Rate My Professor Christina Gowlett

Dr Christina Gowlett is a Senior Lecturer and Chief Examiner in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor (Honours), and Doctor of Philosophy, all awarded by The University of Queensland. Prior to her appointment at UQ, Gowlett held a prestigious McKenzie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at The University of Melbourne. She also gained practical experience in schools, serving as a humanities teacher and head of department. These roles have informed her scholarly approach, bridging theory and practice in education.

Gowlett employs philosophy and sociology to interrogate contemporary educational practices and policies, probing the boundaries and assumptions that shape schooling. Her research unpacks one-dimensional thinking about young people, school leaders, and teachers embedded in policy and practice, aiming to foster equitable access and innovative opportunities in education. She is renowned for applying social, critical, and political theories, particularly concepts from Judith Butler and Karen Barad, to educational leadership, queer theory in education, policy reception, populism, and learner diversity. Key publications include co-authoring Social, Critical and Political Theories for Educational Leadership (2019) with Richard Niesche; co-editing The Cultural Politics of Queer Theory in Education Research (2016) with Mary Lou Rasmussen, featuring her chapters on queer(y)ing agency and an interview with Raewyn Connell; and contributing to Shaping School Success: Empowering Educational Leaders (2025) with Ian Hardy and others. Other notable works encompass journal articles such as 'Queer(y)ing new schooling accountabilities through My School' (2015), 'Advocating a post-structuralist politics for educational leadership' (2014) with Niesche, and ''There was a cone of silence': tuning in and turning up the conversation on ‘Teach Us Consent’' (2024). Gowlett's scholarship also addresses technology use by young people, information literacy, and school-based assessment practices, including contributions to government reports.