Motivation and Educational Psychology

Summary

More about Professor Helen Watt Stay in touch

Helen M. G. Watt is Professor of Educational Psychology at The University of Sydney, initiator of the Network Gender & STEM (www.genderandSTEM.com), Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, former Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Director of Research Development (Social sciences) at the University of Sydney. She previously served at Monash (where she retains an Honorary Professorship), Michigan, Western Sydney, Sydney, and Macquarie Universities.

Helen is a motivation researcher whose projects address: declining participation in advanced sciences and mathematics especially by girls (www.stepsstudy.org), and the engagement and wellbeing of beginning teachers (www.fitchoice.org), utilising long-term and large-scale survey data across comparative settings. She has published extensively on these topics, edited books and special issues, won research awards, extramural funding, and held leadership roles in national and international associations. Helen has previously supervised 15 PhDs, 15 Masters and 16 Hons theses, several of whom won awards, and herself received Supervisor of the Year Awards at USyd and Monash universities. Current supervisions are listed on her profile page.

Supervisor

Professor Helen Watt.

Research location

Sydney School of Education and Social Work

Synopsis

Research Specialisations

• Educational psychology: Motivation, Occupational choice, STEM engagement and pathways, Gender, Teacher development and wellbeing
• Methods: Measurement and scale construction, Quantitative methods, Longitudinal analyses, Mixed methods

I am frequently consulted when methodological expertise is required as Consultant on colleagues’ projects, e.g.,

• Mathematics anxiety and engagement strategy Advisory Board, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) 2018+
• Understanding Factors Contributing to Gender Differences in Australian Adolescents’ AchievementExpert Feedback on Report for Dr Emma Burns, for SACE Board of South Australia.
• Teach! The role of teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices for students’ beliefs and academic outcomes (German Research Foundation [DFG] LA-3522/5-1, 2019-2021, PIs: Lazarides & Schiefele, Potsdam University)
• Social and cultural influences on adolescent literacy motivation and development (NICHD / OSERS / OVAE $USD2,034,000: 2004-7, #1R01HD046115-01, PIs: Eccles & Moje, University of Michigan)
• Math-Science Partnerships Research Evaluation Project (NSF 2004-7, HER 0335369 PIs: Karabenick & Maehr, University of Michigan)
• BRiTE: Building Resilience in Teacher Education (OLT 2013-15 ID13-2924 $150,00: CI Mansfield, Murdoch University)

Additional information

1. If you are interested in this research opportunity, you are encouraged to email the potential supervisor directly.  To find their email address, follow the link provided to their profile page. 

When contacting them, you should describe your academic educational background and research experience, and include an academic transcript and CV (resume). You should also include a research proposal (1500-2000 words); refer to How to write a research proposal for guidance. You should explain why you want to undertake a PhD and how you believe your research topic aligns with the supervisor’s own research. You may be asked to supply a sample of written work.

2. Your potential supervisor may offer you advice on developing your research proposal before you submit your application. You will need to provide a written statement from your potential supervisor that they have agreed to supervise your project.

3. If you would like general advice in your subject area before submitting an application, contact an academic advisor listed here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/study/postgraduate-research/postgraduate-research-contact.html

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3399