Emeritus Professor Paul Richardson

BS(Hons), DipEd, MA(Hons), PhD
Honorary Professor
Phone
+613 9905 2771
Fax
+61 2 93512606
Building/Room
A35 / 307
The University of Sydney
Paul W Richardson began his career as a secondary school teacher. He taught English, history and drama in outer-western suburbs and in the inner city of Sydney. He worked in teacher education at the University of Sydney before moving to the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education in rural Victoria.

Paul completed his PhD at Monash University for which he was awarded the Mollie Holman university medal. Paul has taught both undergraduate and postgraduate courses on English curriculum and literacy education at Monash University, as well as research methods, particularly in the interpretation of research literature.

He was  Associate Dean (Teaching) in the Faculty of Education at Monash University until taking up a position as a research fellow at the University of Michigan with Professor Jacquelynne Eccles and Dr Elizabeth Moje, examining the social and cultural influences on adolescent literacy development in and out of school. Paul's research interests focus on two areas, both of which have grown out of his professional work: the role of language and literacy in learning in academic contexts and the motivations of beginning teachers.
Mollie Holman Doctoral Medal for outstanding contribution to research for PhD, Monash University 
Dr Colin Roderick Prize for the best MA thesis on a topic in Australian Literature, University of Sydney
Monash Postgraduate Association ‘Supervisor of the Year’ award nominiee: 2007, 2010, 2014 
Emerald LiteratiNetwork Outstanding Author Contribution Award
Learning and Instruction Top Cited Article Award, 2007-2011 
  • Emeritus Professor of Education, Monash University
Books
  • Watt, H.M.G., Richardson, P.W., and Smith, K. (Eds.) (2017). Global perspectives on teacher motivation. NY: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Richardson, P.W., Karabenick, S. A. and Watt, H.M.G. (Eds.) (2014). Teacher Motivation: Theory and Practice. New York: Routledge. 

Selected book chapters

  • Watt, H. M. G. & Richardson, P. W. (2024). Teachers’ Motivation to Teach: A Review through the Lens of Motivational Theories. In G. Hagenauer, R. Lazarides, & H. Järvenoja (Eds.), Motivation and Emotion in Learning and Teaching across Educational Contexts: Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives and Empirical Insights. Routledge. 
  • Watt, H. M. G. & Richardson, P. W. (2023). Supportive school workplaces for beginning teachers’ motivations and career satisfaction. In T. Urdan & E. Gonida (Eds.), Remembering the life, work, and influence of Stuart A. Karabenick: A legacy of research on self-regulation, help-seeking, teacher motivation, and more (Advances in Motivation and Achievement, Vol. 22) (pp. 115-138). Emerald Publishing Ltd, Bingley. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0749-742320230000022009 
  • Shah, C., Richardson, P. W., Watt, H. M. G., & Rice, S. (2022). ‘Out-of-field’ teaching in mathematics: Australian evidence from PISA 2015. In L. Hobbs & R. Porsch (Eds.), Out-of-field teaching across teaching disciplines and contexts (pp. 71-96). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1_4 . eBook ISBN: 978-981-16-9328-1; Print ISBN: 978-981-16-9327-4. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-16-9328-1?sap-outbound-id=380AD7CBF3C12389F16AF0DB086E3E27A31E800B 
  • Richardson, P.W. and Watt, H.M.G. (2019). "Beginning teachers engagement profiles across four country settings: Implications for teacher education and early career induction" in N. Safi, C.E. Bauer, and M. Kocher (Eds.) Lehrberuf: Vorbereitung, Berufseinstieg, Perspektiven Beitrage aus der Professionsforschung [The teaching profession: training, career entry, perspectives. Contributions from the field of research on the teaching profession], hep verlag, Bern, pp. 139-147. 
  • Richardson. P. W. and Watt, H.M.G. (2018). "Teacher professional identity and career motivation: a lifespan perspective." In P. Schutz, J.Y. Hong, and D. Cross Francis (Eds.) Research on Teacher Identity: Mapping Challenges and Innovations. New York: Springer. 
  • Watt, H.M.G., Richardson, P.W., & Smith, K. (2017). "Why teach? How teachers’ motivations matter around the world." In H.M.G. Watt, P.W. Richardson, and K. Smith (Eds.) Global perspectives on teacher motivation. New York: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Watt, H.M.G., Richardson, P.W., and Morris, Z.M. (2017). "Divided by discipline? Contrasting motivations, perceptions, and background characteristics of beginning Australian English and Mathematics teachers." In H.M.G. Watt, P.W. Richardson, and K. Smith (Eds.) Global perspectives on teacher motivation. New York: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Richardson, P.W. and Watt, H.M.G. (2016). "Factors influencing teaching choice: why do future teachers choose the career?" In J. Loughran and M.L. Hamilton (Eds.) International handbook of teacher education (pp. 275-304), New York: Springer. 
  • George, S., Richardson, P.W. and Dorman, J. (2015). "Teacher self-efficacy: a thriving area of research." In C.M. Rubie-Davies, J.M. Stephens, and P. Watson (Eds.) The Routledge International Handbook of Social Psychology of the Classroom (Ch 32. pp.350-360). Albingdon, Oxon: Routledge. 
  • Watt, H.M.G. and Richardson, P.W. (2015). "Teacher motivation." In J. Wright (Ed.) International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences, 2nd ed (pp. 64-71). San Francisco: Elsevier. 

