AARE Rural Education SIG

‘Selling’ the rural to pre-service teachers: the role of marketing in rural placement programs - The Australian Educational Researcher Rural placements are a long-standing strategy employed to encourage pre-service teachers (PSTs) to consider teaching in areas often prioritised in workforce planning due to ongoing staffing challenges...

New #RuralEd paper: ‘Selling’ the rural to pre-service teachers: the role of marketing in rural placement programs, by O. Bradbury, Fish, M. T. Fuqua, A. Larsen & R. O’Donovan.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The Australian Educational Researcher The Australian Educational Researcher (AER) provides a forum for education researchers to debate internationally relevant issues across all levels of ...

🚨AARE is pleased to announce that the latest edition of the Australian Educational Researcher is now available.
Volume 52, Issue 6 December 2025 https://loom.ly/LzROVLk
👏Massive thank you to Stewart Riddle as the outgoing Editor in Chief.

“If we can grow them here it just makes sense”: Disrupting higher education narratives through Country University Centres in regional and rural Australia The underrepresentation of regional, rural, and remote (RRR) students in Australian higher education has been an enduring and consistent concern for g…

New #RuralEd paper: “If we can grow them here it just makes sense”: Disrupting higher education narratives through Country University Centres in regional and rural Australia, by Sally Baker et al.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

“Coming to uni was isolating, a massive culture shock”: the struggle of working-class rural youth for recognition and belonging at a metropolitan university Research studies have repeatedly reported the under-representation of rural youth in higher education, mainly focusing on their aspirations as well as opportunities and barriers to accessing univer...

New #RuralEd paper: “Coming to uni was isolating, a massive culture shock”: the struggle of working-class rural youth for recognition and belonging at a metropolitan university, by H. Cuervo & N. Weerasuriya. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

New #RuralEd paper: "Teacher Engagement in Rural Sporting Clubs: Knowing Your Community", by Melyssa Fuqua (@melyssaf22.bsky.social ).
www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15...

Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools - The Australian Educational Researcher This paper presents a case study of homelands education in North East Arnhem Land. It explores how structural inequities in education systems mitigate against schools which do not align with mainstream norms. In particular, it looks at a hub-and-spoke system of micro schools—officially designated as homeland learning centres (HLCs)—serving some of the most remote, linguistically diverse and traditionally oriented students in Australia. The authors question why governments have persistently ov...

Have you read first online #OA article by Marnie O’Bryan, Yananymul Mununggurr, Barayuwa Mununggurr & Tony Dreise 'Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools' in AER? https://loom.ly/gLYICoM

‘Wanim skil en topic yumob leigim?’: Listening to community interests to inform remote Aboriginal higher education curricula in Arnhem Land, northern Australia - The Australian Educational Researcher Higher education is globally recognised as an enabler of social justice and community development. Remote Australian Aboriginal students are underrepresented in higher education, and there has been li...

New #RuralEd & #IndigenousEd: ‘Wanim skil en topic yumob leigim?’: Listening to community interests to inform remote Aboriginal higher education curricula in Arnhem Land, northern Australia, by Jaggi, Rogers, Malaki Blitner, Yulumburruja Daniels, et al.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Teacher job satisfaction and retention in small rural schools: A theory of recognition approach Small rural schools have been the focus of intensive research in Australia and internationally over the past few decades. The foci often have been on …

New #RuralEd paper: "Teacher job satisfaction and retention in small rural schools: A theory of recognition approach", by H. Cuervo.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"What does Place Bring to my Teaching?": Professional dissonance and the development of rural consciousness

New #RuralEd paper: "What does Place Bring to my Teaching?": Professional dissonance and the development of rural consciousness, by Sharon Louth.
search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3...

A wonderful new #RuralEd book by Mara Tieken: “Educated Out: How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges - And What It Costs Them”. @uchicagopress.bsky.social

Growing Up Rural This open access book offers a cross-national comparative perspective on qualitative longitudinal rural youth studies in the Nordic context.

New #Rural #Sociology book:
"Growing Up Rural: Qualitative Longitudinal Explorations of Young People Living in the Nordic Countries", by K. Vehkalahti, I.M. Eriksen & J. Østergaard- w/ chapters by McLeod, Thomson, Cuervo, Wyn, Aapola-Kari, Rönnlund, Hegna, et al.
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

‘I felt like I was the only person in the world studying’: place and affect in the constitution of online higher education study for rural Australian students - The Australian Educational Researcher Higher education study has become more accessible to rural places through the development of stronger technologies, interfaces and pedagogy for online study. However, while these have made higher education more accessible, they also overlook the substantial impact that social circumstances and resources have on the means to meaningfully participate in higher education. Our study, conducted with 38 online higher education students, demonstrates how broader conditions in place shape study experience and possibilities. We consider how place makes certain practices and identities possible or realisable. In particular, we explore how place and affect shape the possibility of online study in rural areas. This includes how relationships in place also shape how higher education is perceived—both through what to study, how and where to study, or whether higher education is deemed to be valuable. Subsequently, the personal resources available to each student—be it social, cultural, educational or economic, have an exaggerated effect on the experiences and outcome of study. We suggest equitable higher education needs to take account of more than just the offering of online study narrowly conceived of a student identity only as a learner, recognising that personal, ‘placial’ and affective resources are critical in developing a meaningful sense of belonging in higher education.

