Rate My Professor Frances Quinn

Dr. Frances Quinn is a Senior Lecturer in Science Education in the School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education, at the University of New England. Her academic background includes a PhD from the University of New England (2007), BSc (Hons), and Graduate Diploma in Education. Quinn's career spans biological science research at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), science teaching at the secondary school level, and tertiary-level teaching in Biology, Botany, and Ecology. She teaches primary and secondary pre-service teachers in areas such as science and sustainability, primary and secondary science education, and biology. As a member of the STEM Education research group at UNE, her work focuses on teacher professional learning, particularly through online modalities, and addresses challenges faced by rural educators.

Quinn's research specializations include science education with an emphasis on biology, distance and blended science learning and teaching, students' perceptions of learning science, and Education for Sustainability. She has an extensive publication record, including co-editing and contributing to influential books such as Educating for Sustainability in Primary Schools: Teaching for the Future (Sense Publishers, 2015) with Neil Taylor and Clive Eames, and Health Education in Context: An International Perspective on Health Education in Schools and Local Communities (Sense Publishers, 2012) with Neil Taylor, Michael Littledyke, and Richard Coll. Key chapters feature in The SAGE Handbook of Learning and Work (Sage, 2022) on learning, work, and education for sustainability, and Complexity and Simplicity in Science Education (Springer, 2021) on metaphors of out-of-field teaching complexity. Prominent peer-reviewed articles encompass 'Out-of-field teachers as learners: Influences on teacher perceived capacity and enjoyment over time' (European Journal of Teacher Education, 2021), 'The Keys to STEM: Australian Year 7 Students’ Attitudes and Intentions Towards Science, Mathematics and Technology Courses' (Research in Science Education, 2020), 'The potential of online technologies in meeting PLD needs of rural teachers' (Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 2022), '‘It makes me a better teacher’: the benefits of outdoor learning for teachers' (Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 2025), and 'Outdoor learning across the early years in Australia: Inconsistencies, challenges, and recommendations' (The Australian Educational Researcher, 2024). Her contributions advance pedagogical practices in science education, sustainability integration, and support for out-of-field teachers.