Associate Professor Marnee Shay is a Principal Research Fellow in the School of Education at the University of Queensland. She is an Aboriginal woman with maternal connections to Wagiman Country (Daly River region, Northern Territory), born in Brisbane, with strong connections to Indigenous communities in South East Queensland.
A/Prof Shay has an extensive externally funded research program that spans the fields of Indigenous education, policy studies, flexi schooling, and youth studies. She has published in many journals, books and scholarly media outlets. A/Prof Shay is the lead editor of a critical text in the field of Indigenous education, “Indigenous education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures”, published by Routledge in 2021 (with Prof Oliver). The book won a national award for ‘The Tertiary/VET Teaching and Learning Resource (wholly Australian) category at the Education Publishing Awards Australia.
A/Prof Shay’s research has substantially impacted policy and practice in her field. She has contributed to numerous policy submissions, non-traditional research outputs (such as podcasts) and school reviews. She serves on multiple Government and school boards and committees, including the Queensland Department of Education Ministerial Advisory Committee for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. Dr Shay’s research contributions to education were recognised in 2020 through a National Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) award, a Queensland branch ACEL Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, and the 2021 UQ Foundation for Research Excellence Award.
A/Prof Shay advocates for strengths approaches in Indigenous education and Indigenous-based evidence to inform policy futures.
A/Prof Shay is a Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence "Indigenous Futures" 2023-2029.
Other current research projects include:
ARC Indigenous Discovery 2021 'Co-designing Indigenous education policy in Queensland'
AIATSIS Indigenous Research Exchange 'Binung Ma Na Du - cultural stories and living histories on Wakka Wakka Country.'
ARC Centre of Excellence 'Digital Child' Associate Investigator and Indigenous Advisor
Edmund Rice Education Australia 'Indigenous education excellence in Flexi Schools'
UQ FREA Award 'Reconceptualising Indigenous education through a discourse of excellence.'
Other Outputs: ‘Co-design’ is the latest buzzword in Indigenous education policy. Does it live up to the hype?
Shay, Marnee and Sarra, Grace. (2023, 09 04). ‘Co-design’ is the latest buzzword in Indigenous education policy. Does it live up to the hype? The Conversation
Journal Article: “From the bottom to the top”: Learning through stories of transitioning from an Aboriginal boarding school to the workplace and life beyond school
Shay, Marnee, Oliver, Rhonda, Bogachenko, Tetiana and McCarthy, Helen (2023). “From the bottom to the top”: Learning through stories of transitioning from an Aboriginal boarding school to the workplace and life beyond school. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 1-17.
Other Outputs: Big Mob STEM It Up Podcast
Shay, M., Perkins, R., Miller, J., Thomson, A., Cole, A., Hameed, S., Harvey Smith, L. and Williams, L. (2023). Big Mob STEM It Up Podcast. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: University of Queensland.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures
(2023–2029) ARC Centres of Excellence
Big Mob, STEM it up! (Women in STEM Ambassador grant administered by UNSW)
(2023) University of New South Wales
(2022–2025) University of Sydney
Charter schools and Treaty partnerships: Ma¿ori perceptions of schooling, public systems and privatisation in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Doctor Philosophy
Keeping Indigenous teachers in the profession: Indigenous Teachers¿ voices on why they stay in the profession
Doctor Philosophy
Changing the Narrative: Leaders that enable Culturally Responsive School Communities
Doctor Philosophy
Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures
Marnee Shay and Rhonda Oliver eds. (2021). Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge.
Miller, Jodie, Armour, Danielle, Shay, Marnee and Sawatzki, Carly (2023). What Next? Building on the Evidence of Teaching and Learning Mathematics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students. Assessing the Evidence in Indigenous Education Research. (pp. 201-227) Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-14306-9_11
Grounded ontologies: indigenous methodologies in qualitative cross-cultural research
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace and Woods, Annette (2022). Grounded ontologies: indigenous methodologies in qualitative cross-cultural research. Handbook of qualitative cross-cultural research methods: a social science perspective. (pp. 26-39) edited by Pranee Liamputtong. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781800376625.00011
‘Deadly leadership’ in the pursuit of Indigenous education excellence.
