History

In 1970 Peter Fensham (Monash University), the first Professor of Science Education in Australasia, initiated the first conference of what was then the Australian Science Education Research Association. The list of researchers, their institutional affiliations and research interests, who attended this conference can be located by clicking on this link (asera1970). That beginning for ASERA (now the Australasian Science Education Research Association) makes it the second oldest science education research body in the world, after the National Association for Research in Science Teaching in USA. This was also several months before the first conference of the then newly formed Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE). It is thus likely that ASERA was the first professional body in educational research in Australia.

The New Zealand dimension of ASERA began with the attendance of the late Roger Osborne at the 1977 conference, but was not formalized in the name change to “Australasian” until 1990, 7 years after ASERA first met in New Zealand.

The general belief at the first conference was that every second meeting would need to be organized by Monash, a reflection of the fact that in 1970 Monash was the only substantial centre for science education research in Australia. The notion that Monash would be responsible for every second ASERA was part of the ‘gentle coercing’ that had the Macquarie organizers agree to host the second conference, and is why the third conference was held at a very different form of venue - a secondary science curriculum project headquarters in Melbourne. Such was the very rapid growth of Australian science education research and a strong association that this perspective only lasted until ASERA 5.

 

Venue

Conference Convener(s)

ASERA 1 1970 Melbourne

Peter Fensham, Lindsay Mackay & Dick White (Monash University)

ASERA 2 1971 Sydney

David Cohen & Neil Baumgart (Macquarie University)

ASERA 3 1972 Melbourne

Probably Les Dale (ASEP) & Peter Fensham (Monash) (Australian Science Education Project headquarters, Toorak, Melb) It has not been possible to establish with certainty who organized the conference.

ASERA 4 1973 Brisbane

Colin Power & Dick Tisher (University of Queensland)

ASERA 5 1974 Melbourne

Russell Linke & Leo West (Monash University)

ASERA 6 1975 Adelaide

Arthur Lucas (Flinders University)

ASERA 7 1976 Newcastle

Max Maddock (University of Newcastle)

ASERA 8 1977 Wagga Wagga

Tony Blake (Riverina CAE) (now a campus of Charles Sturt University)

ASERA 9 1978 Brisbane

Cam McRobbie (Mt Gravatt CAE) (now a campus of Griffith University)

ASERA 10 1979 Perth

Dennis Goodrum (Churchlands CAE) (now a campus of Edith Cowan University)

ASERA 11 1980 Melbourne

David Symington (State College of Vic, Toorak) (now a campus of Deakin University)

ASERA 12 1981 Hobart

Paddy Lynch & Andrew Davies (University of Tasmania)

ASERA 13 1982 Sydney

Bill Butts (Macquarie University)

ASERA 14 1983 Hamilton (NZ)

Roger Osborne (University of Waikato)

ASERA 15 1984 Melbourne

Dick Gunstone & Jeff Northfield (Monash University)

ASERA 16 1985 Rockhampton

Ken Appleton (Capricornia Institute of Advanced Ed) (now a campus of UCQ)

ASERA 17 1986 Adelaide

Chris Dawson, Mike Sullivan and Effie Best (University of Adelaide)

ASERA 18 1987 Wagga Wagga

Doug Hill (Riverina CAE) (now a campus of Charles Sturt University)

ASERA 19 1988 Sydney

Colin Gauld & Barry Newman (University of New South Wales)

ASERA 20 1989 Melbourne

Dick Trembath (Chisholm Inst Technology, Frankston campus) (now a campus of Monash University)

ASERA 21 1990 Perth

David Treagust (Curtin University of Technology)

ASERA 22 1991 Surfers Paradise

Cam McRobbie (Queensland University of Technology)

ASERA 23 1992 Hamilton (NZ)

Malcolm Carr (University of Waikato)

ASERA 24 1993 Lismore

Keith Skamp (University New England, Northern Rivers campus) (now Southern Cross University)

ASERA 25 1994 Hobart

Brian Jones & Max Walsh (University of Tas)

ASERA 26 1995 Bendigo

Peter Searle & Brian Hand (LaTrobe University, Bendigo campus)

ASERA 27 1996 Canberra

Tim Hardy & Marilyn Fleer (University of Canberra)

ASERA 28 1997 Adelaide

Yvonne Zeegars & Paul Strube (University of SA)

ASERA 29 1998 Darwin

Bill Palmer (Northern Territory University) (now Charles Darwin University)

ASERA 30 1999 Rotorua (NZ)

Bev France & Mavis Haigh (Auckland College of Education, now Auckland University)

ASERA 31 2000 Fremantle

Léonie Rennie (Curtin University of Technology)

ASERA 32 2001 Sydney

Peter Aubusson (University of Western Sydney)

ASERA 33 2002 Townsville

Steve Ritchie (James Cook University)

ASERA 34 2003 Melbourne

Rod Fawns & Christine Redman (University of Melb)

ASERA 35 2004 Armidale

Debra Panizzon (University of New England)

ASERA 36 2005 Hamilton (NZ)

Judy Moreland (University of Waikato)

ASERA 37 2006 Canberra

Jim Woolnough & Leah Moore (University of Canberra)

ASERA 38 2007 Fremantle

Grady Venville (University of Western Australia), Vaille Dawson & Rachel Sheffield (Edith Cowan University)

ASERA 39 2008 Brisbane

Gillian Kidman, Donna King, Steve Ritchie (Queensland University of Technology)

 ASERA 40 2009 Geelong

 Coral Campbell (Deakin University)


 

 
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