Abstract
This collection of historical accounts provides diverse perspectives on the structure and culture of the community of researchers who participate in activities of the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA). It describes the formation of the Association, and identifies major changes and challenges for the ever growing and internationalisation of its membership.
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Australasia usually refers to Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring nations in the Pacific. More recently, researchers from Asian countries have become active members of ASERA.
This is a boxing metaphor. Amateur boxers fight in weight divisions ranging from light flyweight to super heavyweight. Some professional boxers attempt to compete in heavier divisions that attract higher status and financial rewards. Those who succeed in fighting above their weight division are particularly prized. In this respect, it appears Australians are disproportionately represented in international research forums.
Due to the geographical isolation of Western Australia, researchers from Curtin typically would attend NARST and AERA meetings in the USA rather than present at ASERA conferences on the East Coast of Australia—hence, the derivation of “flyovers”.
Obviously influenced by Tobin’s interpretive classroom research in Australia and the US that focussed on teacher metaphors.
John Dawkins was a prominent member of Australia’s parliament during a 20-year period from 1974 to 1994.
Elementary school is called primary school in Australia, and in Queensland covers grades 1–7; children aged 5–12/13 years.
In the mid 1990s, this became Central Queensland University.
Hereafter I use female pronouns to avoid cumbersome constructions such as his or her.
A ginger group is a group within seeking to inspire the rest with its own enthusiasm and activity, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_group.
Some academics could not receive funding support from their universities unless paper proposals were refereed. To cater for these scholars, ASERA set up a trial refereeing process for limited numbers of proposals in 2002. This practice has continued through to 2008 under Greg Thomas’s leadership. Fortunately, demand for this service has not grown over time.
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White, R., Gardner, P., Carr, M. et al. ASERA: brief histor(y/ies). Cult Stud of Sci Educ 4, 263–301 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-008-9164-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-008-9164-3