Amrita Kamath strives to ignite a lifelong love of science

Amrita Kamath’s PhD journey began when she discovered that, despite her qualifications and experience, she could not teach in Australia without further study. While pursuing the qualification she needed, she discovered that education research could help her channel her passion for education to achieve a broader impact. Amrita’s PhD project, ‘Establishing a Context-responsive Inquiry Approach in Senior Secondary Biology’, focused on innovative strategies for teaching science in secondary schools.

Here Amrita talks about her project, why she chose this topic and her hope that it will help encourage future generations of secondary students to get excited about science.

Briefly describe your project and why you chose this topic

Many students seem to discontinue science after secondary school; they find it difficult, boring, or even worse, both. As someone who is deeply passionate about science and education, I find this concerning. Through my research, I focussed on exploring the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in complex senior secondary biology settings. My PhD establishes the vitality of teacher agency that prioritises student focussed practices in responding to unique contextual influences, demonstrating that learning can be enhanced when inquiry-based learning is appropriately designed to engage students.

What is your background?

I am an Indian-Australian. I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India, where I completed BSc, MSc and BEd and worked as a teacher for a year before moving to Cambodia and then to Thailand, where I worked in education for eight years and earned an MEd designed for in-service teachers. I relocated to Australia with my family in 2018 but, despite having teaching qualifications and experience, I found it impossible to become a registered teacher here. So, I decided to undertake an Australian teaching qualification at Deakin (MTeach) which transformed into an exciting PhD opportunity.

Why did you decide to do your PhD at Deakin?

When I was undertaking my masters research at Deakin, I had the privilege of being supervised by Associate Professor Peta White. We developed an effective mentor-mentee rapport where expectations were clear, bars were high, and encouragement was abundant and timely. The entire experience was not only insightful, but extremely enjoyable. So, when Peta encouraged me to apply for a PhD, I did!

How was your experience with your supervisors?

In one word, incredible. The PhD journey, while exciting and enjoyable, was also overwhelming at times. My supervisors – Associate Professor Peta White and Dr Piper Rodd – were there every step of the way to reassure and guide me in the right direction. It is all thanks to them that I was able to bring out the best in me.

What has been a highlight of your PhD?

The highlight of my work is connecting with inspirational teachers who share my passion for teaching science in ways that enhance understanding and interest. I feel grateful to have found teachers who enthusiastically volunteered to work with me, to not only develop, but also to share our findings with other teachers through conferences and other professional learning platforms. I believe that more students will be encouraged to pursue science related careers post-secondary school if they are taught through pedagogical practices that are student-centric and tailored to suit context.

What are you hoping to achieve with your PhD research?

My goal is that my research, through the PhD and beyond, will contribute to re-igniting a love of science and learning for teachers and students. Discovering new, hopefully exciting ways to teach and learn science might inspire more people to re-engage with new ways of thinking and seeing our world. In a world that is experiencing challenges like climate change, developing a lifelong interest in science is more important than ever.

L-R: Piper Rodd, Amrita Kamath, Peta White