Dr Rebecca Saunders

Dr Rebecca Saunders

BA (Hons), Dip Ed, MA, PhD
Assistant Professor & Lecturer in Education

• Phone: + 353 504 20530
• Email: Rebecca.Saunders@mic.ul.ie
• Location: Room 213a | St Patrick's Campus | Thurles

View my Research Profile

More information

Research Interests and Supervision

1. Instructional Intelligence and Instructional Leadership
2. Systemic educational change
3. Teacher professional learning and change
4. Emotions and change
5. Further education and training (FET) & tertiary teaching

Research Profile Links:  Scholar Profile  |  ORCiD  |  Scopus

Research Supervision

I welcome all queries regarding research supervision in my areas of interest and experience. I currently supervise students undertaking Masters and Doctoral research degrees in the following areas: 

1. Stephen Mulholland (EdD). Mindfulness in Vocational Education and Training: A Phenomenological Inquiry.
2. Kerrie Goodsell (EdD). From High School to Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS): A Narrative Inquiry of Developing Nurse Identity.
3. Adam Green (EdD). An Examination of Teacher Aide Training and Qualifications in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) System.
4. Craig Butler (PhD). An Exploration of Tertiary Teacher Identity: Professional Development Provision and Vocational Education and Training.
5. Fiona Currey (EdD). Managing Educational Change and Student Agency in the International Baccalaureate Curriculum.
6. Joan Russell (PhD). What are The Conditions Conducive To The Effective Professional Learning Of Post-Primary Teachers In Ireland?
7. Louise Platt (PhD). The Impact And Potential Of Middle Leadership in Irish Post-Primary Schools From a Networked Perspective.
8. Laura Capon (PhD). Leading Literacy from the Middle: Developing Leadership Capacity and Collaborative Practice For Effective Literacy School Improvement.
9. Oisín Tracey (MEd Res). The use of Video Recordings for Formative Assessment of Procedural Skills in Veterinary Medical Education.

Doctoral students successfully completed:

1. Damon Sokolowski. Parent School Choice and Experiences of K-12 Online Distance Education in Australia. (2024)
2. Tartila Tartila. Exploring Indonesian English Language Teachers’ Perspectives of Continual Curriculum Change in Islamic Senior High Schools. (2023)
3. Shahid Anwar. Essential Skills for the 21st-Century Engineer. (2023)
4. Alison Hilton. “The Heart, The Wallet and the Cookie Cutter” Student and stakeholder experiences of undertaking LANTITE, the high-stakes test in Australian initial teacher education. (2022)
5. Sharonne Telfer. Changing Classroom Behaviour: A Mixed Method Study of a System to Support Teachers’ Implementation of Evidence Based Positive Classroom Behaviour Support Practices. (2020)
6. Andrea Dodo-Balu. The Challenges of Teaching and Learning on the Edge of Academe: A Qualitative Case Study of Student and Tutor Participants in a First Year Online Unit. (2019)

Masters students successfully completed:

1. Caroline Montgomery.  Final Year Veterinary Students’ Perceptions and Experiences of Using Group-Based Formative Video Assessment For Anaesthesia Clinical Skill Acquisition. (2024)
2. Katharine Curtis. Restorative Mentoring: Newly Qualified Teachers’ (NQT) Perceptions and Experiences of the Use of Restorative Practice in Professional Conversations Between the Teacher Mentor and NQT and its Effect on Perceptions of Wellbeing. (2024)
3. Martina Grimes. Exploring Teacher Agency in Supporting Minimally Speaking Autistic Children in Mainstream Primary Schools in Ireland. (2024)

Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals & Book Chapters

Sokolowski, D. A., Perry, L. B., Saunders, R., & Barbour, M. K. (2025). Parent choice in K–12 online schooling: Australian and U.S. perspectives. Journal of School Choice, 1–27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15582159.2025.2464502

Saunders, R. (2024). Peer instructional coaching and conferencing - teachers supporting teachers: A powerful, strength-based model for teacher professional learning. In B. Mooney (Ed.) Ireland’s Education Yearbook 2024. Education Matters: Ireland. https://irelandseducationyearbook.ie/irelands-education-yearbook-2024/