Hameed, Suraiya, Shay, Marnee and Miller, Jodie (2022). ‘Deadly leadership’ in the pursuit of Indigenous education excellence.. Future alternatives for educational leadership: diversity, inclusion, equity and democracy. (pp. 93-110) edited by Deborah M. Netolicky. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003131496-10
Socially just, authentic research with families in Jamaica, Australia and the UK
Hardacre, Charlotte, Stuart, Kaz, Shay, Marnee and Kinkead-Clark, Zoyah (2021). Socially just, authentic research with families in Jamaica, Australia and the UK. Negotiating Families and Personal Lives in the 21st Century. (pp. 156-172) edited by Sheila Quaid, Catriona Hugman and Angela Wilcock. London, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003039433-13
Excellence in Indigenous education
Shay, Marnee and Miller, Jodie (2021). Excellence in Indigenous education. Building better schools with evidence-based policy: adaptable policy for teachers and school leaders. (pp. 46-54) edited by Kelly-Ann Allen, Andrea Reupert and Lindsay Oades. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781003025955-7
Shay, Marnee and Oliver, Rhonda (2021). Introduction. Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures. (pp. 1-6) edited by Marnee Shay and Rhonda Oliver. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge.
Strong identities, strong futures: Indigenous identities and well-being in schools
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace and Woods, Annette (2021). Strong identities, strong futures: Indigenous identities and well-being in schools. Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures. (pp. 63-75) edited by Marnee Shay and Rhonda Oliver. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge.
Critical selection of curriculum materials: Tools for educators
Madsen, Beth, Perkins, Ren and Shay, Marnee (2021). Critical selection of curriculum materials: Tools for educators. Indigenous Education in Australia Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures. (pp. 133-147) edited by Marnee Shay and Rhonda Oliver. Abingdon, Oxon United Kingdom: Routledge.
Stuart, Kaz and Shay, Marnee (2019). Countering epistemological exclusion through critical ethical research to support social justice: methodological comparisons between Australia and the United Kingdom. Educational Research in the Age of Anthropocene. (pp. 188-210) edited by Vicente Reyes, Jennifer Charteris, Adele Nye and Sophia Marvopoulo. Hershey, PA, United States: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-5225-5317-5.ch009
Indigenous Education, Critical Perspectives to Enhance Learning Practices
Sarra, Grace and Shay, Marnee (2019). Indigenous Education, Critical Perspectives to Enhance Learning Practices. Encyclopedia of Teacher Education. (pp. 1-8) edited by Michael. A. Peters. Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-1179-6_195-1
Leadership in Flexi schools: issues of race and racism in Australia
Shay, Marnee (2018). Leadership in Flexi schools: issues of race and racism in Australia. International perspectives on alternative education. (pp. 131-142) edited by Martin Mills and Gillean McCluskey. London, United Kingdom: Institute of Education Press.
More than cultural celebrations: Indigenous identities in school settings
Shay, Marnee (2018). More than cultural celebrations: Indigenous identities in school settings. Understanding sociological theory for educational research. (pp. 102-120) edited by Tania Ferfolja, Criss Jones Diaz and Jacqueline Ullman. Singapore: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108378482.008
Inclusion in the middle years: supporting ethnic and cultural diversity
Morgan, Ann, Shay, Marnee and Proud, Denise (2017). Inclusion in the middle years: supporting ethnic and cultural diversity. Developing positive classroom environments: strategies for nurturing adolescent learning. (pp. 278-294) edited by Beth Saggers. Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin. doi: 10.4324/9781003115335
Our mob are researchers too! The story of an Aboriginal researcher seeking new paradigms
Shay, Marnee (2017). Our mob are researchers too! The story of an Aboriginal researcher seeking new paradigms. Postgraduate study in Australia: surviving and succeeding. (pp. 127-136) edited by Chris McMaster, Caterina Murphy, Ben Whitburn and Inger Mewburn. New York, NY, United States: Peter Lang Publishing.
Re-imagining Indigenous education through flexi-schooling
Shay, Marnee (2016). Re-imagining Indigenous education through flexi-schooling. Imagination for inclusion: diverse contexts of educational practice. (pp. 116-127) edited by Derek Bland. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781315689913-16
Shay, Marnee (2015). The perceptions that shape us: strengthening Indigenous young people's cultural identity in flexi school settings. Understanding sociological theory for educational practices. (pp. 93-109) edited by Tania Ferfolja, Criss Jones Díaz and Jacqueline Ullman. Port Melbourne, VIC Australia: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9781316151167.007
Shay, Marnee, Oliver, Rhonda, Bogachenko, Tetiana and McCarthy, Helen (2023). “From the bottom to the top”: Learning through stories of transitioning from an Aboriginal boarding school to the workplace and life beyond school. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 1-17.
