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O'Shea, Sarah Professor

Honorary Professorial Fellow / Director, NCSEHE, Curtin University

  • Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Principal Fellow - Higher Education Authority (UK) 2017 -
  • Fellowship - Churchill Trust Fellowship 2018 -

Top Publications

Research Overview

  • Dr Sarah O’Shea is a Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Education, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities a position she holds alongside her role as Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.  Sarah has nearly 30 years experience teaching in universities as well as the VET and Adult Education sector, she has also published widely on issues related to educational access and equity.She has co-authored over 80 scholarly publications  - this work has also featured in The Conversation, University World News, Campus Review  and The Australian. Currently (2021), her Google Scholar profile lists more than 1700 citations with a h-index of 26, her current SCOPUS h-index is 13. 

    Since 2009, Sarah has obtained over $3.8 million dollars in research funding, all of which explores educational equity in the HE environment. In 2016, Sarah was awarded an ARC Discovery project exploring the persistence and retention of university students across Australia, UK and Ireland. This international study builds upon an Australian Government Teaching and Learning Fellowship (2015-2016) and consolidates a decade of work in the student retention field (www.firstinfamily.com.au) which has focussed on students from a diversity of backgrounds. This includes a five-year partnership with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) which has involved over $520,000 in national funding (ARC: $211,000; Federal Gov: $310,000) and included research activities across Australia with Indigenous young people , university mentors as well as key staff and stakeholders. A recent national study (2018) explored the movement of regional and rural students from their communities into university, the Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university project was funded by the National Centre of Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) and is a collaboration between UOW (Lead), UON and UNSW. In 2019, Sarah took up a Research Fellowship with the NCSEHE to explore the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

    During her career, Sarah has also received numerous awards for teaching excellence including a national Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2012), her work has been recognised as one of UOW 40 Research Impacts and in 2016 she was recognised as one of UOW's Women of Impact. Sarah is also an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, in 2017 she was both recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (AdvanceUK) and awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to engage in study internationally, details of the fellowship are here.

Available for Collaborative Projects

Selected Publications

Investigator On

Impact Story

  • <p>Departing from university has long-term economic and social impacts (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282148241_Avoiding_the_manufacture_of_'sameness'_first-in-family_students_cultural_capital_and_the_higher_education_environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016a</a>) yet students from diverse backgrounds often describe this environment in terms of alienation and isolation (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137582836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea et al., 2017)</a>. Entering university has been characterised, as similar to entering a <em><u>foreign or unfamiliar country</u></em>, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising  (<a href="http://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-3/5-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016b</a>). For students who do not have a family tradition of attending university then this situation may result in feeling like ‘imposters’, which can inevitably lead to thoughts of departure (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/social-science-matters/o-shea-on-situating-university-students-at-the-centre-of-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2017</a>). To address this issue, this research has not only contributed to scholarly research but also provided resources targeted at the parents and family members of students. This empirically validated material ‘unpacks’ the university environment and provides advice in an accessible way - please see the research website <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" title="HE ACCESS FOR ALL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></p><p>The impact of this research spans the domains of students, parents, and communities as well as  engaging with key educational stakeholders including government policy makers. The research has informed a national Government review on <em>Improving Completion, Retention and Success in Higher Education</em> (HESP, 2017) and findings have been applied to equity practices and understandings across the Australian educational sector. The affiliated website (<a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://heaccessforall.com</a>) and blog (<a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog</a>) has an engaged global audience and regularly receives unsolicited feedback from both commencing university students and their family members. This research has featured in a range of media outlets including radio, television and print mediums, all of which foreground how students from diverse backgrounds can access and participate in higher education successfully.<br /><br /><strong>Research Focus </strong></p><p>This research is focussed on improving educational outcomes for all university students but particularly those who are at risk of dropping out of their studies. To achieve this goal, the research has foregrounded student voices, with an emphasis on the ‘lived experience’ of considering and engaging in higher education. Since 2014, over 650 students and family members from diverse walks of life have been interviewed or surveyed, these narratives providing genuine and rich insight into the realities of university participation. This rich data set has underpinned <strong>1)</strong> numerous student interventions targeted at students at all stages of their studies, <strong>2)</strong> a range of resources designed to assist students and their families in this educational journey and <strong>3) </strong>engagement with stakeholders in the school, vocational and higher education contexts in order to embed new approaches to supporting and retaining diverse student cohorts.</p><p></p>

     Detail View

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) Experiences of First in Family Indigenous Australian University Students and the Affects it has on their Social and Emotional Wellbeing Neal, Nadia
    Doctor of Philosophy Partnerships in learning: Building a framework for collaboration Austin, Kylie
    Doctor of Education "Crossing the threshold into Higher Education". In what ways does accessing higher education through an enabling course impact upon male students who follow this pathway? McNamara, Jacinta
    Doctor of Philosophy Psychological barriers to participation in higher education Parkinson, Bradley

Outreach Overview

  • I am seeking to effect change within the higher education sector through research that focuses on the access and participation of students from identified equity groups. My institutional and nationally funded research studies advance understanding of how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, navigate transition into this environment, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. My work is highly regarded for applying diverse conceptual and theoretical lenses to tertiary participation, which incorporate theories of social class, identity work, gender studies and poverty.

