Australia Association for Research in Education
civics and citizenship education
The Voice referendum: If you don’t know, I challenge you to find out
The claim by the ‘No’ campaign that if you ‘don’t know, then vote no’ in the Voice referendum is a troubling indictment on the state of democracy and civics and citizenship education in Australia. It privileges a passive and limited conception of citizenship that is at odds with what it means to be a citizen …
Andrew Tate: Why the blind hope of a mother needs urgent help from the underworld
Andrew Tate, sent to trial overnight, is a hugely popular influencer whose extreme misogynistic views are infiltrating classrooms and playgrounds across the world. His impact on classroom behaviour has been reported in popular media and include teachers overhearing jokes about sexual violence and children writing misogynistic essays. Wescott and Roberts recently published insights on their …
How to make sure your vote really counts
Millennial voters and Australian citizens aged under 45 made up 43 percent of the voters in the 2022 federal election. Analyses show that their vote mattered in swings against the major parties and revealed just how discerning young voters can be. But clearly, for their votes to count, and to ensure their most preferred candidate …
The insidious way the new curriculum undermines democracy
The public’s mind is focused upon politics in the final week of a bruising election campaign. The language …
For the love of God: how pornography and an explicit reading list turned Rona Joyner into a conservative activist.
Photo of Rona Joyner by Russell Shakespeare https://www.russellshakespeare.com/ The contemporary international rise of rightist politics is associated with …
How to turn students into active citizens
Australians are on the streets, protesting in large numbers about their displeasure with the government’s inaction on women’s rights and safety. This follows protests across Australian (and the world) in support of #BlackLivesMatter, as well as the #March4OurLives movement in the US. Young people, too, are in the vanguard of environmental movements, most notably the …
How sex ed can save the workplace and the world
A young student reveals he’s had “regular, valuable and powerful talks” about consent and respect but they haven’t had the “intended and crucial impact. One educator explains what should be done. By Georgia Carr I have sat in sex education classrooms and been amazed by what I’ve seen. Teachers who taught consent in great detail …
Adults made the media mess
Social media platform Facebook pulled the plug on Australian news last week after a tussle between the government and the digital giant. What does that mean for Australian educators and students? What are the ways we can combat misinformation and disinformation? And how far along are we in the struggle to teach media literacy (answers …
How young people are changing the way Australians vote and act as citizens
My research interests are closely aligned to the development of civics and citizenship education. Specifically, I am curious …