Bec Neill

Dr Bec Neill is an academic specialising in early childhood education, relational and culturally responsive pedagogy, digital equity, and the schooling experiences of children and families experiencing disadvantage. Her work centres on creating socially just learning environments in which children and pre-service teachers are recognised as capable, agentic participants within complex socio-cultural education systems. She has led major program initiatives—including the rapid design and launch of UniSA's Bachelor of Early Childhood (Birth–5) intial-teacher-education program—and contributes to institutional governance through her role as Deputy Chair of the Adelaide University Human Research Ethics Committee. Dr Neill's scholarship focuses on the nexus of learning, wellbeing, and equity. Her publications span multilingual literacy, early years wellbeing, regional and hyper-diverse schooling, culturally responsive digital practice, and community-led educational partnerships across Australia and the Pacific. Her research has informed state policy, supported national program reform, and received international recognition, including a 2025 UNESCO policy citation and multiple publication excellence awards. Through her teaching, leadership, and engagement, Dr Neill advances high-quality, inclusive education for children, educators and communities. Early Childhood Education, Cultural responsiveness and working with Pacific Peoples communities education, Embedding Pacific Peoples knowledges, histories, culture, country, perspectives and ethics in education, Pacific Peoples early childhood education, Equity and access to education, Social ethics, Poverty, inclusivity and wellbeing, Rural Sociology, Sociological Methodology and Research Methods, Systems Theory, Pacific Peoples Information and Knowledge Systems

[2024] MacGill, B. M., Jattan, S., Lal, D., Narain, B., Neill, B., Nayaca, T., . . . Camaitoga, U. (2024). Ethics of care: pedagogical encounters from Oceania. Qualitative Research Journal, 24(1), 39-48. [2024] McInnes, E., Whitington, V., Neill, B., & Farndale, A. (2024). Professional learning supporting multilingual children's social and emotional development in diverse Australian early childhood education and care settings. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(3), 779-790. [2023] Brass, T., Kennedy, J. P., Gabriel, F., Neill, B., Devis, D., & Leonard, S. N. (2023). Learning analytics for lifelong career development: a framework to support sustainable formative assessment and self-reflection in programs developing career self-efficacy. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 6(1173099), 1