Theresa Dicke

Professor Theresa Dicke is a faculty member at the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education at Australian Catholic University. She conducts research focused on occupational well-being, particularly examining the relationship between resources and self-beliefs within stress development and health maintenance processes in educational contexts.

Her primary research interests include:

• Occupational well-being and stress development processes
• Self-concepts and their role in health maintenance
• Professional knowledge development
• Student attrition and self-regulated learning
• Cognitive load theory

Professor Dicke leads a landmark longitudinal study tracking the wellbeing of Australian school principals since 2011, representing the most comprehensive and longest-running survey of its kind globally. Her research has documented alarming trends including unsustainable workloads (averaging 54.5 hours/week), increasing violence and abuse (55% reporting threats), and concerning mental health statistics (14.8% reporting severe anxiety). Her 2024 findings revealed over half of Australian school leaders seriously consider leaving their positions.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through funding from the Australian Research Council and various educational organizations. Her work has directly influenced wellbeing initiatives in multiple Australian states including Victoria's $4 million investment and the Northern Territory's evidence-based framework implementation.

Professor Dicke collaborates with education departments nationwide to develop practical interventions for school leaders. She advocates for reflective supervision models, co-principal arrangements, and job-sharing models to address the sustainability crisis in educational leadership. Her research has critical implications for educational quality and student outcomes across Australia.