Dr Subhashni Appanna

Lecturer in Education (Science)

Dr Subhashni Appanna has an ongoing academic position in the Faculty of Creative Industries, Education, and Social Justice (CIESJ) and School of Teacher Education and Leadership (STEL). Her passion lies in exploring the problem of student dissatisfaction in school science and the complexities of science teaching and learning through the analysis of classroom interactions. Subhashni is a recipient of the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and aims to address the limitations of current knowledge in science education by identifying student emotions associated with science inquiry activities and using the identified emotions to inform teaching practices. The findings of her study provide evidence that teaching practices responsive to students’ negative emotional experiences correspond with addressing student needs and positive changes in student emotions. Subhashni’s research interest is inspired by two decades of teaching and experience she brings from high school and tertiary settings and her role as a research assistant in emotion research at the Queensland University of Technology. She has a sound understanding of the current issues in teaching science in schools and universities. Her in-depth understanding has been gained from undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in science, working for several years as research support to science and science education research projects, and her doctoral study, which has explored issues in teaching science in schools. During her doctoral studies, she also taught science curriculum studies for secondary preservice teachers. She is a member of the STEM Education Research Group (2018-present) based within the CIESJ Faculty. Before working at QUT, she taught junior science, mathematics, and senior biology in an Education Queensland school for five years. Subhashni is also a reviewer for academic journals (Research in Science Education and Cultural Studies of Science Education). She has also consistently published throughout her devotion to teaching and learning in science, science education, and science research. The support of her family, students, past students, colleagues, and mentors inspires her to unravel the challenges of emotion research and practice in science education.

Projects