Dr Rebecca Cairns

Rebecca investigates how contemporary and historical socio-political conditions shape curriculum. This includes examining how curriculum gets made and mediated by a range of curriculum policy actors in secondary schools and policy contexts.

Her research contributes to understanding the ways curriculum practices can be enriched by more relational representations of people, places and the past through multiple perspectives, narratives and knowledges–particularly in relation to Asia-related history. This work provides much needed socio-historical understandings of curriculum policy practices to the often highly politicised debates around the relationship between curriculum policy, public policy, historical narratives and socio-cultural change.

The Asia literacy dilemma: A curriculum perspective (Cairns & Weinmann, in press) is a forthcoming co-authored book in the Routledge series on Schools and Schooling in Asia. It examines the dilemma of Asia literacy as an education goal by bringing into focus Asia as a curriculum dimension using curriculum inquiry as the central lens. In doing so it interrogates current curricular imaginations of Asia and aims to move towards a more multifaceted discussion of Asia-related curriculum beyond utilitarian conceptualisations. The book seeks to amplify the voices of students and teachers as key curriculum actors.

Rebecca’s other research outputs have included articles in high-ranking journals, a chapter in an edited book, national and international conference presentations and a commissioned educational resource on the Vietnam War, which was co-authored with Deakin colleagues. She also contributes to The Conversation and has multiple publications to support the teaching of modern Chinese history in secondary schools.

Much of her work takes a poststructuralist approach to discourse analysis and draws on decolonising and deimperialising theoretical frameworks, as well as critical policy analysis and interview methods.

She has reviewed journal articles, examined a PhD thesis and is available to supervise Higher Degree Research students.

Research interests: curriculum inquiry, history education; studies of Asia; senior secondary curriculum; critical policy analysis; discourse analysis; modern Chinese history

Transforming Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy Research Program, Deakin

Australia-China Relations in Higher Education Research Network, Deakin

Contemporary Histories Research Group, Deakin

History Teachers' Association of Victoria (HTAV)

Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA)

EHI702 History Curriculum Inquiry

EEO101 Teaching Humanities in Primary Education

EEG402 Teaching in a Global World

EEO301 Sustainability, Inquiry and Action: A Humanities Perspective

EEO211 Humanities Education in the Primary 3-6 Levels

ECN720 Youth Cultures and Learning Pathways

ECN730 Introduction to Teaching: Later Years

ECN724 Later Years Teaching Strategies

ECN723 Middle Years Teaching Strategies

ECN728 Indigenous Students and Cultural Diversity

curriculum inquiry; history education; studies of Asia; Asia as method; senior secondary schooling; critical policy analysis; discourse analysis;

Cairns, R. (2021). Curricular Responsiveness to Crisis Panel. Comparative and International Education Society’ International Conference, May, Seattle, USA [online].

Cairns, R. (2018). Deimperialising Constructions of Asia in Senior Secondary History Curriculum. World Curriculum Studies Conference, Melbourne University, December 9-12.

Cairns, R. & Weinmann, M. (2018). ‘Successful participation’? Exploring the gap between intended and experienced Asia curriculum in senior secondary schooling, Where’s your Asia? Symposium, University of Western Australia, November.

Cairns, R. (2018). Beyond borders: methodological nationalism, mobilities and history curriculum. Re-positioning Asia literacy: Beyond Binaries and Boundaries, Deakin, Melbourne, May.

Cairns, R. (2016). The Shrinking VCE History Curriculum and a History of the Curricular Present. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference, Melbourne, November.

Cairns, R. (2016). Analysing the discursive construction of Asia in senior secondary History curriculum in Australia. Asia Pacific Education Research Association (APERA) Conference, Kaohsuing Taiwan, November.

Cairns, R. (2016). Asia as Method: a tool for curriculum analysis. Paper presented at Education Hong Kong University and Hong Kong University, Hong Kong, November.

Cairns, R. (2022). The national history curriculum should not be used and abused as an election issue. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-national-history-curriculum-should-not-be-used-and-abused-as-an-election-issue-176783

Cairns, R. (2018). ‘Western civilisation’? History teaching has moved on, and so should those who champion it. The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/western-civilisation-history-teaching-has-moved-on-and-so-should-those-who-champion-it-97697

Cairns, R. (June 7, 2018). The Politics of History Education. Breakfast. ABC Radio Perth.

Cairns, R. (July 15, 2018). Whose Civilisation? Morning Juice. Radio Adelaide.

Transforming Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy Research Program

Contemporary Histories Research Group https://chrg.deakin.edu.au/

Australia-China Relations and Higher Education Research Network https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/australia-china-relations-and-higher-education/

Philip Brown History Award 2016

Arts and Education Teaching Excellence Award (Middle Years Teaching Strategies Team) 2018