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace, Proud, Denise, Blow, Iris-Jean and Cobbo, Fred (2023). “Strive with pride”: the voices of Indigenous young people on identity, wellbeing, and schooling in Australia. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/09518398.2023.2233939
Shay, Marnee, Oliver, Rhonda, McCarthy, Helen Cd, Bogachenko, Tatiana and Pryor, Boori Monty (2022). Correction to: Developing culturally relevant and collaborative research approaches: A case study of working with remote and regional Aboriginal students to prepare them for life beyond school (The Australian Educational Researcher, (2022), 49, 4, (657-674), 10.1007/s13384-021-00459-3). Australian Educational Researcher, 49 (5), 1125-1126. doi: 10.1007/s13384-021-00467-3
Indigenous education policy, practice and research: unravelling the tangled web
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace and Lampert, Jo (2022). Indigenous education policy, practice and research: unravelling the tangled web. AER, 50 (1), 1-16. doi: 10.1007/s13384-022-00581-w
Counter stories: The voices of Indigenous peoples undertaking educative roles inflexi schools
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace and Lampert, Jo (2022). Counter stories: The voices of Indigenous peoples undertaking educative roles inflexi schools. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 51 (1). doi: 10.55146/ajie.2022.20
The ripple effect: epistemic and professional justice in Indigenous education
Shay, Marnee (2022). The ripple effect: epistemic and professional justice in Indigenous education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 50 (2), 144-149. doi: 10.1080/1359866x.2022.2045566
Excellence is the Future of Indigenous Education
Shay, Marnee, Miller, Jodie and Hameed, Suraiya Abdul (2021). Excellence is the Future of Indigenous Education. Teacher Magazine.
Shay, Marnee, Oliver, Rhonda, McCarthy, Helen, Bogachenko, Tatiana and Pryor, Boori Monty (2021). Developing culturally relevant and collaborative research approaches: A case study of working with remote and regional Aboriginal students to prepare them for life beyond school. Australian Educational Researcher, 49 (4), 657-674. doi: 10.1007/s13384-021-00459-3
Identity building as a pathway to children and young people’s wellbeing in schools
Shay, M. and Brown, C. (2021, 06 17). Identity building as a pathway to children and young people’s wellbeing in schools British Education Research Association Blog 1-2.
Brown, Ceri and Shay, Marnee (2021). Context and implications document for: From resilience to wellbeing: Identity-building as an alternative framework for schools' role in promoting children's mental health. Review of Education, 9 (2), 635-641. doi: 10.1002/rev3.3263
Brown, Ceri and Shay, Marnee (2021). From resilience to wellbeing: identity‐building as an alternative framework for schools’ role in promoting children’s mental health. Review of Education, 9 (2) rev3.3264, 599-634. doi: 10.1002/rev3.3264
Locating the voices of Indigenous young people on identity in Australia: an Indigenist analysis
Shay, Marnee and Sarra, Grace (2021). Locating the voices of Indigenous young people on identity in Australia: an Indigenist analysis. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 15 (3), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/15595692.2021.1907330
Shay, Marnee and Oliver, Rhonda (2021). Introduction. Indigenous Education in Australia: Learning and Teaching for Deadly Futures, 1-6.
Online Corroboree in Covid-19: the 'song and dance' of being an Indigenous researcher
Madsen, Beth, Williams, Llewellyn, Rom, Mitchell, Perkins, Ren, Purcell, Sasha, Olssen, Emma, Simpson, Annette, Torepe, Toni and Shay, Marnee (2021). Online Corroboree in Covid-19: the 'song and dance' of being an Indigenous researcher. Journal of Global Indigeneity , 5 (1).
Learning from Indigenous education success in flexi schools
Shay, Marnee (2020). Learning from Indigenous education success in flexi schools. Independent Education, 50 (3), 20-21.
Shay, Marnee and Lampert, Jo (2020). Community according to whom? An analysis of how indigenous ‘community’ is defined in Australia’s Through Growth to Achievement 2018 report on equity in education. Critical Studies in Education, 63 (1), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/17508487.2020.1786709
Shay, Marnee (2019). Extending the yarning yarn: collaborative yarning methodology for ethical indigenist education research. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 50 (1), 1-9. doi: 10.1017/jie.2018.25
Shay, Marnee (2018). The power of education. Redress, 27 (2), 12-13.
