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Dr. Natasa Ciabatti

Lecturer, TESOL and Literacy

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Campus

Berwick Campus

Biography

Dr Nataša Ciabatti is a lecturer in TESOL and Literacy at the Institute of Education, Arts and Community at Federation University, Australia. Her research and teaching interests focus on intercultural education, language pedagogy and teacher education. She is a member of the Centre for Regional Education Research and Development (CRERD) and the Social Justice, Inclusion and Diversity in Education (SJIDE) research group at Federation University. Additionally, she contributes to the Educational Philosophy Research Hub at the University of Melbourne. 

Nataša currently leads the PESA-supported research project 'What is Going On in Philosophy of Education in Teacher Education? A review of educational philosophy taught in higher education programs across Australia'. In 2024, she was awarded the VicTESOL Research Grant for her project on the linguistic and social inclusion of adult migrant students. Her doctoral research, completed in 2023, explored pre-service teachers' lived experiences of intercultural language teaching and learning. Nataša is a VIT-registered teacher with experience teaching languages and EAL/D in secondary schools. 

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More about Nataša

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Victoria University 
  • Master of Teaching (Secondary), Victoria University 
  • Bachelor of Arts in Translation and Interpreting, Università degli Studi di Trieste 
  • Certificate IV in TESOL, Ozford College of Business

Areas of interest

  • Intercultural education 
  • Philosophy of education 
  • TESOL, EAL/D, languages education 
  • Initial teacher education 
  • Plurilingualism  
  • Migrant teacher/lecturer experiences 
  • Language policy 

Areas of expertise

Nataša is an experienced educator and researcher specialising in intercultural education, language pedagogy and teacher training. Her work is grounded in social justice and equity, with a focus on supporting plurilingual learners and enhancing intercultural competence in educational settings. She investigates the current state of intercultural education and language pedagogy to identify the professional development needs of current and future teachers. Her interests also include the theoretical foundations of intercultural education and related concepts such as global citizenship.  

Grants

  • 2025: Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) 'What is going on in Philosophy of Education in Teacher Education? A review of philosophy of education taught in Higher Education programs in Australia' 
  • 2024: VicTESOL Research Grant 2024 (VicTESOL) 'Linguistic and Social Inclusion of Adult Migrant and Refugee Background Students: Quality Intercultural Education in a Community Setting' ($10,000)

Awards

  • 2020: Doctoral Industry Placement Program (DIPP) scholarship 
  • 2017: Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship 

Current

  • PhD student, Federation University, 'The impacts of bilingual pedagogy on primary school students: teacher’s perspectives in the classrooms of Kerala, India'. 
  • PhD student, Federation University, 'Employability Capital and Professional Identity among International NNES TESOL Graduates in Australia'.

  • TESOL  
  • Linguistics 
  • Language acquisition 
  • Curriculum and assessment 

Specialist roles

  • AARE SIG Convenor: Educational Philosophy and Theory 

Professional association memberships

  • The Australian Association of Educational Research (AARE) 
  • The British Educational Research Association (EERA) 
  • The European Educational Research Association (EERA) 
  • The Philosophical Education Society Association (PESA) 
  • VicTESOL 

Centre for Regional Education Research and Development (CRERD)

Nataša is part of the Centre for Regional Education Research and Development (CRERD), a Victorian‑first research centre working to improve education outcomes for regional and rural communities. 

Social Justice, Inclusion and Diversity in Education (SJIDE)

Nataša is part of the Social Justice, Inclusion and Diversity in Education (SJIDE) research group, which is focussed on equity, diversity, inclusion, opportunity, regionality and wellbeing in formal and non-formal educational settings.
  • Publications

The Question of Being Intercultural. A Phenomenological Analysis of Intercultural Education