    To this end I have worked across the sector implementing outreach activities and play an active role in community roles in this regard, these activities have been summarised below:

    UStart@UOW: I initiated an orientation program for low SES students whilst at University of Newcastle and in partnership with the Dean of Students offered this at University of Wollongong across four faculties (Faculty of Education, Law, Science and Arts) in 2011 and then university-wide. I delivered training for all the student facilitators and also coordinated this program within Faculty of Education. I was also involved in introducing a similar program at Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) called IStart@Woolyungah and a program targeted at parents called UStart2@UOW

    Board Member, Kiama Community College: I have volunteered as a Board Director for the Kiama and Shoalhaven Community Colleges since 2011. In this role, I assist in guiding the strategic direction of the Community College but also provide advice in regard to outreach programs 

    I have participated in a number of reviews concerning UOW's outreach programs (In2Uni) and published reports on both reviews:

    O’Shea, S., Harwood, V., Howard, S., Cliff, K., & Delahunty, J (2016). Final Report: Investigating the effectiveness of the In2Uni Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP).

    Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Howard, S. & Cliff, K (2014). Final Report: Evaluation of the In2Uni Program. Available from:  http://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/2299/

    I have worked with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in both research projects and also consultation roles reviewing the impact of the program on Indigenous young people, details of this work follow:

    2013-2016      Part of the research team that is conducting a 3-year evaluation that will evaluate the viability of the expansion of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. Department of Education and Training ($200,000) 

    2012-2013      Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Clapham, K., Bodkin-Andrews, G., Wright, J., Kervin, L., & McMahon, S. (2013) Evaluation of the AIME Outreach Program, DEEWR and University of Wollongong: Australia. ($110,000) 

    2013-2016 Harwood, V., Chandler, P., & O’Shea, S. Mentoring and Indigenous higher education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students. Australian Research Council Discovery Project. ($211,000)

Top Publications

Research Overview

  • Dr Sarah O’Shea is a Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Education, Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities a position she holds alongside her role as Director, National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education.  Sarah has nearly 30 years experience teaching in universities as well as the VET and Adult Education sector, she has also published widely on issues related to educational access and equity.She has co-authored over 80 scholarly publications  - this work has also featured in The Conversation, University World News, Campus Review  and The Australian. Currently (2021), her Google Scholar profile lists more than 1700 citations with a h-index of 26, her current SCOPUS h-index is 13. 

    Since 2009, Sarah has obtained over $3.8 million dollars in research funding, all of which explores educational equity in the HE environment. In 2016, Sarah was awarded an ARC Discovery project exploring the persistence and retention of university students across Australia, UK and Ireland. This international study builds upon an Australian Government Teaching and Learning Fellowship (2015-2016) and consolidates a decade of work in the student retention field (www.firstinfamily.com.au) which has focussed on students from a diversity of backgrounds. This includes a five-year partnership with AIME (Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience) which has involved over $520,000 in national funding (ARC: $211,000; Federal Gov: $310,000) and included research activities across Australia with Indigenous young people , university mentors as well as key staff and stakeholders. A recent national study (2018) explored the movement of regional and rural students from their communities into university, the Shifts in space and self: Moving from community to university project was funded by the National Centre of Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) and is a collaboration between UOW (Lead), UON and UNSW. In 2019, Sarah took up a Research Fellowship with the NCSEHE to explore the post-graduation outcomes and employment mobility of individuals who are first in their family to complete a university degree.

    During her career, Sarah has also received numerous awards for teaching excellence including a national Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning (2012), her work has been recognised as one of UOW 40 Research Impacts and in 2016 she was recognised as one of UOW's Women of Impact. Sarah is also an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, in 2017 she was both recognised as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (AdvanceUK) and awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to engage in study internationally, details of the fellowship are here.

