Dr Fiona MacDonald

Dr Fiona MacDonald is a Research Fellow in the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC), Victoria University. Fiona's research sits within the sociology of education discipline. Her research interests include middle childhood, social justice, social inclusion, inclusive education, gender and the significance of local spaces and other spaces. She has a particular interest in social and cultural influences in the lives of children in their middle years, from eight to twelve. Her doctoral research explored the complex everyday negotiations of belonging and identity for 11-12 year old girls (the tweens) in an Australian primary school.

Her research is positioned at the intersection of education, belonging and identity for children and young people. Fiona’s research in schools and learning environments, both mainstream and alternative, investigates the significance of these spaces in the everyday lives of children and young people. Her research explores how children and young people negotiate these spaces.

Fiona was the Chief Investigator on the Victorian Government’s School Breakfast Clubs Program which investigated the impact of providing breakfast in 500 Victorian primary schools on student’s academic outcomes, school engagement, relationships and school communities. She is currently a Chief Investigator on the Educational Transition from Custody Project and the BNHCRC Diversity and Inclusion: Building Strength and Capability project.