Sarah McDonald
Dr Sarah McDonald is a lecturer in Education Futures at the University of South Australia and works within the Centre for Research in Education & Social Inclusion. Sarah’s research interests are in gendered subjectivities, girlhood, social mobility, social barriers, and inequalities in education. She also conducts research in the area of literacies, with a particular focus on gender, literacies and reading. Sarah’s first co-authored book, 'Gendering the First-in-Family Experience: Transitions, Liminality, Performativity' was published by Routledge in 2022.
Sarah was awarded first prize in the Research Excellence Category, HDR Candidate, at the UniSA 2021 Research Awards and a Centre for Research in Education and Social Inclusion Emerging Researcher Excellence Award in 2020. Sarah is currently the president of the South Australian English Teachers Association, where she previously served as vice-president and council member.
Sarah was awarded first prize in the Research Excellence Category, HDR Candidate, at the UniSA 2021 Research Awards and a Centre for Research in Education and Social Inclusion Emerging Researcher Excellence Award in 2020. Sarah is currently the president of the South Australian English Teachers Association, where she previously served as vice-president and council member.
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Papers by Sarah McDonald
Australian universities continues despite recent gains in
achievement. This article presents a case study of the transition of
one Aboriginal student, Robbie, from a school located in the
Western suburbs of Sydney to an urban Australian university.
Drawing on recent theorisations of learner identities, we
investigate the formation of Robbie’s aspirations, as well as the
support he is entitled to and capitalises upon. The case study
captures how different aspects of Robbie’s life interrelate, as well
as how he accesses support over time in transitioning from
secondary school to university. Exploring Robbie’s journey as a
learner compels us to think critically about equity programmes
and emphasise the role of close family involvement, peer
mentoring and personalised support to improve outcomes for
students from underrepresented backgrounds.
influence the formation of ‘science capital’ and a ‘science
identity’, which are widely considered influential to sustained
engagement in the sciences. Drawing on interviews with 45 Year
8 students from two diverse locales in Australia, we analyse sciencerelated
forms of cultural and social capital with a focus on placebased
knowledges which may help explain differential patterns of
engagement among young people. First, the paper recounts recent
theoretical and empirical work on science capital and science identity,
extending this scholarship by considering the role of family and
place in science knowledge acquisition. Second, we present the
study concentrating on student lifeworlds and familial relationships
as identity resources, exploring the differences in terms of place. To
conclude, we critique the data with attention to implications for
teachers’ pedagogy, considering the role of ‘science capital pedagogies’
and a ‘Funds of Knowledge’ approach to science education.
Books by Sarah McDonald
Australian universities continues despite recent gains in
achievement. This article presents a case study of the transition of
one Aboriginal student, Robbie, from a school located in the
Western suburbs of Sydney to an urban Australian university.
Drawing on recent theorisations of learner identities, we
investigate the formation of Robbie’s aspirations, as well as the
support he is entitled to and capitalises upon. The case study
captures how different aspects of Robbie’s life interrelate, as well
as how he accesses support over time in transitioning from
secondary school to university. Exploring Robbie’s journey as a
learner compels us to think critically about equity programmes
and emphasise the role of close family involvement, peer
mentoring and personalised support to improve outcomes for
students from underrepresented backgrounds.
influence the formation of ‘science capital’ and a ‘science
identity’, which are widely considered influential to sustained
engagement in the sciences. Drawing on interviews with 45 Year
8 students from two diverse locales in Australia, we analyse sciencerelated
forms of cultural and social capital with a focus on placebased
knowledges which may help explain differential patterns of
engagement among young people. First, the paper recounts recent
theoretical and empirical work on science capital and science identity,
extending this scholarship by considering the role of family and
place in science knowledge acquisition. Second, we present the
study concentrating on student lifeworlds and familial relationships
as identity resources, exploring the differences in terms of place. To
conclude, we critique the data with attention to implications for
teachers’ pedagogy, considering the role of ‘science capital pedagogies’
and a ‘Funds of Knowledge’ approach to science education.