Dr Carla Nascimento Luguetti

My overarching research and teaching focus on topics of sport pedagogy, social justice and young people’s voices. Over the past seven years I have focused on understanding activist approaches within sporting and educational contexts. I have demonstrated the ability to design and conduct research with a strong commitment to reducing social inequalities and promoting positive and sustainable social change in and through sport. Collaboratively and in partnership with communities, my line of research aims at co-designing curriculum and/or programs with diverse youth (from socially vulnerable backgrounds, CALD, and refugee backgrounds). The intent is to assist youth to become critically aware of their communities’ social issues and empower them for social change.

I completed a PhD at the University of Sao Paulo in 2014. My research explored critical pedagogy and feminist studies in order to co-create a sport program that better addressed youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds. During that time, I participated as a visiting researcher for six months at the University of Bedfordshire, UK, under the supervision of Professor David Kirk. In 2015 and 2016, I did my post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Human Performance, Dance and Recreation at New Mexico State University, US, under the supervision of Professor Kimberly Oliver.

I joined VU as a lecturer in 2018 and I teach a range of units in Health and Physical Education.

My line of research is underpinned by critical pedagogy and feminist studies. I have a significant publication track record in collaboration with researchers from all over the globe (US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and South America) in peer-reviewed journals and papers for international conferences. For example, since 2010 I have published two co-authored books, 14 book chapters and 46 peer-reviewed journal articles. My publications cover a range of topics within her field. These include participatory and activist approaches to working with diverse youth, curriculum innovation and development through models-based practice.

I am interested in supervising or co-supervising postgraduate students who have an interest in HPE and sport pedagogy, participatory action research and social justice.