By Leigh Dawson
A new e-journal uncovering research and scholarly work in Catholic education being undertaken in Australasia was last month launched by the University of Notre Dame Australia’s School of Education, Fremantle.
The launch of the E-journal of Catholic Education in Australasia is a first for the University’s School of Education, and a catalyst for the promotion of Catholic educational research across the Asia-Pacific region.
Inspired by the words of St Mary MacKillop, “never see a need without doing something about it”, the aim of the journal is to encourage Australasian academics and educationalists, including higher-degree students, to contribute to and engage with today’s global Catholic intellectual thoughts and values.
It is hoped that through the journal, members of the community will have access to peer-reviewed, scholarly articles on Catholic thought to assist in their faith, and professional and personal formation endeavours.
Submissions from South Africa and the USA are included in the first issue on the topics of educational leadership, Catholic mission and research evidence.
Professor Chris Hackett, Associate Dean (Religious Education) in the School of Education, Fremantle, says the free e-journal will provide an authentic place for papers to be published and broadly accessible to a wide range of scholars, researchers, Catholic education administrators, principals and teachers.
“The e-journal will definitely provide greater recognition of the legacy of Catholic education, not only in Australia by teachers across the country, but in other places as well. Catholic education provides a significant avenue for evangelisation,” Professor Hackett said.
“A lot of wonderful work is done in Catholic schools and care centres, and at Catholic universities that needs to be explored and shared.
“The e-journal will feature this outstanding research conducted across countries in our region, with the possibility of publishing the scholarly and research work completed by postgraduate students in Australasia.”
For more information and to contribute to the E-journal of Catholic Education in Australasia, please visit http://researchonline.nd.edu.au/ecea/.