Australian and Aotearoa Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Criminology: A Scoping Review

Abstract

The number of students studying criminology in higher education is growing across Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand). This article presents findings from a scoping review examining 26 studies on teaching and learning criminology in Australia and Aotearoa over the past 20 years. Three main themes emerged in the review, including: the adaptations and changes that have occurred within higher education environments; the inclusion of work integrated learning in criminology curricula; and innovative teaching practices. The article reflects on the implications of these findings and highlights future directions for scholarship investigating teaching and learning praxis in criminology.

Keywords:

• Australian and Aotearoa/New Zealand criminology
• criminology education
• scholarship of teaching and learning

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare

Notes

1 This is where citations and reference lists of the papers found in the search are reviewed to discover any further papers (Papaioannou et al., 2010).

2 This is where the reference list of full text papers is scanned and judgement is used to decide whether they should be pursued (Greenhalgh & Peacock, 2005).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kate Hutton Burns

Dr Kate Hutton Burns is the Course Director for the Bachelor of Criminology and the Bachelor of Criminology & Policing at Monash University. Dr Burns is a criminologist in the School of Social Sciences with wide public-sector experience. Prior to taking up her academic position at Monash, worked in various public policy positions in the United Kingdom with a focus on the criminal justice system. Dr Burns undertakes research focusing on teaching and learning, criminal justice policy, policing and veterans.

Rachel Loney-Howes

Dr Rachel Loney-Howes (she/her/they) is a lecturer in Criminology in the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in Wollongong, Australia. Rachel is the co-convener of the Feminist Research Network at UOW and the New South Wales Representative for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology. Her teaching and research focuses on improving reporting pathways for survivors of sexual violence, the concept of listening in relation to rape law reform, and digital feminist activism.

Mark A. Wood

Mark A. Wood is a Lecturer in Criminology at Deakin University. Most of Mark’s research falls within the sphere of digital criminology and examines how digital technologies shape the way social harms are enacted, perceived, understood, and responded to. He is the author of Antisocial Media: Crime-watching in the Internet Age (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), and the co-author (with Imogen Ricahrds and Mary Iliadis) of Criminologists in the Media: A Study of Newsmaking (Routledge, 2022).

Mary Iliadis

Dr Mary Iliadis is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University and co-convenor of the Deakin Research on Violence Against Women Hub. Mary is also the Victorian Representative for the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology. Her research focuses on gender and family violence and police and prosecutorial discretion, including the use of body-worn cameras in family violence responses.