Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
I am an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology in the School of Education at Macquarie University. I am passionate about ensuring that students of all ages have opportunities for belonging, engagement, and transformational learning.
For media comment in the areas of memory development, child development, or student-teacher relationships, or if you are interested in conducting higher degree research in these areas, please reach out to me at [email protected].
Leadership and governance
I have strong leadership experience in the higher education sector. I was Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching in the Faculty of Human Sciences at Macquarie (2019-2020), with responsibility for strategic learning and teaching initiatives across four departments. I am currently a representative on faculty board (2019-2020, 2021-2023) and a member of the university-level academic appeals committee (2019 - ). I am Director of the Centre for Children’s Learning in a Social World (2017 - ) and I have experience as Director of Research in the School of Education (2013-2016).
Research focus
I have two related research areas.
- In the first, I focus on how children and adolescents develop memory and emotion skills. My current research focuses on how famiy, teachers, and older community members reminisce with young people, and how young people use emotion and perspective-taking skills in their own remembering.
- In the second, I consider the importance of student-teacher relationships in childhood, adolescence, and higher education. I particularly interested in mapping the relationship factors that best facilitate learning and development.
Teaching and teaching scholarship
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have been awarded nine teaching awards between 2011 and 2018 (including from the Office of Learning and Teaching, Macquarie University, Unijobs, and the Australian Psychological Society). I am experienced in curriculum mapping, having developed curricula for seven classes in educational psychology, child development, general educational studies, and educational research, and have also contributed numerous guest lectures in education, cognitive science, and for faculty level-units. Underpinning my teaching is a strong commitment to creating undergraduate research opportunities for education students.
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Enhancing the benefits of collaboration on children's memory and learning
1/07/18 → …
Project: Research
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More than the sum of their parts: How do individual skills and attributes influence group remembering?
Harris, C., Van Bergen, P., Barnier, A. & Sutton, J.
1/01/16 → …
Project: Research
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Parent perceptions of COVID19 Schooling from home
Bower, M., Lai, J. & Van Bergen, P.
1/08/21 → 1/08/23
Project: Research
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MQRIS: A Test Library for Educational Researchers at Macquarie
Van Bergen, P., Wang, H., Degotardi, S., Andrews, R. & Bull, R.
1/01/20 → 31/12/20
Project: Other
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Elaborative and emotive reminiscing with young children: An intervention study for early childhood educators
1/01/19 → 31/12/20
Project: Research
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Educators' responses to gender and emotion in educator-child reminiscing vignettes
Grogan, A. M., Andrews, R. & Van Bergen, P., 3 Apr 2025, In: Early Education and Development. 36, 3, p. 587-602 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Exploring teacher–student relationships outside the positive/negative binary: a multistudy latent profile analysis of relationships and engagement in secondary science and mathematics
Burns, E. C., Van Bergen, P. & Thorvaldson, K. J., Apr 2025, In: Journal of Educational Psychology. 117, 3, p. 485–507 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)8 Downloads (Pure) -
LGBTQ+ student, staff and parent perceptions of Australian school climates
Mann, T., Van Bergen, P., Burns, E. & Jones, T., Apr 2025, In: The Australian Educational Researcher. 52, 2, p. 973-995 23 p., 105334.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)14 Downloads (Pure) -
Redshirting for remediation or advantage? Which Australian families delay children's school entry and why
Van Bergen, P., Sweller, N., Andrews, R., Sutherland, E. L., Bussey, K., McMaugh, A., Mackenzie, E. & Maurice, O., 2025, In: Early Education and Development. 36, 4, p. 912-930 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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The positioning of quality and expertise in initial teacher education: policy enactment in the Australian context
Ryan, M., Van Bergen, P., Adlington, R. & Maurice, O., 13 Jan 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Australian Educational Researcher. 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
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Australian Psychological Society Early Career Teaching Award
Van Bergen, Penny (Recipient), 2013
Prize
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Faculty of Human Sciences Citation for Programs that Enhance Student Learning
Van Bergen, Penny (Recipient) & Lane, Rod (Recipient), 2013
Prize
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Activities
- 4 Presentation
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Euphorias: Educators can support LGBTIQ+ joy!
Trent Mann (Speaker), Tiffany Jones (Speaker), Emma Burns (Speaker) & Penny Van Bergen (Speaker)
2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
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Educators and mothers offer children different reminiscing and future talk conversation opportunities
Rebecca Andrews (Speaker) & Penny Van Bergen (Speaker)
2019Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
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Realising new conversation opportunities for educators and children in daycare
Rebecca Andrews (Speaker) & Penny Van Bergen (Speaker)
2019Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
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Pointing the way forward: Preschoolers’ and adults’ comprehension of route direction information
Elizabeth Austin (Speaker), Naomi Sweller (Speaker) & Penny Van Bergen (Speaker)
6 Jan 2017Activity: Talk or presentation › Presentation
Press/Media
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Facebook for homework – face-to-face for emotional support
Erin Mackenzie, Anne McMaugh & Penny Van Bergen
27/10/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research