Dr Rebecca English
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Education
Biography
Dr. Rebecca English has forged a reputation as Australia’s leading expert in emergent trends in education. She explores the ways parents make choices for their children that align with their beliefs about family and parenting.Rebecca has been teaching for over 25 years, in schools, undergraduate, and post-graduate studies in education. She has edited and coauthored several books. She has been interviewed about her research on radio, in news, blogs, and on television including being featured on 60 Minutes. She was named one of Brisbane's most inspiring women by The Courier Mail.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Education
Research field
Specialist studies in education, Cultural studies, Literary studies
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy (Griffith University)
- Master (Queensland University of Technology)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Education (University of Queensland)
- Graduate Certificate in Research Management (Southern Cross University)
- Bachelor of Business (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
QCT registered teacher
ATEA member
Experience
Works with alternative settings to understand parental engagement.
Publications
- English, R., (2009). Selling education through 'culture' : Responses to the market by new, non-government schools. Australian Educational Researcher, 36(1), 89–104. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/30099
- English, R. & Duncan-Howell, J. (2008). Facebook (c) goes to college: Using social networking tools to support students undertaking teaching practicum. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(4), 596–601. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/15706
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Rebecca, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/r.english
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Chinese parents and alternative education: A case study of Steiner/Waldorf choice
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Tricia Clark-Fookes - Counting the numbers: Regulatory practice, home education and compliance with legislation around Australia
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Tricia Clark-Fookes - Extended and repeated school absences and the relationship to choosing home education
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Senka Henderson - Teachers' Perception of Educational Technology for Education in Emergencies: A Case Study of the Philippines
EdD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Anna Hogan - What factors motivate students to study Audio Production courses in Higher Education?
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Greg Jenkins - Why this school? Factors influencing increasing enrolment into four alternative Brisbane schools
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Tricia Clark-Fookes
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Peer Relationships, Academic Outcomes and Private Tutoring: A Sociological Study with Middle School Students in Guangdong, China (2025)
- Investigation of the Development of Creative Thinking and Adaptability Skills Through Process Drama Techniques in Junior Secondary School Students in Sri Lanka (2020)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
- Parents' Choice of the Montessori Educational Approach to Early Childhood Education: A Comparative Study between Australia and Bhutan (2025)
- 'It's no longer for us': Understanding families' decisions to discontinue home education in Australia (2024)
- Preparing for career without school: The experiences of home educating families in Australia (2022)
- Different, Threatening and Problematic: Representations of Non-Mainstream Religious Schools (2017)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.