Doctor Nathan Berger
Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
Dean's Unit - School of Education
Biography
I am currently Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education at Western Sydney University. I have degrees in information technology, secondary social sciences, and quantitative educational research. My PhD in the social psychology of education was awarded by the University of Newcastle, Australia. My research training has developed skills in both quantitative and qualitative methods, including survey and focus group methodologies, and sophisticated techniques for longitudinal data analysis.
I have presented my research at national conferences across Australia and at international conferences in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. As an Early Career Researcher, I have worked with colleagues to establish a publication record in high-quality (Q1) journals and to secure $1.1 million in research funding. A significant proportion of this funding has enabled collaboration with industry partners across the education and government sectors, with a focus on program evaluation and teacher professional development.
I have almost a decade of experience as an initial teacher educator, delivering highly-rated learning experiences at two universities in foundation studies in education, educational psychology, the sociology of education, educational research methods, and various aspects of STEM education. Since joining WSU, I have been the foundation lecturer or co-lecturer of several new units in the Graduate Certificate in Secondary STEM Education, Master of Education (STEM), and Master of Teaching (Secondary) STEM programs
This information has been contributed by Doctor Berger.
Qualifications
- Phd University of Newcastle (NSW)
- MEd Stud University of Newcastle (NSW)
- MTeach Dist University of Newcastle (NSW)
- BIT University of Newcastle (NSW)
Professional Memberships
- Australian College of Educators (2012 - 2015)
- British Educational Research Association (2015 - 2016)
- Australian Association for Research in Education (2013 - 2018)
Awards
- Australian Postgraduate Award 2013-07-01
Interests
- Educational Psychology
- Educational research
- STEM Education
- Secondary Education
Organisational Unit (School / Division)
- Dean's Unit - School of Education
Committees
- Academic Senate Research Studies Committee (2019)
- Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Self-Assessment Team (2018-2020)
Contact
| Email: | N.Berger@westernsydney.edu.au |
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| Phone: | |
| Mobile: | |
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Teaching
Current Teaching Areas
- 102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum
- 102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership
- 102763 Applied Robotics and Programming in Secondary STEM Education
- 102824 Research Methods in Education
Previous Teaching Areas
- 102086 Designing Teaching and Learning, 2016
- 102086 Designing Teaching and Learning, 2017
- 102086 Designing Teaching and Learning, 2018
- 102086 Designing Teaching and Learning, 2019
- 102089 Secondary Curriculum 1C, 2020
- 102092 Secondary Curriculum 2C, 2020
- 102508 STEM foundations, 2018
- 102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum, 2017
- 102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum, 2018
- 102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum, 2019
- 102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum, 2020
- 102511 STEM Pedagogies in Practice, 2019
- 102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership, 2019
- 102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership, 2020
- 102763 Applied Robotics and Programming in Secondary STEM Education, 2020
Publications
Chapters in Books
- Berger, N. and Archer, J. (2020), 'Understanding the psycho-social dimensions of schools and classrooms', Oxford Bibliographies, Oxford University Press .
- Berger, N. and Archer, J. (2015), 'The relationship between social class and students' academic achievement goals : three hypotheses', Routledge International Handbook of Social Psychology of the Classroom, Routledge 9780415856966.
Journal Articles
- Berger, N., Holmes, K., Gore, J. and Archer, J. (2020), 'Charting career aspirations : a latent class mixture model of aspiration trajectories in childhood and adolescence', The Australian Educational Researcher, vol 47 , pp 651 - 678.
- Berger, N., Mackenzie, E. and Holmes, K. (2020), 'Positive attitudes towards mathematics and science are mutually beneficial for student achievement : a latent profile analysis of TIMSS 2015', The Australian Educational Researcher, vol 47 , pp 409 - 444.
- Mackenzie, E., Berger, N., Holmes, K. and Walker, M. (2020), '[In Press] Online educational research with middle adolescent populations : ethical considerations and recommendations', Research Ethics, .
- Berger, N., Hanham, J., Stevens, C. and Holmes, K. (2019), 'Immediate feedback improves career decision self-efficacy and aspirational alignment', Frontiers in Psychology, vol 10 .
- Tan, L., Berger, N., Jones, K., Southall, M. and Mason, K. (2019), 'Top five steps in championing STEM innovations', Science Education News, vol 68, no 1 , pp 32 - 36.
- Berger, N. and Archer, J. (2018), 'Qualitative insights into the relationship between socioeconomic status and students' academic achievement goals', Social Psychology of Education, vol 21, no 4 , pp 787 - 803.
- Berger, N. and Archer, J. (2016), 'School socio-economic status and student socio-academic achievement goals in upper secondary contexts', Social Psychology of Education, vol 19, no 1 , pp 175 - 194.
- Berger, N. (2016), 'Thesis abstract : A social psychological examination of factors shaping career and education aspirations through childhood and adolescence', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol 149, no 1 & 2 , pp 84 - 84.
Conference Papers
- Holmes, K., Prieto-Rodriguez, E., Hickmott, D. and Berger, N. (2018), 'Using coding to teach mathematics : results of a pilot project', International STEM in Education Conference, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Qld..
- Gore, J., Holmes, K., Smith, M., Ellis, H., Albright, J., Southgate, E. and Berger, N. (2014), 'On the relationship between socio-economic status and educational and career aspirations in the middle years of schooling', American Educational Research Association. Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pa..
Other Publications
- 2020, 'Teaching Resource on Flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley: Assessing the Impact on Student Learning', Report
- 2019, 'Fast Tracking the Future Education Program: Sydney Metro Professional Development Project Evaluation', Report
Current Projects
| Title: | Learn+ Evaluation |
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| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Kathryn Holmes and Nathan Berger |
| Years: | 2020-11-02 - 2021-07-30 |
| ID: | P00026852 |
| Title: | Parramatta Light Rail Teacher Professional Development Project |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Catherine Attard, Nathan Berger and Erin Mackenzie |
| Years: | 2018-10-15 - 2021-06-30 |
| ID: | P00025472 |
| Title: | Inquiry based learning professional development: Using Australia's largest infrastructure project to engage students |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Catherine Attard and Nathan Berger |
| Years: | 2020-06-29 - 2022-07-01 |
| ID: | P00026627 |
Previous Projects
| Title: | Introduction to Teaching for Tutors Online Professional Development |
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| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Kathryn Holmes and Nathan Berger |
| Years: | 2017-09-18 - 2018-07-27 |
| ID: | P00024563 |
| Title: | Evaluation of the CEDP Numeracy and Mathematics Strategy |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Kathryn Holmes and Nathan Berger |
| Years: | 2016-05-04 - 2016-08-31 |
| ID: | P00023458 |
Supervision
Current Supervision
| Thesis Title: | Evaluation of the Effectiveness of STELR and iSTELR in Enhancing Students' and Teachers' Perceptions About Science Teaching and Learning |
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| Field of Research: | |
| Thesis Title: | The Decline of Coding Subjects and the New Alienation: Investigating the Role of Software Studies in the Era of Cloud, Mobile and Social Technologies |
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| Thesis Title: | The relationship between teaching practices and Australian Students' science achievement: Analysis of TIMSS 2019 |
| Field of Research: |
Previous Supervision
| Thesis Title: | Making Hanzi Learnable for Nonbackground Beginning Learners: An Action Research Study in a Primary School in Australia. |
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| Field of Research: | Education |
| Thesis Title: | The Use of Mobile Devices for Self-Directed Learning Outside the Classroom Among EFL University Students in Saudi Arabia |
| Field of Research: | English As A Second Language Teaching; Education; Other Education; English Language |
