Reviewer acknowledgment
02-02-2026
We are grateful for the good work of our reviewers. For 2024-2025 they are:
Read more about Reviewer acknowledgment
About the Journal
The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education is the Journal of the Society for the Provision of Education in Rural Australia (SPERA). It serves as an international medium for educators and researchers with an interest in rural education.
Online ISSN 1839-7387
Print ISSN 1036-0026
Announcements
Current Issue
Vol. 36 No. 1 (2026): What's Rural About Rural Education Research
This issue offers readers a broad range of articles that discuss various aspects of rural education in different learning settings in Australia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand and Japan. One of the common threads in the editorial is about the ‘rurality’ of rural education research. Drawing on the articles we provide an answer to the question: ‘what’s rural about rural education research?’ We conclude that rurality in rural education research reflects teaching and learning. It is contextual, based on the place, where knowledge is generated from the rural. Importantly too, it draws from the realities that make rural education unique. Rural education research reflects the values of the place and uses methodologies which give voice to the people of rural communities. It is relational rather than transactional. It is not the opposite of research in urban areas, and it should not be seen as a reaction to metrocentric views of the rural as being in some kind of deficit. As you read through this set of articles, we encourage you to take time to consider how rurality intersects with education and research.
Published:
06-03-2026
Full Issue
FRONTMATTER
JOURNAL PAPERS
RURAL CONNECTIONS: CELEBRATING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
Contributions from SPERA members and non-members on any aspect of rural education and from various disciplinary perspectives at any level of education are welcome. The focus of the Journal is on addressing issues, challenges, developments and opportunities in rural education globally, and we encourage submissions which, for example:
- Promote the development of rural education scholarship
- Disseminate innovative ideas, actions, programs and policies in rural education
- Link people interested in providing quality learning experiences in rural contexts
- Provide a forum for new ideas and innovations in rural education
- Share information and findings related to rural education issues and the development of programs.
The Australian and International Journal of Rural Education publishes peer-reviewed papers which may be scholarly accounts of educational research relevant to rural education, feature articles, research reports or integrative reviews (recommended length 6,000 to 8,000 words including references and endnotes, or at the Editors' discretion) or short articles, reports or book reviews (between 600 and 2,000 words). All submissions are double-blind refereed. We encourage authors to refer to relevant articles published by the Journal.