Shay, Marnee and Wickes, Judi (2017). Aboriginal identity in education settings: privileging our stories as a way of deconstructing the past and re-imagining the future. Australian Educational Researcher, 44 (1), 107-122. doi: 10.1007/s13384-017-0232-0
Shay, Marnee (2017). Emerging ideas for innovation in Indigenous education: a research synthesis of Indigenous educative roles in mainstream and flexi schools. Teaching Education, 28 (1), 12-26. doi: 10.1080/10476210.2016.1210594
Shay, Marnee, Morgan, Ann, Lampert, Jo and Heck, Deborah (2016). Introduction to the special issue on alternative pathways in education for disenfranchised children and young people in the Australian context. International Journal of Child Youth and Family Studies, 7 (2), 171-177. doi: 10.18357/ijcyfs72201615716
Shay, Marnee (2016). Seeking new paradigms in Aboriginal education research: methodological opportunities, challenges and aspirations. HSE-Social and Education History, 5 (3), 273-296. doi: 10.17583/hse.2016.2299
Alternative education engaging Indigenous young people: flexi schooling in Queensland
Shay, Marnee and Heck, Deborah (2015). Alternative education engaging Indigenous young people: flexi schooling in Queensland. Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 44 (1), 37-47. doi: 10.1017/jie.2015.8
Shay, Marnee and Heck, D. (2013). Developing shared practice to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student retention in teacher education. Journal of Indigenous Australian Issues, 16 (4), 42-57.
Exploring excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools
Shay, Marnee, Miller, Jodie and Hameed, Suraiya (2021). Exploring excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools. ACER conference 2021, Virtual, 17-19 August 2021. Camberwell, VIC Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research. doi: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_8
Exploring excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools
Shay, Marnee, Miller, Jodie and Abdul Hammed, Suraiya (2021). Exploring excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools. Australian Council for Educational Research. doi: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_8
Shay, Marnee and Lampert, Jo (2019). Community Engaged Teachers According To Whom? A Comparison of Australian Indigenous/non-Indigenous Definitions Of ‘Community’. European Educational Research Association, Hamburg, Germany, 2-6 September 2019.
Shay, Marnee , Olivery, Rhonda , McCarthy, Helen and Bogchenko,Tatiana (2019). Developing culturally relevant resources to enhance preparation of remote and regional Aboriginal students for life beyond school. Australian Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 1-5 December 2019.
Shay, Marnee and Miller, Jodie (2019). Doing things right way: dimensions of excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools. Australian Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 1-5 December 2019.
Healthy bodies, strong minds: Indigenous youth talking about identity and wellbeing
Shay, Marnee and Sarra, Grace (2019). Healthy bodies, strong minds: Indigenous youth talking about identity and wellbeing. Ancient Wisdom - Anticipating the Future - XXIIIrd International Personal Construct Psychology Congress, Cairns, QLD, Australia, 25-28 July 2019.
Shay, Marnee and Sarra, Grace (2018). Our stories, our way: cultural identities, health and well-being of Indigenous young people in Australia. World Indigenous Research and Education Conference, Sámi University of Applied Sciences and World Indigenous Research Association, Norway, 22-24 August 2018.
Shay, Marnee and Wickes, Judi (2016). Deficit constructions of Aboriginal identity in Australia: a CRT analysis of the pervasiveness in education across generations. 2nd International CERES Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland, 24-26 June 2016.
Stuart, Kaz and Shay, Marnee (2016). Narrative participative action research to support social justice: methodological comparisons between Australia and the United Kingdom. Australian Association for Research in Education, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 27 November - 1 December 2016.
Shay, Marnee (2016). Seeking new paradigms in Aboriginal education research: methodological opportunities, challenges and aspirations. Australian Association for Research in Education, Melbourne, 27 November-1 December 2016.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander roles in flexi schools
Shay, Marnee (2015). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander roles in flexi schools. Australian Association for Research in Education, Fremantle, Australia, 29 November-3 December 2015.
Shay, Marnee, Morgan, Ann, Proud, Denise and Heck, Deborah (2014). Alternative notions of schooling in Australia: the story of teachers and principals engaging and reflecting on supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 19-24 May 2014.
‘Co-design’ is the latest buzzword in Indigenous education policy. Does it live up to the hype?
