Researcher Biography

Elizabeth Hitches is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Social Science Research, University of Queensland. Her research interests lie in inclusive education at a national and international level, as well as equity, achievement, and wellbeing for students with disability, chronic health conditions and/or accessibility requirements. She is also a research officer and research assistant in both qualitative and quantitative research, and a sessional academic across various universities. Elizabeth teaches in the areas of inclusive education, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts (Majors: Mathematics, English) with the degree of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary), and a Master of Research. Her Master of Research thesis investigated students’ experiences with university support services, focusing upon students’ beliefs regarding the ways in which the support they have received was effective, ineffective, and could be improved.

PhD topic

Academic stress and university students with accessibility requirements and/or disabilities: co-designing an inclusive stress reduction intervention.

Advisors

  • Dr Melissa Johnstone (Principal)
  • Assoc/Prof Dean Dudley (Associate)
  • Assoc/Prof Stuart Woodcock (Associate)

Research interests

  • Inclusion and inclusive education
  • Diversity, equity and wellbeing
  • Individuals with disability, chronic health conditions, and/or accessibility requirements
  • Educational psychology (e.g., self-efficacy & Attribution Theory)
  • Quantitative research methods
  • Qualitative research methods