Blake Cutler is a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Education. His research focuses on how young people’s experiences of schooling could be more engaging, equitable and inclusive. He is especially passionate about the use of research evidence in practice and addressing issues of social and educational inequality, with a particular focus on LGBTIQ+ students and educators.

In service of these goals, Blake’s work draws on a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods from autoethnography to structural equation modeling. He currently contributes to three primary research activities within the Faculty of Education:

1. Monash Q Project

As a member of the Q Project team, Blake investigates how research evidence is used in schools, and how to support educators to better use that evidence in their practice. He has a particular interest in early-career teachers’ experiences of joining the profession and what it means to be a ‘research engaged’ educator.

2. Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice (CYPEP)

Blake is an inaugural member of the CYPEP research team. In this role, he explores sociocultural and pedagogical issues within educational practice, especially in relation to young people’s gender and sexual identities, career aspirations and experiences of schooling in general. He is also a co-investigator on a project with Prof. Lucas Walsh and Assoc. Prof. Libby Tudball investigating young people's environmental activism on social media. 

3. Initial Teacher Education and LGBTIQ-inclusion

Blake is a co-investigator on a longitudinal research project exploring how we can best support pre-service and early-career teachers to adopt LGBTIQ-inclusive pedagogies. He explores the interrelationships between identity, sexuality and practice as well as how we can better foster inclusive cultures in educational institutions.  

Additional Information and Links:

Alongside his research, Blake is a practicing Primary Music Teacher at a Government IB PYP school in South-East Melbourne. He aims to bring a strong practitioner focus to his research work.

• Monash Q Project Website
• Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice Website