Doctor Nathan Berger

Senior Lecturer,
Secondary Education

Biography
Contact
Publications
Projects
Supervision
Teaching
Media

Biography

I am Senior Lecturer in Secondary Education at Western Sydney University. I previously served as Postdoctoral Research Fellow in STEM Education. I have degrees in information technology, secondary teaching in the social sciences, and quantitative educational research. My PhD examined young people's career and education aspirations and was awarded by the University of Newcastle, Australia. My research training has developed skills in both quantitative and qualitative social research methods, including survey and focus group methodologies, and sophisticated techniques for analysis of large datasets.

I have presented my research at national conferences across Australia and at international conferences in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. I have worked with colleagues to establish a publication record in high-quality journals and to secure $2.5 million in research funding. A significant proportion of this funding has enabled close collaboration with industry partners across the education and government sectors, with a focus on program evaluation and teacher professional development. I have also served on accreditation and employment panels for the NSW Education Standards Authority and NSW Department of Education respectively.

I have a decade of experience as an initial teacher educator, delivering highly-rated learning experiences in foundation studies in teaching, educational psychology, the sociology of education, educational research methods, and various aspects of STEM education. My current teaching responsibilities include a broad range of subjects in the Graduate Certificate in Secondary STEM Education, Master of Education, and Master of Teaching (Secondary) degrees. I supervise candidates undertaking studies towards the Master of Research, Master of Philosophy, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. I welcome supervision inquiries from suitably qualified candidates whose proposed projects align with my research interests. I am also available to examine theses submitted by candidates at other universities.

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 Association for Research in Education (AARE) (2013)
Australian College of Educators (2012 - 2015)
British Educational Research Association (2015 - 2016)

Interests

Educational Psychology
STEM Education
Secondary Education

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

Secondary Education

Committees

School Research Committee
Postgraduate Specialist Studies Committee
Secondary Program Committee
Academic Senate Research Studies Committee (2019)
Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Self-Assessment Team (2018-2020)

Contact

Email:	N.Berger@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone:
Mobile:
Location:

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Teaching

Current Teaching Areas

102636 Educational Psychology
CEDS7003 Research Methods in Education
TEAC7027 Designing Teaching and Learning
TEAC7082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments
TEAC7116 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership
TEAC7152 Applied Robotics and Programming in Secondary STEM Education

Previous Teaching Areas

102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments, 2021
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
102509 Computational Thinking across the STEM Curriculum, 2021
102511 STEM Pedagogies in Practice, 2019
102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership, 2019
102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership, 2020
102512 Researching STEM Education for Future Leadership, 2021
102763 Applied Robotics and Programming in Secondary STEM Education, 2020
102763 Applied Robotics and Programming in Secondary STEM Education, 2021
102824 Research Methods in Education, 2021

Publications

Chapters in Books

Archer, J. and Berger, N. (2021), 'The distinctions separating the social classes : an examination of noncognitive variables in educational contexts', SELF: A Multidisciplinary Concept, Information Age Publishing 9781648022630.
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

Holmes, K., Berger, N., Mackenzie, E., Attard, C., Johnson, P., Fitzmaurice, O., O'Meara, N. and Ryan, V. (2022), 'Editorial : the impact of place-based contextualised curriculum on student engagement and motivation in STEM education', Frontiers in Education, vol 6 .
Mackenzie, E., Berger, N., Holmes, K. and Walker, M. (2021), 'Online educational research with middle adolescent populations : ethical considerations and recommendations', Research Ethics, vol 17, no 2 , pp 217 - 227.
Mackenzie, E., Berger, N. and Holmes, K. (2021), 'Predicting adolescent girls' intentions to study science in senior high school', Issues in Educational Research, vol 31, no 2 , pp 574 - 585.
Holmes, K., Mackenzie, E., Berger, N. and Walker, M. (2021), 'Linking K-12 STEM pedagogy to local contexts : a scoping review of benefits and limitations', Frontiers in Education, vol 6 .
Attard, C., Berger, N. and Mackenzie, E. (2021), 'The positive influence of inquiry-based learning teacher professional learning and industry partnerships on student engagement with STEM', Frontiers in Education, vol 6 .
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.
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

The Inquiry-Based Learning Professional Development Program, funded by Sydney Metro, has received a Commendation for Cutting Edge Research and Teaching in the NSW Awards for Planning Excellence 2020!