Rate My Professor Christa van Aswegen

Dr. Christa van Aswegen, also known as Ellie Christoffina van Aswegen, serves as a Lecturer Level B (Teaching Focused) in the School of Education and Professional Studies within Griffith University's Faculty of Arts, Education and Law. With a robust background in psychology, she worked for ten years as an Educational Psychologist in schools and private practice in South Africa. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from Griffith University, a Master's degree from the University of Pretoria, and a Montessori teaching diploma. Her PhD research centered on developing the Curiosity Learning program, referred to as the Brain Filing Enrichment Program, aimed at sparking and sustaining curiosity in five-year-old children through targeted enrichment activities.

Van Aswegen's academic interests encompass educational psychology, early childhood education, gifted education, and the dynamics of interest development in young learners. She was a finalist in Griffith University's 2019 Three Minute Thesis competition, winning the Arts, Education and Law Group award for her presentation on creating positive learning cycles via curiosity. Key publications include 'The impact of interest: an emergent model of interest development in the early years' (2023, Early Child Development and Care, co-authored with Donna Pendergast, cited 20 times) and 'Evaluating an enrichment program in early childhood: A multi-methods approach' (2015, International Research in Early Childhood Education, co-authored with Donna Pendergast). As lead researcher, she examined interest evolution in 57 children aged four to five across 15 two-week enrichment topics over three years, highlighting the transition from curiosity sparked by social interactions to sustained intrinsic motivation through knowledge acquisition and emotional engagement. Her contributions earned her Highly Commended recognition in the 2025 Vice Chancellor's Excellence Awards for Most Outstanding Contribution to Overall Internationalisation and special mentions in the 2024 SET/SEC Commendations for Outstanding Achievements. She convenes courses such as digital and design technologies for primary teachers and contributes to leadership and wellbeing education.