Dr Laura Alfrey - Researcher Profile

Biography

Laura works in the Faculty of Education at Monash University as a Lecturer and Researcher. Within a Health and Physical Education context, Laura's research interests include student advocacy and voice, teachers professional learning, community development, and ideologies of healthism. Laura has recently concluded one research project entitled Connect Hastings (with Dr Justen O'Connor) which aimed to (re)connect Primary school teachers and students with their local community via a multi-layered strategy which combined policy and built environment changes, together with an Action Research approach to Health and Physical Education. As part of Connect Hastings, Laura and Dr Justen O'Connor worked with teachers and students to develop a Socio-Ecological Action Research (SEAR) approach to Health and Physical Education (O'Connor & Alfrey, forthcoming). Laura and collegues (Dr Justen O'Connor and Dr Ruth Jeanes) are currently applying the SEAR approach as part of the Youth Action project. This operates as a community partnership that aims to achieve sustainable and positive change through developing students' understandings of their social ecology as it relates to community physical activity and health. Follwoing on from her doctoral work, Laura also continues to be interested in ideologies of individualisation and performativity which continue to prevail in Health and Physical Education. She is currently working with sociological theory, and particularly the work of Norbert Elias and Michel Foucault, to explain the persistent and potentially damaging use of fitness testing in the name of Health and Physical Education. Laura is also working on a research project funded by a Leverhulme Foundation International Partnership grant (with Dr Ruth Jeanes, Monash University, Dr Iain Lindsey, Edge Hill University, Dr Emmanuel Owusu-Ansah University of Ghana, Dr Adam Tanko Zakariah, University of Development Studies, Ghana & Dr Hamad Ndee University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) to undertake research examining the sustainability of sport and international development work in Tanzania and Ghana. Laura is currently co-editing a book entitled 'The Socio-Ecological Educator' and is in the process of contributing to a number of others.

• Read the rest of the profile

Research & Supervision Interests

Physical activity and health; physical education teachers' engagement with health-related issues; physical education curriculum and pedagogy; children and young people; community sport and physical activity programs.

Keywords

Community development, International development, Physical Education, Physical activity, health, professional development, teachers, Socio-ecological approaches to HPE and physical activity, Student voice and empowerment

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Institution: Loughborough University, UK

Year awarded: 2010

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Institution: Monash University

Year awarded: 2010

SPOR T AND EXERCISE SCIENCES

Institution: Loughborough University

Year awarded: 2009

SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT & EXERCISE

Institution: University of Liverpool

Year awarded: 2005

PE, SPORT SCIENCE & PSYCHOLOGY (HONS)

Institution: University of Liverpool

Year awarded: 2004

Publications

Journal Articles

Alfrey, L., Cale, L., Webb, L., 2012, Physical education teachers' continuing professional development in health-related exercise, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy [P], vol 17, issue 5, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 477-491.

Alfrey, L.G., Webb, L., Cale, L., 2012, Physical education teachers' continuing professional development in health-related exercise: A figurational analysis, European Physical Education Review [P], vol 18, issue 3, Sage Publications Ltd., United Kingdom, pp. 361-379.

O'Connor, J., Alfrey, L., Payne, P., 2011, Beyond games and sports: A socio-ecological approach to physical education, Sport, Education and Society [P], vol E, Routledge, United Kingdom, pp. 1-16.

Ward, L.G., 2009, An international perspective of physical education, Physical Education Matters [P], vol 4, issue 1, The Association for Physical Education, United Kingdom, p. 48.

Conference Proceedings

Brown, T.D., Bennett, R.G., Ward, L.G., Payne, P.G., 2009, The context of movement and its social ecology, Proceedings of AARE 2009 International Education Research Conference, 29 November - 3 December 2009, Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Australia, p. 0.

Ward, L.G., Cale, L., Webb, L., 2008, PE teachers engagement with HRE: A healthy profile?, 5 September - 7 September 2008.

Grants

Title:

Sports without Borders: Youth Action Project.

Investigators:

O'Connor, J, Jeanes, R, Alfrey, L

Funding:

(2011 - 2016). Australian Multicultural Foundation. $90,000.00

(2011 - 2016). Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) via Keysborough Secondary College. $36,363.00

Title:

re(Connecting) children to place through active travel. Travel smart and local area access grants program.

Investigators:

O'Connor, J, Alfrey, L

Funding:

(2009 - 2013). Mornington Peninsula Shire. $54,950.91

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

The Secret Live of the Sea Kayaker: A phenomenological study into the lived experiences of sea kayakers.

Supervisors:

Wattchow, B (Main), Alfrey, L (Associate).