Carmen Mills

Associate Professor Carmen Mills serves as the Director of Teaching and Learning and Associate Professor in the School of Education at The University of Queensland. With a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University, she has established an international reputation for her significant research contributions in social justice in education, schooling in disadvantaged communities, and teacher education for the development of socially just dispositions. Her work is deeply informed by the sociology of education and Bourdieuian theoretical concepts.

Dr. Mills' research interests center on social justice in education, with particular focus on schooling in disadvantaged communities and teacher education. As a socially critical researcher, she explores questions related to whose interests are served by social arrangements in educational contexts and how these arrangements might be structured more equitably. Her methodological expertise includes interviewing and observation, with a specific interest in equity and social justice. She frequently collaborates with researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, bringing her theoretical understanding of Bourdieu to interdisciplinary research teams.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on social justice dispositions in educational settings, the application of Bourdieuian theory to understand educational inequalities, and the development of pedagogical approaches that promote equity. Her work spans multiple educational contexts, from pre-service teacher education to classroom practices in both advantaged and disadvantaged schools. The recurring theme across her scholarship is the examination of how social structures influence educational opportunities and outcomes, particularly for marginalized students.

Dr. Mills actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with current and completed projects focusing on topics such as extended school non-attendance, Bourdieuian analyses of educational practices, curriculum policy enactment, and narratives from non-traditional students in higher education. She has been involved in several significant research grants, including the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment Research project (2019-2027), Success from the perspective of the successful: Low SES students, success and completion in higher education (2019-2022), and Social justice dispositions informing teachers' pedagogy in advantaged and disadvantaged secondary schools (2013-2015). Her research has substantial policy implications, particularly regarding educational equity and teacher preparation for diverse classrooms.