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Dr Christina Gowlett

Senior Lecturer

School of Education
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
c.gowlett@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 56648

Overview

Christina is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. She draws from philosophy and sociology to examine contemporary practices and policies in education. Prior to working at UQ, Christina held a prestigious McKenzie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at The University of Melbourne. She also has experience working in schools as both a humanities teacher and head of department.

I interrogate the borders and boundaries placed around a lot of educational thinking. I ask probing questions about why we do things in education the way we do, and I explore the consequences that can flow on from thinking one-dimensionally about schooling. This reflection enables me to research the current trends in education and unpack the assumptions about young people, school leaders and teachers often entrenched in education policy and practice. Whose interests are served by formulating education policy and practice in this way, and whose interests are left out? Importantly, I explore how we can rethink education to enable more equitable access. I ask - how can we think outside the square to innovate and generate more educational opportunity? Pushing the boundaries about what we know about education in order to generate productive conversations about where we are heading as a society is an important thread that flows through all of my research.

Research Interests

  • Innovative applications of social, critical and political theory in education
    I specialise in fostering news ways to think about educational issues. My research is especially known for innovatively applying the concepts available through the work of Judith Butler and Karen Barad. My two books with Professor Mary Lou Rasmussen (ANU) and Associate Professor Richard Niesche (UNSW) are examples of this.
  • Exploring new ways to think about educational leadership
    Educational leadership has a long history of being examined through the same old lenses. I’m interested in exploring how we can cross-fertilise new ideas and new prisms of thinking into educational leadership.
  • The use of technology by young people and its effects on information literacy
    This is my most recent area of research interest, and I've just started a new research grant on this topic.
  • Assessment practices in school
    It’s extremely important to think carefully about the way we assess the work of young people in schools. I have been involved in two research-based reports for government concerning quality school-based assessment practices.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor (Honours), The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Education, The University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Arts, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Publications

Book

Book Chapter

  • Populism in Australian education: implications for educational leadership

    Gowlett, Christina and Niesche, Richard (2022). Populism in Australian education: implications for educational leadership. Populism and educational leadership, administration and policy: international perspectives. (pp. 176-187) edited by Peter Milley and Eugenie A. Samier. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003099482-14

  • Exploring and embracing learner diversity through a sociological lens

    Gowlett, Christina and Niesche, Richard (2022). Exploring and embracing learner diversity through a sociological lens. Powers of curriculum: sociological aspects of education. (pp. 94-118) edited by Brad Gobby and Rebecca Walker. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Oxford University Press.

  • Learner diversity and school practices

    Gowlett, Christina and Niesche, Richard (2017). Learner diversity and school practices. In Brad Gobby and Rebecca Walker (Ed.), Powers of curriculum: sociological perspectives in education (pp. 353-371) Melbourne, VIC Australia: Oxford University Press.

  • Performatively resignifying leadership

    Gowlett, Christina (2017). Performatively resignifying leadership. Questioning leadership: new directions for educational organisations. (pp. 99-111) edited by Gabriele Lakomski, Scott Eacott and Colin W. Evers. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315646008

  • Advocating a post-structuralist politics for educational leadership

    Gowlett, Christina (2016). Advocating a post-structuralist politics for educational leadership. New directions in educational leadership theory. (pp. 86-102) edited by Scott Eacott and Colin W. Evers. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Interview with Raewyn Connell: the cultural politics of queer theory in education research

    Rasmussen, Mary Lou, Gowlett, Christina and Connell, Raewyn (2016). Interview with Raewyn Connell: the cultural politics of queer theory in education research. The cultural politics of queer theory in education research. (pp. 5-16) edited by Christina Gowlett and Mary Lou Rasmussen. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Introduction: The cultural politics of queer theory in education research

    Gowlett, Christina and Rasmussen, Mary Lou (2016). Introduction: The cultural politics of queer theory in education research. The cultural politics of queer theory in education research. (pp. 1-6) edited by Christina Gowlett and Mary Lou Rasmussen. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Queer(y)ing and recrafting agency: moving away from a model of coercion versus escape

    Gowlett, Christina (2016). Queer(y)ing and recrafting agency: moving away from a model of coercion versus escape. The Cultural Politics of Queer Theory in Education Research. (pp. 66-81) edited by Christina Gowlett and Mary Lou Rasmussen. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Queer theory, policy and education

    Rasmussen, Mary Lou and Gowlett, Christina (2015). Queer theory, policy and education. Education policy and contemporary theory: Implications for research. (pp. 195-207) edited by Kalervo N. Gulson, Matthew Clarke and Eva Bendix Petersen. Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315818429-17

  • Doing data differently: Disrupting the dominant intelligibilities surrounding performance data and the impact on secondary schooling

    Gowlett, Christina (2013). Doing data differently: Disrupting the dominant intelligibilities surrounding performance data and the impact on secondary schooling. Empirical leadership research: letting the data speak for themselves. (pp. 199-214) edited by Scott Eacott and Richard Niesche. Niagara Falls, NY United States: Untested Ideas Research Center.

Journal Article

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • A gender analysis of volunteer work in parents and citizens associations in Queensland State Schools

    Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Understanding Extended School Non-attendance in Primary School Children.

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Can I be feminist here? A critical autoethnographic perspective of feminist leadership in Australian girls' schools

    Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

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ORCID: 0000-0002-7352-9699

Scopus ID: 55369443900

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