Alex Gunn

Alexandra Claire Gunn is a New Zealand academic, and is a full professor at the University of Otago, specialising in early childhood education, inclusive education, teacher education and educational assessment.

Academic career

Gunn worked as an early childhood educator in both urban and rural not-for-profit childcare. Gunn completed a Master of Arts thesis Visual art education in early childhood centres : teachers' beliefs and practices at the University of Canterbury and a PhD titled Heteronormativity and early childhood education: Social justice and some puzzling queries at the University of Waikato. Gunn then joined the faculty of the University of Canterbury, before moving to the University of Otago in 2011. Gun was the Associate Dean (Teacher Education) for six years. She is also interested in educational assessment, particularly narrative assessment, evidence-based teacher education and the decolonising of education.

Honours and awards In 2022 Gunn was awarded a TEFANZ (Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand) Sustained Excellence in Teacher Education Award. The award nomination said "She has been tireless in promoting social justice and equity in education and society in general for the marginalized, the underserved, the excluded, and those who are small and often not properly heard".

Gunn was invited to present the Herbison Lecture at the 2023 New Zealand Association for Research in Education conference.

Selected works