Shay, Marnee and Sarra, Grace. (2023, 09 04). ‘Co-design’ is the latest buzzword in Indigenous education policy. Does it live up to the hype? The Conversation
Shay, M., Perkins, R., Miller, J., Thomson, A., Cole, A., Hameed, S., Harvey Smith, L. and Williams, L. (2023). Big Mob STEM It Up Podcast. St Lucia, QLD, Australia: University of Queensland.
Shay, Marnee, Fredericks, Bronwyn and Raciti, Maria (2023, 07 03). Uncapping uni places for Indigenous students is a step in the right direction, but we must do much more The Conversation
Shay, Marnee , Miller, Jodie and Mills, Martin (2022, 12 09). ‘I would like to go to university’: flexi school students share their goals in Australia-first survey The Conversation
Flexi Youth Voices Report 2022
Marnee Shay, Jodie Miller, Martin Mills and Zoe Ockerby (2022). Flexi Youth Voices Report 2022. Brisbane, Queensland: The University of Queensland.
Shay, Marnee, Armour, Danielle, Miller, Jodie and Abdul Hameed, Suraiya (2022, 11 09). ‘Once students knew their identity, they excelled’: how to talk about excellence in Indigenous education The Conversation
How can Australia support more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers
Perkins, Ren and Shay, Marnee (2022, 03 14). How can Australia support more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers The Conversation
Shay, Marnee and Oliver, Rhonda (2021, 02 08). We must embed the full histories of this Country or rob all Australian students of understanding our home EduResearch Matters: AARE 1-2.
The budget has more money for school programs for Indigenous boys than girls
Madsen, Beth, Marnee Shay and Creagh, Sue (2020, 10 13). The budget has more money for school programs for Indigenous boys than girls The Conversation
Young peoples as the leaders and visionaries of a reconciled tomorrow
Fredericks, Bronwyn, Shay, Marnee and Bradfield, Abraham (2020, 06 05). Young peoples as the leaders and visionaries of a reconciled tomorrow Croakey
Indigenous Evaluation Strategy (Policy Submission)
Shay, Marnee, Radke, Amelia and Miller, Jodie (2019). Indigenous Evaluation Strategy (Policy Submission). Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland.
The imagination declaration: young Indigenous Australians want to be heard – but will we listen?
Shay, Marnee, Sarra, Grace and Woods, Annette (2019, 08 14). The imagination declaration: young Indigenous Australians want to be heard – but will we listen? The Conversation
How flexischools could help close the gap in Indigenous education
Shay, Marnee and Lampert, Jo (2018, 06 14). How flexischools could help close the gap in Indigenous education The Conversation
Teaching notes for Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia
Shay, Marnee (2018). Teaching notes for Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia. Carlton, VIC, Australia: Black Inc.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures
(2023–2029) ARC Centres of Excellence
Big Mob, STEM it up! (Women in STEM Ambassador grant administered by UNSW)
(2023) University of New South Wales
(2022–2025) University of Sydney
Reconceptualising Indigenous education through a discourse of excellence
(2022–2024) UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards
Binung Ma Na Du: Cultural stories and living histories on Wakka Wakka Country
(2022–2023) Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Indigenous Business in Australia: A Scoping Study
(2022) UQ Indigenous Research Engagement and Partnerships Fund
Co-designing Indigenous education policy in Queensland
(2021–2024) ARC Discovery Indigenous
Youth Voices - EREA Australian Flexi School Survey
(2020–2022) Edmund Rice Education Australia
Indigenous Education Excellence in Flexi Schools
(2019–2023) Edmund Rice Education Australia
(2019–2022) Curtin University of Technology
(2019–2020) UQ Early Career Researcher
(2018–2019) Queensland University of Technology
Charter schools and Treaty partnerships: Ma¿ori perceptions of schooling, public systems and privatisation in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Keeping Indigenous teachers in the profession: Indigenous Teachers¿ voices on why they stay in the profession
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Changing the Narrative: Leaders that enable Culturally Responsive School Communities
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Conceptualising Co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Young Peoples in the Context of Australian English Education
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Cultural taxation: A workplace myth or cultural reality
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Dandiiri: First Nations thinking to enhance the Learning.
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN EARLY LITERACY POLICIES AND PROGRAMS
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Why Go To School: Why Students Disengaged From Learning Continue To Attend School Past Compulsory School Age
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors: