Ms Lorraine Overton

I am a PhD candidate in the School of Education based at Magill campus and I hold an APA and Full Spectrum Scholarship. I am also undertaking the Graduate Certificate in University Teaching. My research involves the investigation of the socio-emotional wellbeing of students during the transition from primary to secondary school. I am particularly interested in the student perspectives on their social and emotional wellbeing during this critical time in their lives.

My previous research includes Honours where I immersed myself in a year 5 democratic public school classroom. My honours thesis was entitled “The Nature of non-compliance in a democratic classroom: Student perspectives” and explored the students’ and the teacher’s perspectives on student compliance. The teacher in the study had a specific democratic classroom management style that appeared to influence the students’ behaviour significantly.

Since completing my Bachelor of Education I have taught in schools as a relief teacher. My experiences have been quite varied from teaching as a generalist classroom teacher from reception up to year 7, teaching in an all-boy year 5 experimental class in a public school, working with students with Asperger’s Syndrome, to working as a specialist teacher in Drama and PE classes.

I have just completed collecting data for my PhD research by interacting with students during their transition from primary school to secondary school using online blogs as a data collection tool. Additionally, I am undertaking a 6 month contract as an Academic Development Officer in the Learning and Teaching Unit based at Mawson Lakes.

Mind Matters: Leading Mental Health and Wellbeing

Kids Matter: Australian Primary Schools' Mental Health Initiative

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning

DECS publications: Towards a Learner Wellbeing Framework for birth to year 12

Learner Wellbeing in DECS

Centre for Health Promotion: Celebrating whole school approaches to wellbeing

Member, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)

Member, Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies

PhD Candidate, University of South Australia

Bachelor of Education (Junior Primary/Primary) with First Class Honours, University of South Australia

• Social and Emotional Wellbeing
• Primary to Secondary School Transitions
• Student Perspectives
• Using Online Blogs for Data Collection
• Classroom Management

Overton, L., Sullivan, A. M., & Oswald, M. (2009). The prevalence of non-compliance in a democratic classroom. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Overton, L. & Sullivan, A.M. (2008). Non-Compliance in a Democratic Classroom: Is it Prevalent?, AARE Conference Changing Climates: Education for Sustainable Futures, Brisbane

Overton, L. Y. (2007). The Nature of Non-Compliance in a Democratic Primary Classroom: Student Perspectives. Unpublished Honours thesis. University of South Australia.