Dr Neus Evans ~ Senior Lecturer, Curriculum and Pedagogy

I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Education at James Cook University, Cairns. My disciplinary and research background is in education and education for sustainability (EfS) in school and university settings. My early research investigated teacher learning through school-based EfS initiatives and social-ecological resilience to environmental changes within EfS in the Far North Queensland primary school context. 

Since taking up an academic position in 2013, my research interests have expanded to investigating EfS in teacher education, pedagogy, assessment and the systematic review methodology. These interests have lead me to publish a book (Springer, co-authored with Lasen & Tsey) and a number of book chapters and journal articles. Most recently, I have co-edited a book section on ChildhoodNature Pedagogies and Place in The International Research Handbook on ChildhoodNature (Springer). At present, I am working on publishing a book on embedding sustainability into teacher education (Springer, co-authored with Ferreira, Davies and Stevenson). I also serve in the Executive Committee of the Australian Association of Environmental Education and on the editorial board of the Journal of Environmental Education and review articles forEnvironmental Education Research, the Australian Journal of Environmental Education and the Australian Journal of Teacher Education.

Currently, I am working on a number of projects in EfS and initial teacher education. This includes applying the systematic review methodology to the literature pertaining to sustainability pedagogy, children's perceptions of ecological and social environments, and student wellbeing in schools. With a group of colleagues I am also investigating development of pre-service teacher identity through an electronic portolio (ePortfolio). Moving forward, I am interested in investigating the intersection of EfS, teacher identity and professional practice. 

 

 

 

Teaching

• ED3097: Reflective Teaching Cycles and Positive Learning Environments (ECE) (Level 3; CNS)
• ED3197: Improving Student Learning and Professional Practice: Using data and evidence (Primary) (Level 3; CNS & TSV)
• ED3297: Reflective Teaching Cycles and Positive Learning Environments (Secondary) (Level 3; CNS)
• ED4190: Teaching for Learning 3 (Primary) (Level 4; CNS & TSV)
• ED4621: Leading Wellbeing and Sustainability in Learning Communities (Level 4; CNS)
• ED4995: Education Across Culturally Diverse Contexts (Level 4; CNS & TSV)
• ED5970: Teachers as Leaders for Learning and Change (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• ED5975: Teachers as Leaders for Learning and Change (Level 5; CNS & TSV)

Interests

Research

• Sustainability, Education, Pre-service teacher education, Pedagogy, Systematic review methodology, Education for sustainability, Professional practice

Experience

• 2021 to present - Student Services and Quality Coordinator, James Cook University (Cairns (College or Arts, Society & Education))
• 2018 to present - Book Review Editor, The Journal of Environmental Education
• 2017 to present - Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2017 to 2020 - Master of Teaching and Learning (Primary) Coordinator, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2014 to 2017 - Assistant Editor, The Journal of Environmental Education
• 2013 to 2016 - Lecturer, James Cook University (Cairns)
• 2010 to 2013 - Managing Editor, The Journal of Environmental Education
• 2010 to 2012 - Senior Research Officer, The Cairns Institute and School of Education (Cairns)

Research Disciplines

• Specialist studies in education (3904)
• Education systems (3903)

Awards

• 2016 - JCU Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for Responsive Pedagogies: A three-tiered approach that is responsive to students' needs, supports engagement, sustained learning and success for diverse students across subjects.
• 2016 - Finalist, 2016 Green Gown Awards in the category of Learning, Teaching and Skills for Mainstreaming Sustainability in Teacher Education Through a Systems Approach: 10 years in the Making
• 2013 - Common Ground International Award for Excellence for new research for the article “A systematic search of trends in rural development research, originating regions and engagement with sustainability”.
• 2012 - Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences Research Performance Award 2012 (highest number of HERDC Points).

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Evans N (2020) Is this what good pedagogy looks like? Review essay of Diverse pedagogies of place: Educating students for local and global environments, edited by Peter Renshaw and Ron Tooth. Journal of Environmental Education, 51 (3), pp. 256-262, DOI:10.1080/00958964.2019.1692185.
• Evans N and Ferreira J (2020) What does the research evidence base tell us about the use and impact of sustainability pedagogies in initial teacher education? Environmental Education Research, 26 (1), pp. 27-42, DOI:10.1080/13504622.2019.1703908.
• Svane D, Evans N and Carter M (2019) Wicked wellbeing: examining the disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of wellbeing interventions in schools. Australian Journal of Education, 63 (2), pp. 209-231, DOI:10.1177/0004944119843144.
• Tomas L, Evans N, Doyle T and Skamp K (2019) Are first year students ready for a flipped classroom? A case for a flipped learning continuum. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16 (5), DOI:10.1186/s41239-019-0135-4.
• Lasen M, Evans S, Tsey K, Campbell C and Kinchin I (2018) Quality of WIL assessment design in higher education: a systematic literature review. Higher Education Research & Development, 37 (4), pp. 788-804, DOI:10.1080/07294360.2018.1450359.
• Evans N, Stevenson R, Lasen M, Ferreira J and Davis J (2017) Approaches to embedding sustainability in teacher education: a synthesis of the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 63 (2017), pp. 405-417, DOI:10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.013.
• Whitehouse H, Taylor M, Evans N, Doyle T, Sellwood J and Zee R (2017) A sea country learning partnership in times of anthropocenic risk: offshore coral reef education and our story of practice. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 33 (3), pp. 160-170, DOI:10.1017/aee.2017.28.
• Evans N, Tomas L and Woods C (2016) Impact of sustainability pedagogies on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy. The Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 10 (2), pp. 1-19, DOI:10.1177/0973408216650953.
• Evans N, Ferreira J, Davis J and Stevenson R (2016) Embedding EfS in teacher education through a multi-level systems approach: lessons from Queensland. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 32 (1), pp. 65-79, DOI:10.1017/aee.2015.47.

Book Chapters

• Evans N (2019) Teacher education and education for sustainability. In: Learning to Embed Sustainability in Teacher Education. Springer Briefs in Education. Springer, Singapore, pp. 7-21
• Stevenson R, Mannion G and Evans N (2018) Childhoodnature pedagogies and place: an overview and analysis. In: Research handbook on childhoodnature: Assemblages of childhood and nature research. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham, Switzerland
• Whitehouse H, Evans N, Jackson C and Thorne M (2018) Children caring for the Australian wet tropics as a response to the anthropocene. In: Research Handbook on Childhoodnature: Assemblages of Childhood and Nature Research. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham, Switzerland

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 34+ research outputs authored by Dr Neus Evans from 2006 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• A case study inquiry into the implementation of a professional learning intervention in cultural competency and culturally responsive pedagogy to support refugee students (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Planning for Sustainability using School-based Community Gardens: Growing Food and Community for a Post-COVID World (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• Education for Sustainable Development: Assessment of Higher Secondary Curricula of Bangladesh in Identifying Possibilities for Sustainable Living (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Young peoples' disengagement from education: hearing parent voices (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Children's Perceptions of Hope for our Future World (PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Leading for Social Justice in Conservative times (PhD , Advisor Mentor)

Completed

• Teaching Academics and their Approach for the Engagement of their Students: An Australian Regional University Qualitative Case Study (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• "What is going on here?" Challenges experienced by white teachers in a government school in a remote Aboriginal community (2019, PhD , Primary Advisor)
• Learning for environmental stewardship in the Anthropocene: a study with young adolescents in the Wet Tropics (2017, PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.