Selected Publications

Investigator On

Impact Story

  • <p>Departing from university has long-term economic and social impacts (<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282148241_Avoiding_the_manufacture_of_'sameness'_first-in-family_students_cultural_capital_and_the_higher_education_environment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016a</a>) yet students from diverse backgrounds often describe this environment in terms of alienation and isolation (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137582836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea et al., 2017)</a>. Entering university has been characterised, as similar to entering a <em><u>foreign or unfamiliar country</u></em>, so a feeling of disconnection is not surprising  (<a href="http://www.herdsa.org.au/herdsa-review-higher-education-vol-3/5-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2016b</a>). For students who do not have a family tradition of attending university then this situation may result in feeling like ‘imposters’, which can inevitably lead to thoughts of departure (<a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/social-science-matters/o-shea-on-situating-university-students-at-the-centre-of-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener">O’Shea, 2017</a>). To address this issue, this research has not only contributed to scholarly research but also provided resources targeted at the parents and family members of students. This empirically validated material ‘unpacks’ the university environment and provides advice in an accessible way - please see the research website <a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" title="HE ACCESS FOR ALL" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></p><p>The impact of this research spans the domains of students, parents, and communities as well as  engaging with key educational stakeholders including government policy makers. The research has informed a national Government review on <em>Improving Completion, Retention and Success in Higher Education</em> (HESP, 2017) and findings have been applied to equity practices and understandings across the Australian educational sector. The affiliated website (<a href="https://heaccessforall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://heaccessforall.com</a>) and blog (<a href="http://www.firstinfamily.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.firstinfamily.com.au/blog</a>) has an engaged global audience and regularly receives unsolicited feedback from both commencing university students and their family members. This research has featured in a range of media outlets including radio, television and print mediums, all of which foreground how students from diverse backgrounds can access and participate in higher education successfully.<br /><br /><strong>Research Focus </strong></p><p>This research is focussed on improving educational outcomes for all university students but particularly those who are at risk of dropping out of their studies. To achieve this goal, the research has foregrounded student voices, with an emphasis on the ‘lived experience’ of considering and engaging in higher education. Since 2014, over 650 students and family members from diverse walks of life have been interviewed or surveyed, these narratives providing genuine and rich insight into the realities of university participation. This rich data set has underpinned <strong>1)</strong> numerous student interventions targeted at students at all stages of their studies, <strong>2)</strong> a range of resources designed to assist students and their families in this educational journey and <strong>3) </strong>engagement with stakeholders in the school, vocational and higher education contexts in order to embed new approaches to supporting and retaining diverse student cohorts.</p><p></p>

     Detail View

Advisees

  • Graduate Advising Relationship

    Degree Research Title Advisee
    Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated) Experiences of First in Family Indigenous Australian University Students and the Affects it has on their Social and Emotional Wellbeing Neal, Nadia
    Doctor of Philosophy Partnerships in learning: Building a framework for collaboration Austin, Kylie
    Doctor of Education "Crossing the threshold into Higher Education". In what ways does accessing higher education through an enabling course impact upon male students who follow this pathway? McNamara, Jacinta
    Doctor of Philosophy Psychological barriers to participation in higher education Parkinson, Bradley

Outreach Overview

  • I am seeking to effect change within the higher education sector through research that focuses on the access and participation of students from identified equity groups. My institutional and nationally funded research studies advance understanding of how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, navigate transition into this environment, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. My work is highly regarded for applying diverse conceptual and theoretical lenses to tertiary participation, which incorporate theories of social class, identity work, gender studies and poverty.

    To this end I have worked across the sector implementing outreach activities and play an active role in community roles in this regard, these activities have been summarised below:

    UStart@UOW: I initiated an orientation program for low SES students whilst at University of Newcastle and in partnership with the Dean of Students offered this at University of Wollongong across four faculties (Faculty of Education, Law, Science and Arts) in 2011 and then university-wide. I delivered training for all the student facilitators and also coordinated this program within Faculty of Education. I was also involved in introducing a similar program at Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) called IStart@Woolyungah and a program targeted at parents called UStart2@UOW

    Board Member, Kiama Community College: I have volunteered as a Board Director for the Kiama and Shoalhaven Community Colleges since 2011. In this role, I assist in guiding the strategic direction of the Community College but also provide advice in regard to outreach programs 

    I have participated in a number of reviews concerning UOW's outreach programs (In2Uni) and published reports on both reviews:

    O’Shea, S., Harwood, V., Howard, S., Cliff, K., & Delahunty, J (2016). Final Report: Investigating the effectiveness of the In2Uni Year 12 University Preparation Program (UPP).

    Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Howard, S. & Cliff, K (2014). Final Report: Evaluation of the In2Uni Program. Available from:  http://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/2299/

    I have worked with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in both research projects and also consultation roles reviewing the impact of the program on Indigenous young people, details of this work follow:

    2013-2016      Part of the research team that is conducting a 3-year evaluation that will evaluate the viability of the expansion of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience. Department of Education and Training ($200,000) 

    2012-2013      Harwood, V., O'Shea, S., Clapham, K., Bodkin-Andrews, G., Wright, J., Kervin, L., & McMahon, S. (2013) Evaluation of the AIME Outreach Program, DEEWR and University of Wollongong: Australia. ($110,000) 

    2013-2016 Harwood, V., Chandler, P., & O’Shea, S. Mentoring and Indigenous higher education: Understanding how university students mentor Indigenous school students. Australian Research Council Discovery Project. ($211,000)

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Research Areas

Geographic Focus