Ellen Larsen

Dr Ellen Larsen is a Senior Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), School of Education. Her work focuses on mentoring, teacher professional development, and early career educator challenges. She holds qualifications including a PhD from Griffith University and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research addresses education policy, teacher identity, and systemic barriers in mentoring.

Education:

• Diploma in Teaching (BrisbaneCAE)
• Bachelor of Education (Griffith University)
• Master of Education (University of Tasmania)
• PhD (Griffith University)

Key Research Interests: Professional learning, mentoring efficacy, early career teacher retention, education policy analysis, and the intersection of professional identity with systemic accountability.

Recent Research Trends: Her 2023-2025 articles emphasize collaborative mentoring frameworks, teacher wellbeing in high-accountability environments, and systemic barriers faced by parents of dyslexic children. She explores innovative mentoring models and the disconnect between academic research and teacher practice.

Awards & Recognition:

• Nominated for 2020 Ray Debus Award for Doctoral Research in Education
• 2020 ATEA Early Career Researcher Grant

Leadership & Advocacy: Served on AARE and ATEA executives as ECR representative (2020-2023), convenor of Teachers' Work and Lives SIG (2022-present), and founder of TEECRAA advocacy group at USQ (2020-2023). Active in policy advocacy for ECRs and teacher wellbeing initiatives.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with schools to design future-focused mentoring programs through partnerships emphasizing practical professional development.