Elaine has worked as a post-primary teacher for a number of years, during which time she completed her doctoral research on the history of women's education in Ireland. Her research was awarded a prestigious IRCHSS Government of Ireland Scholarship, reflecting its national significance and scholarly contribution. Since completing her doctorate, she has worked full-time in teacher education, contributing to both academic leadership and pedagogical innovation.
From 2018 to 2021, Elaine served as Head of the School of Policy and Practice at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University (DCU). Her commitment to excellence in teaching was recognized in 2021 when she received the DCU President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (Team Award). In 2025, she was again nominated for this award, as well as for Excellence in Doctoral Supervision, underscoring her sustained impact on student learning and mentorship.
Her teaching and research interests lie in student-centred approaches to teaching and learning, gender and education, inclusion and intercultural education. She has a particular interest in the application of Challenge-Based Learning within initial teacher education, exploring how this pedagogical model can empower student teachers to engage critically and creatively with real-world challenges.
Working with colleagues in the Institute of Education (IoE), Elaine has been a key member of the HEA-funded PATH project. This initiative adopted a three-strand approach aimed at promoting, encouraging, and supporting socially and economically disadvantaged students—both rural and urban—to view Initial Teacher Education (ITE) as a viable career pathway. Her involvement has focused on widening participation and fostering equity in access to teacher education, aligning with her broader commitment to inclusive and socially responsive educational practice. Currently, Elaine is engaged in a collaborative research project with colleagues from the Schools of Policy and Practice and SEIGS (Institute of Education, DCU), examining student teachers' engagement in school placement schools. This work aims to deepen understanding of the dynamics of professional learning in educational settings.
Elaine has made a significant contribution to the broader academic community through her role as External Examiner for the Professional Master of Education (PME) programme at University College Cork, and has previously held similar positions for teacher education programmes at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Letterfrack, and Vilnius University, Lithuania. She has delivered invited keynote addresses at both national and international conferences, focusing on topics such as the history of women's education, the role of school patronage, and the development of school ethos.
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Fitzsimons, S.; Sexton, P.J.; Lehane, P.; Donlon, E.; McDonald, E.; Karakolidis, A. (2025) 'Understanding pre-service teachers’ improvement in professional practice: a quantitative perspective'. Irish Educational Studies, . https://doi-org.dcu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/03323315.2024.2330883 | |
| 2024 | (2024) 'Re-envisioning pre-service teachers’ beliefs and feelings about assessment: the important space of authentic assignments'. Irish Educational Studies, . https://doi-org.dcu.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/03323315.2024.2330883 | |
| 2022 | Donlon, E., Conroy Johnson, M., Doyle, A., McDonald, E., & Sexton, P. (2022) 'Presence accounted for? Student-teachers establishing and experiencing presence in synchronous online teaching environments'. Irish Educational Studies, 40 (1):41-49. | |
| 2021 | Doyle, A., Conroy Johnson, M., Donlon, E., McDonald, E., & Sexton, P. J. (2021) 'The role of the teacher as assessor: Developing student teacher’s assessment identity'. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46 (12):52-68. [DOI] | |
| 2020 | Donlon, E., McDonald, E., Fitzsimons, S., & Sexton, PJ. (2020) 'Being and belonging: Student-teachers' contextual engagement in schools'. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45 (6):95-113. | |
| 2020 | Donlon, E.; McDonald, E.; Fitzsimons, S.; Sexton, P.J. (2020) 'Being and belonging: Student-teachers' contextual engagement in schools'. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45 . [Link] [DOI] |
Conference Contribution
Research Interests
My research interests are two-fold:
History of Education/Loreto Education
I am interested in the history of women's education. I am particularly interested in the history of Loreto education. My scholarship focuses in particular on the foundress of Loreto, Mary Ward ( 1585-1645). In 2019 I was invited as the key note to speaker to deliver a lecture series on Mary Ward across Australia. I have also been invited to present at a large number of Irish conferences on Loreto education/Mary Ward/School vision/mission.
https://loretoministries.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/LOR_public_lecture_Flyer_A5_MAR19_v31.pdf
Teacher Education
I am fortunate to work with colleagues who are committed to understanding how we can help and support the professional development of student teachers. I am currently involved in two research projects that focus on teacher identity and professional development; the first project looks at students teachers experiences of "being and belonging" in school communities and the second project investigates innovative practices in school placement assessment. See publications.
Research Projects
Teaching Interests
- gender in education
- education disadvantage
- inter-cultural education
- student teachers' engagement with school communities
- student-centred approaches to teaching/learning
- history of women's education
- challenge based learning in teacher education
- contribution of female religious congregations to education ( particularly Loreto ( IBVM) Sisters)