Peta Callaghan

Dr Peta Callaghan

Senior Lecturer

School of Psychology

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I am a Social Psychologist and completed my PhD in 2014 titled 'Science, Ideology, and Climate Change'. Here I explored the discourses of climate change denial in the context of competing ideological positions and anti-science rhetoric.

I am interested in research topics focused on social inequality, especially environmental issues, racism and prejudice, and social identity. I utilise a range of qualitative methods in my research, including realist approaches such as content and thematic analysis, through to more constructionist approaches like discourse and critical discourse analysis.

I am now in a Teaching Specialist role and my research focus has pivoted towards education-related research, including best practice assessment in psychology undergraduate programs, academic staff well-being, and how to get the most out of student evaluations of teaching.

Best practice assessment methods for the undergraduate psychology program: A narrative review of the literature.

SETs in Higher Education: From Student Perceptions to Teaching Practices.

Task allocation and the development of interpersonal skills in online group work.

Climate Change: Attributions of blame during the 2019-2020 'Black summer' bushfires in Australia.

Using Discursive Psychology to Investigate Discourse on Climate Change in Australia.

Small School Grant 2020 ($2000): Developing effective strategies for online group work

LTAG 2024 ($5000): Task allocation and the development of interpersonal skills in online group work.

Academic Lead for Assessment in Psychology

Course Coordinator:

  • Psychology, Science and Society (Level III)
  • Psychology in Society: Social psychology (Level II)

Course Author (online programs):

  • Foundations of Psychology
  • Social Psychology 
  • Research Methods, Design & Analysis (qualitative module)
  • Applying Research Methods (qualitative module)
  • Other Supervision Activities

    Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Border closures’ impact on University of Adelaide students: exploring barriers and facilitators of support during the COVID-19 pandemic University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Julianne Rogers
    2022 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Social Representations of Climate Change before and after the Black Summer bushfires of 2020 University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Mitchell Osborne
    2022 - 2020 Principal Supervisor #ClimateCriminals: Discursive constructions of climate change prior to and during Black Summer University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Joseph Laranjeira
    2022 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Online communities and identity: experiences of LGBTQIA+ young adults with LGBTQIA+ online content during the covid 19 pandemic University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Alex Penfold
    2022 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Confirmation bias in legal decision-making: a qualitative/ thematic analysis University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Ellie Turner
    2022 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Student and teacher experiences with the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Sussan Vo
    2022 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Perceptions and experiences of LGBTQIA+ emergency first responders' and defence force personnel's families: A qualitative meta-synthesis University of Adelaide and MESHA Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Philip Dobek
    2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Help-seeking experiences of young women with symptoms of anxiety and depression University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Madeleine Whyatt
    2020 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Exploring the Impact of Employment on the Health & Wellbeing of Middle Eastern Refugee Women University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Gur Kaur
    2020 - 2020 Principal Supervisor Anthropogenic Climate Change and Collective Action University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Part Time Kath Whitson
    2020 - 2020 Co-Supervisor The Affective Practices of Incels: A Social Identity Approach to the Construction of Incel Identities University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Mark Marveggio
    2019 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Negotiating Changing Identities: Migrant and Refugee Children’s Ethnic Identity Expression in Australia University of Adelaide Bachelor of Psychological Science Honours Full Time Tamina Islam
  • Position: Senior Lecturer
  • Phone: 83139907
  • Email: peta.callaghan@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Hughes, floor 5
  • Org Unit: Psychology

Connect With Me
External Profiles