Jacqueline Ullman

As Professor of Adolescent Development, Behaviour and Wellbeing, Ullman teaches in the areas of educational psychology, sociology of education, research design and research methods for preservice secondary teachers and educators looking to pursue continued education.

Prof. Ullman's research focus links well to her teaching practice, as she examines issues of school climate, school-based social relationships, and belonging, as they relate to motivation, academic self-concept and related school behaviours for marginalised secondary school students. Her primary research focus is in the area of diversity of genders and sexualities and associated inclusive educational practices. Prof. Ullman is a Senior Researcher in the Centre for Educational Research (CER), a founding member of the Australian Forum for Sexuality, Eduation and Health (AFSEH) and a member of the School of Social Sciences and Psychology-based Sexualities and Genders Research group (SaGR). Prof. Ullman is currently Chief Investigator on two Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects with 2026 commencement.

Prof. Ullman has numerous publications in the areas of school-climate, motivation, and diversity of genders and sexualities, including articles in Pedagogy, Culture and Society, Sex Education, Journal of Youth Studies, Journal of School Psychology, and Teaching Education. Her co-edited book Understanding Sociological Theory for Educational Practices (Cambridge University Press, 2015; 2018; 2024), currently in its third edition, combines her research with same-sex attracted and gender-diverse young people with her goals of engendering praxis as a habit of teachers' professional practice in her role as a pre-service teacher educator. This text is currently prescribed in pre-service teacher education courses in five universities across Austalia.

Her 2020 co-authored book Gender and Sexuality Diversity and a Culture of Limitation: Student and Teacher Experiences in Schools with Prof. Tania Ferfolja is part of the Routledge series Critical Studies in Gender and Sexuality in Education.

Professor Jacqueline Ullman received her PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Sydney in 2007. She holds two Masters degrees, one in Research Methodology in Education (USYD) and another in Sociology in Education (Columbia University, Teachers College). As a former secondary school teacher, Prof. Ullman brings her classroom experiences to her lectures, having worked in an under-funded Manhattan public school for a number of years. She is a certified English teacher with a Bachelors degree in English Education (Secondary) from New York University (NYU).