Dr Brenda Dobia

Biography

Dr Brenda Dobia is a core member of the social ecology group in the School of Education, where she teaches in areas including ecopsychology, leadership and qualitative research. She is also a registered psychologist and teaches educational and developmental psychology to pre-service teachers in both the primary and secondary programs.

Dr Dobia’s schools-focused research and teaching emphasises student behaviour and wellbeing. During 2007 and 2008 Dr Dobia headed the resource development team for KidsMatter, the national primary schools mental health initiative, producing a range of resources for parents and teachers on children’s mental health. These can be viewed on the KidsMatter website.


Dr Dobia also has active interests in cross-cultural and collaborative research. Her doctoral research involved a cross-cultural, collaborative and inter-disciplinary investigation into the Hindu goddess and her relationship to issues of women’s empowerment. She is currently working on an adaptation of the KidsMatter framework to assist schools to support the mental health needs of Indigenous students. Dr Dobia also provides research supervision to higher degree students with wide-ranging interests in social ecology and education.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Social Ecology; Psychology; Cultural Studies

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Grants / Current Projects

2009
Enabling schooling success, ARC grant
KidsMatter Indigenous adaptation, Australian Psychological Society KidsMatter Tiwi Islands, Principals Australia


2007-2008
KidsMatter resources development, Commonwealth Dept of Health and Ageing, beyondblue, Australian Psychological Society and Principals Australia


2006-2008
Positive Behaviour for Learning: Investigating the transfer of a United States system into the New South Wales Department of Education and Training, UWS, DET, Panthers

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Selected Publications

 

Selected Articles
Barker, K.., Dobia, B., Mooney, M., Watson, K., Power, A.M., Trinh Ha, M., Yeung, A. S., Schofield, J., McCloughan, G. & Denham, A. (2008). Positive Behaviour for Learning: Changing Student Behaviour for Sustainable Psychosocial Outcomes, Australian Association for Education Research.

Mooney, M., Watson, K., Dobia, B., Power, A.M., Barker, K.., Trinh Ha, M., Yeung, A. S., Schofield, J., McCloughan, G. & Denham, A. (2008). Positive Behaviour for Learning: Local Features of an Adapted US Model of Behaviour Management, Australian Association for Education Research.

Mooney, M., Dobia, B., Power, A.M., Watson, K., Barker, K.., Yeung, A. S., Denham, A., McCloughan, G. & Schofield, J. (2008). Why Positive Behaviour for Learning: The How’s and Why’s of Translating a US Model for Local Sustainable Education, Australian Association for Education Research.

Graetz B, Littlefield L. Trinder M, Dobia B, Souter M, Champion C, Boucher S, Killick-Moran C, Cummins R. (2008). KidsMatter: A population health model to support student mental health and wellbeing in primary schools. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 10(4) 13-20.

Dobia, B. (2007). Approaching the Hindu Goddess of Desire, Feminist Theology, 16:61-68.

Dobia, B. (2007). The Tantric Matrix at the Sacred Site of Kamakhya, Assam, The Journal of the Asian Arts Society of Australia, 15(1):10-12

Book Chapter
Dobia, B. (2000). Seeking Ma, seeking me, in Alf Hiltebeitel & Kathleen Erndl, Eds., Is the Goddess a Feminist? The Politics of South Asian Goddesses. London, Sheffield Academic Press & New York, New York University Press.

Report
Mooney, M., Dobia, B., Yeung, A. S., Barker, K.., Power, A.M. & Watson, K. (2008), Positive Behaviour for Learning: Investigating the transfer of a United States system into the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. Penrith NSW, University of Western Sydney.

Commonwealth publications
Commonwealth of Australia (2007). KidsMatter- Australian primary schools mental health initiative: Overview (Stage 1 – pilot phase). Canberra ACT: Australian Government. Online reference in PDF.

Commonwealth of Australia (2008). KidsMatter information resources for parents, carers and school staff. Online reference.


Book reviews
Dobia, B. (2006). book review: Rethinking Wellbeing API Review of Books, 44, July 2006

Dobia, B. (2006). book review: Stories about Posts: Vedic Variations around the Hindu Goddess. Asian Studies Review Volume 30(2): 206-207

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