Selected journal articles
  • Rice, S., Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W., & Crebbin, S. (2023). Career motivations and interest in teaching of tertiary students taking mathematics and science subjects. Research Papers in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2023.2244972 
  • Lazarides, R., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2023). Does school context moderate longitudinal relations between teacher-reported self-efficacy and value for student engagement and teacher-student relationships from early until midcareer? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 72, 102136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2022.102136 
  • De Clercq, M., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2022). Profiles of teachers’ striving and wellbeing: Evolution and relations with context factors, retention and professional engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(3), 637-655. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000702
  • Fenech, M., Wong, S., Boyd, W., Gibson, M., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2022). Attracting, retaining and sustaining early childhood teachers: An ecological conceptualisation of workforce issues and future research directions. Australian Educational Researcher, 49(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-020-00424-6 
  • Watt, H. M. G., Butler, R., & Richardson, P. W. (2021). Antecedents and consequences of teachers’ goal profiles in Australia and Israel. Learning and Instruction, 14, 101491. 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2021.101491
  • Lazarides, R., Watt, H.M.G., and Richardson, P.W. (2020). "Teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy, perceived classroom management and teaching contexts from beginning until mid-career. Learning and Instruction, 69, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101346 
  • Watt, H.M.G and Richardson, P.W. (2020). "Motivation of higher education faculty: (How) it matters!" Invited article in M. Daumiller, R. Stupnisky, & S. Janke (Eds.), Special Issue "Motivation of higher education faculty: Theoretical approaches, empirical evidence, and future direction", International Journal of Educational Research, 100, 101533. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101533 
  • Rajendran, N., Watt, H.M.G., and Richardson, P.W. (2020). :Teacher burnout and turnover intent." Australian Educational Researcher, 14(3), online first. doi: 10.1007/s13384-019-00371-x 
  • George, S.V., and Richardson, P.W. (2019). "Teachers’ goal orientations as predictors of their self-reported classroom behaviours: an achievement goal theoretical perspective." International Journal of Educational Research, 98, 345-355. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.09.011 (accessible at https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Zq-A38nswSxeg) 
  • Nausheen, M., Richardson. P.W. and Alvi, E. (2019). "Patterns of gender and disciplinary disparities among postgraduate students’ motivational beliefs: a multivariate analysis." Bulletin of Education and Research April 2019, 41(1), 203-220. ISSN-0555-7747 
  • George, S.V., Richardson, P.W. & Watt, H.M.G. (2018). "Early career teachers' self-efficacy: a longitudinal study from Australia." Australian Journal of Education, 62(2), 217-233. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004944118779601 
  • Suryani, A., Watt, H.M.G., and Richardson, P.W. (2016). "Students’ motivations to become teachers: FIT-Choice findings from Indonesia." International Journal of Quantitative Research in Education, 3(3), 179-203. 
Understanding and building the strengths and skills of non-specialist mathematics teachers and schools’ capacities for junior secondary mathematics. NSW Department of Education, 2021–2023 ($472,327): co-CI with Watt, H. M. G., University of Sydney; Bobis, J., University of Sydney Anderson, J., University of Sydney Holmes, K., Western Sydney & Richardson, P. W., Monash University 
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