathematics Education and Engagement
Mathematics engagement and advanced uptake is at crisis point in Australian secondary schools and a national strategic priority, with compelling questions yet to be answered. The selected PhD scholarship students will work on a project attached to a newly announced NSW Department of Education Strategic Grant funded project whose ambitious goal is to improve the quality of mathematics education and engagement in secondary schools.
Our collaboration with the NSW Department of Education will ensure rapid translation of findings and practical impact, with potential for upscaling across the State’s 3100+ government schools. The larger project provides a rich context for crafting several associated PhD studies focused on the theme of adolescents’ mathematics engagement and participation. The suggested focus of the PhD study is on the particular equity group of female secondary students: What school and classroom factors encourage girls to choose to study advanced senior secondary mathematics or, conversely, undermine their interest in pursuing in this area?
Join a vibrant research culture with award-winning supervisors whose ambitious goal is to improve mathematics education and engagement, creating a more productive pipeline to STEM graduates. Scholarship recipient/s will work with supervisors located within the broader Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences ‘STEM Education & Engagement’ (STEM-EE) research group and MOVEicp Research Network located in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, and in partnership with colleagues at Western Sydney University who are co-researchers on the externally funded project. Chief Investigators of the ‘parent’ funded project at Western Sydney University are Professor Kathryn Holmes, Dr Nathan Berger and Dr Erin Mackenzie. The scholarship awardee/s will be situated within these two overlapping, dynamic developmental research contexts whose intersection focuses on mathematics education and engagement, with the benefit also of being cross-institutional.
The successful scholarship applicant/s will be a PhD candidate with previous experience in education and/or psychology and/or teacher professional development; possess advanced communication and writing skills; and demonstrate competence or capacity to develop advanced quantitative research skills. The selected candidate/s will develop sophisticated research skills through involvement with research instruments, data collection and management, data coding and analyses, and report writing, within the context of a vibrant research lab culture with experienced and award-winning supervisors.
Prospective applicants are invited to direct questions in advance to the indicated Supervisors. The members of the supervisory team are:
- Professor Helen Watt – educational psychology, motivation, STEM engagement and pathways, gender and STEM, occupational choice and wellbeing, teacher development, quantitative methods and mixed-methods.
- Dr Bronwyn Reid O’Connor – students’ mathematics learning and affect, mathematics education curriculum design, and teachers’ professional learning.
- Honorary Associate Professor Judy Anderson – mathematics and STEM education particularly in the field of teachers’ beliefs and practices, as well as in exploring the impact of professional development on classroom practice using mixed methods.
The Mathematics Education and Engagement project aims to probe issues and opportunities in mathematics education to promote the engagement and positive development of learners and their teachers.
This project represents an opportunity to work with established scholars at the cutting-edge of mathematics education and engagement. The experienced supervisory team have won PhD supervision awards and demonstrated significant experience in assisting early-career researchers in the publication of journal articles.
The PhD is embedded within a larger project funded by the NSW Department of Education, together with researchers at Western Sydney University. Ideally, the PhD candidate will contribute to the larger project and benefit from the context of a vibrant cross-institutional research-lab culture. Because the PhD is nested within the larger grant-funded project, new PhD candidate/s will benefit from additional resourcing to support travel costs for fieldwork and access to the external partners facilitating study operationalisations. PhD students in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work (SSESW) can also apply for conference funding and expenses up to $2000 a year from the school.
The successful candidates will be included in the SSESW ‘STEM Education & Engagement’ (STEM-EE) team that includes experienced and emerging researchers in mathematics, science and technology education; educational psychology; and equity in educational opportunities. They will also be embedded in the activities of the international Network Gender & STEM (initiated by Watt, 2007) who host a biennial conference, including recently at the University of Sydney (hosted by Watt & Anderson), and next in Heidelberg 2024.
Applicants are invited to submit a proposal for PhD research that aligns directly to this project.
Prospective candidates may qualify for direct entry into the PhD program if their research proposal (see above) is accepted and they satisfy at least one of the criteria listed below.
- Bachelor's degree with first- or second-class honours in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis based on primary data not literature review
- Master's degree by research in an appropriate area of study that includes a research thesis that draws on primary data
- Master's degree by coursework, with a research thesis or dissertation of 12,000–15,000 words that draws on primary data not literature review, with a grade-point average of at least 80 per cent in the degree.
- Demonstrated appropriate professional experience and alternative qualifications in the field of study.
For more information regarding applying for a PhD refer to the course details for Doctor of Philosophy (Arts and Social Sciences).
Please also refer to guidelines for preparing a research proposal.
A number of scholarships are available to support your studies.
- Australian Government RTP Scholarship (Domestic)
- Australian Government RTP Scholarship (International)
- University of Sydney International Strategic Scholarship
These scholarships will provide a stipend allowance of $35,629 per annum for up to 3.5 years. Successful international students will also receive a tuition fee scholarship for up to 3.5 years.
For other scholarship opportunities refer to FASS Research Scholarships (Domestic) or FASS Research Scholarships (International).
For further details about the PhD project contact:
- Professor Helen Watt at helen.watt@sydney.edu.au