New #RuralEd paper: ‘I felt like I was the only person in the world studying’: place and affect in the constitution of online higher education study for rural Australian students, by Matthew Bunn & Matt Lumb.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Understanding the educational landscape for refugee background students in non-metropolitan Australia: a scoping review - The Australian Educational Researcher This scoping review explores the educational experiences of refugee-background students (RBSs) within remote, rural and regional Australia. It synthesises literature on RBSs in these contexts to identify unique educational challenges. This review analyses relevant studies published between 2015 and 2024 to uncover themes at the intersection of non-metropolitan settings and refugee education. The challenges identified included limited access to resources and barries to school engagement, academic success and a sense of belonging. Understanding the complex dynamics at play is essential because these schools often operate within racialised communities with fewer resources which may limit their capacity to support RBSs. Nevertheless, schools also hold potential as critical sites for building resilience and community for these students. This review highlights the need for tailored educational policies and practices designed to meet the specific needs of RBSs with a focus on inclusive learning environments that recognise the students’ diverse backgrounds and experiences. Such approaches can facilitate successful integration and improve educational outcomes, creating a more supportive and equitable educational landscape for RBSs.

New #RuralEd paper: Understanding the educational landscape for refugee background students in non-metropolitan Australia, by Taghreed Jamal Al-deen.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

New Directions in Rural Studies This book seeks to critique and illuminate rural matters and provides a contextualising discussion of the new ways rurality has been conceptualised

New #Rural #Sociology book: "New Directions in Rural Studies", by Sam Hillyard (University of Lincoln). @springernature.com
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Book Review of Prof. Mara Tieken's (2025) "Educated Out: How Rural Students Navigate Elite Colleges – And What it Costs Them", The University of Chicago Press. #RuralYouth #RuralEd
journal.spera.asn.au/index.php/AI...

New #RuralEd paper: "The role of place in the widening participation functions of Regional University Study Hubs", Joshua James & Dan Keenan.
journal.spera.asn.au/index.php/AI...

New issue of the Australian & International Journal of Rural Education, with plenty of Australian and international #RuralEd research articles.
www.journal.spera.asn.au/index.php/AI...

Understanding regional, rural and remote teacher wellbeing narratives through podcasting: a qualitative analysis of multiple stakeholder perspectives - The Australian Educational Researcher Highlighting the strengths-based approaches to supporting pre-service teachers, this study explores the diverse and effective wellbeing and self-care practices embedded within regional, rural and remote (RRR) professional experience placements. Drawing on rich qualitative data from podcast conversations, the research emphasises the value of contextually responsive support. Inductive thematic analysis revealed five key enablers of wellbeing: structured support systems, personal wellbeing management, community integration, environment adaption, and professional resilience. These interconnected themes demonstrate that wellbeing in RRR contexts is nurtured through both formal frameworks and individual agency, as well as through meaningful engagement with place and community. Podcasting as method enabled authentic, reflective storytelling, amplifying the voices of those immersed in the experiences. This study highlights the importance of fostering support, strength-focused environments that sustain the wellbeing and professional growth of future educators in RRR settings.

New #RuralEd paper: "Understanding regional, rural and remote teacher wellbeing narratives through podcasting: a qualitative analysis of multiple stakeholder perspectives", N Lemon & M Harris.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New #RuralEd article: ‘Learning can be anywhere’ – On the ground views of what impacts student engagement and attendance in remote Australian schools, by C. Holmes, J. Guenther, R. Oliver & R. Ober.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Summer School at Hokkaido University: "Social justice in education & remote schools: challenges & possibilities" w/ Prof M Aoki (Hokkaido U), Prof H Cuervo (U of Melbourne) & Prof Y Li (Osaka U). September 15-19 in Sapporo. Applications open
hokkaidosummerinstitute.oia.hokudai.ac.jp/jp/courses/C...

📢 Reminder: Submit your paper or extended abstract for the Comparative Population Studies special issue on “Migration Trajectories Over the Life Course”! 🧳
🗓️ Deadline: May 15
📄 Call for papers: www.comparativepopulationstudies.de/index.php/CP...
#Migration #Lifecourse

Aspirations act as a road map for future action. Here's what we must do now Aspirations aren't built alone:, its social relationships, community, school, and the broader culture to develop a desirable future.

All students deserve to have a ‘fair go’ at achieving that imagined future. Emma Burns argues it is our responsibility to advocate for practices and vote for policies that make this possible. loom.ly/07DaO-k

New #ruraled publication: Handbook on Rural and Remote Education, edited by Jerry Johnson & Hobart Harmon.
www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook/b...

Imp. new book by Babak Dadvand on care in education. Caring ethics is at the core of teaching and rural schools practices.

And a book launch of S White, J Downey & M Fuqua’s Sharing #RuralEd Leadership Stories.

And many emerging talented scholars like Hanyue Zhong, T Stonestreet, B Archer, N Downes, N Cull, S Hopkins, C Hudson and many more.

A wonderful conference of the AARE #RuralEd SIG w/ many great scholars like B Green, S White, Walker-Gibbs, P Roberts, J Guenther, L Fray, H Cuervo, S Kilpatrick, T Fish, S Murphy and many more. Keynotes by M Fuqua & J.A. Reid.

New issue of the Australian & International Journal of Rural Education, w/articles by @barcher.bsky.social , Halsey, Macdonald, Bartlett, Ledger, Louth, Sfetcopoulos, Ashenden, Wuttke, Barry, Guenther, Cuervo and more.
www.journal.spera.asn.au/index.php/AI...

Image of text from the call for papers

Please share - call for papers

Benefits and challenges of integrating lived experience in higher education

Special Issue Editors: Snita Ahir-Knight & @drhazelgodfrey.bsky.social

Manuscripts: 25 April 2025

→ think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...

#LivedExperience #HigherEd #Universities

New paper on teachers as double agents with Michelle McCarthy and Andrew Hickey.

Open access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....