Hilton, A. L., & Saunders, R. (2023). LANTITE’s impact on teacher diversity: Unintended consequences of testing pre-service teachers. The Australian Educational Researcher, 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-023-00628-6

Hilton, A. L., Saunders, R., & Mansfield, C. (2020). " In LANTITE, no one can hear you scream!" student voices of high-stakes testing in teacher education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education (Online), 45(12), 57-72. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.202v45n12.4

Saunders, R. (2014). Effectiveness of research-based teacher professional development: A mixed method study of a four-year systemic change initiative. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n4.10

Saunders, R. (2013). The role of teacher emotions in change: Experiences, patterns and implications for professional development.  Journal of Educational Change, 14 (3), 303-333. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10833-012-9195-0

Saunders, R. (2012). Assessment of professional development for teachers in the vocational education and training sector: An examination of the Concerns Based Adoption Model. Australian Journal of Education, 56 (2), 182–204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000494411205600206

Papers/Presentations at Professional Meetings and Conferences

Ó Murchú, F. & Saunders, R. (2024).  Efforts at Systemic Implementation of a Public Education Program: Lessons from Ireland and Australia 2005-2023. Paper presented at the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI) Conference, 8-12 January, Dublin, Ireland. 

Saunders, R, (2023). Peer Instructional Conferencing and Coaching: What is it, how can we use it and why would we use it? Sharing examples from practice. Presented at the Instructional Leadership Programme International Conference: Developing a Sustainable Professional Learning Culture in your School, 24-25 February, Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland.

Saunders, R., Boyne, E. & Lenyk, L. (2019). A still mind in a climate of change: Understanding participants’ journeys of meditative change – implications for course design. Paper presented at the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research (WAIER) Conference, 3 August, Perth, Western Australia.

Saunders, R. (2018).  Understanding and leading instructional change in a school setting. Keynote speech presented at the Instructional Leadership Programme International Conference: Supporting Policy and Practice,  11-12 October, Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland.

Saunders, R., Ó Murchú, F., Russell, J. & Bennett, B. (2018). Efforts at systemic implementation of a public education programme: Lessons from Ireland and Australia. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference,  13-17 April, New York, U.S.A.

Saunders, R. (2017). Instructional leadership and change: An investigation into the emotional experiences of teachers as agents of change. Paper presented at the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research (WAIER) Conference, 5 August, Perth, Western Australia.

Saunders, R. (2017). Using Instructional Leadership in the Adult Learner Classroom. Session presented at the Instructional Leadership International Conference, 13 & 14 October, Tullow, County Carlow, Ireland.

Saunders, R. (2013). Instructional Intelligence, Professional Development and VET Teachers: A Mixed‑Methods Study of Educational Change. Paper presented at Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA) 16th Annual Conference, 3-5 April, Fremantle, Western Australia.

Saunders, R. (2012). The Effectiveness of a Four Year Systemic Change Professional Development Initiative: A Mixed Method Investigation. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, 13-17 April, Vancouver, Canada.

Saunders, R. (2009). Changing From the Inside Out: Inquiry into the Emotional Circles of Knowledge on an Educational Change Journey. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, April 13-17, San Diego, U.S.A.

Saunders, R. (2009). Examining the impact of a systemic change professional development initiative for vocational education and training (VET) trainers in Western Australia. Paper presented at Interdisciplinary Congress on Research in Vocational Education and Training, 25-27 March, Berne/Zollikofen, Switzerland.

Saunders, R. (2008). The Challenge of Change – examining the impact of a professional development initiative for TAFEWA lecturers. Paper presented at the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research (WAIER) Conference, 7 August, Perth, Western Australia.

Buckley, C. & Saunders, R. (2006). Changing world, changing mindsets, changing VET practice: Implications for VET policy and VET practitioners. Paper presented at Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA) Conference, July 5-8, Fremantle, Western Australia.