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Jacqueline Ullman

Associate Professor in Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing, Western Sydney University

As an Associate Professor of Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing, Ullman teaches in the areas of educational psychology, sociology of education, research design and research methods for preservice secondary teachers and educators looking to pursue continued education.

A/Prof. Ullman's research focus links well to her teaching practice, as she examines issues of school climate, school-based social relationships, and belonging, as they relate to motivation, academic self-concept and related school behaviours for marginalised secondary school students. Her primary research focus is in the area of diversity of genders and sexualities and associated inclusive educational practices. A/Prof. Ullman is a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Educational Research (CER), a founding member of the Australian Forum for Sexuality, Eduation and Health (AFSEH) and a member of the School of Social Sciences and Psychology-based Sexualities and Genders Research group (SaGR). A/Prof. Ullman is currently Chief Investigator on two Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects investigating (1) parents' attitudes towards gender and sexuality diversity-inclusive curriculum [with Associate Professor Tania Ferfolja (WSU) and Professor Tara Goldstein (OSIE)] and (2) 'everyday sexisms' in higher education [with Professor Mindy Blaise (ECU) and Dr. Emily Gray (RMIT).

A/Prof. Ullman has numerous publications in the areas of school-climate, motivation, and diversity of genders and sexualities, including articles in Pedagogy, Culture and Society, Sex Education, Journal of Youth Studies, Journal of School Psychology, and Teaching Education. Her co-edited book Understanding Sociological Theory for Educational Practices (Cambridge University Press, 2015;2018), currently in its second edition, combines her research with same-sex attracted and gender-diverse young people with her goals of engendering praxis as a habit of teachers' professional practice in her role as a pre-service teacher educator. This text is currently prescribed in pre-service teacher education courses in five universities across Austalia.

Her 2020 co-authored book Gender and Sexuality Diversity and a Culture of Limitation: Student and Teacher Experiences in Schools with A/Prof. Ferfolja is part of the Routledge series Critical Studies in Gender and Sexuality in Education. Her forthcoming co-authored book Understanding Parents’ Perceptions of Gender and Sexuality Diversity in the Classroom: Allied, Opposed, Unsure with A/Prof. Ferfolja is currently under contract with Routledge, forthcoming in 2023.

Associate Professor Jacqueline Ullman received her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Sydney in 2007. She holds two Masters degrees, one in Research Methodology in Education (USYD) and another in Sociology in Education (Columbia University, Teachers College). As a former secondary school teacher, A/Prof. Ullman brings her classroom experiences to her lectures, having worked in an under-funded Manhattan public school for a number of years. She is a certified English teacher with a Bachelors degree in English Education (Secondary) from New York University (NYU).

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing, University of Western Sydney

Education

  • 2007 
    University of Sydney, PhD