Cathlene Hillier

Dr. Cathlene Hillier is an Associate Professor of Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan. Her background as an elementary school teacher in Ontario informs her teaching and research. Dr. Hillier loved teaching Social Studies in primary and junior classrooms, and she is passionate about helping B.Ed. students think of creative and culturally responsive ways to teach this important subject.

Dr. Hillier’s research explores the complexities of school and family relationships. Her Ph.D. research investigated these connections in relation to children’s literacy achievement. This has expanded to a SSHRC-IDG funded project examining children’s use of digital technologies as a learning tool, and the role that families and schools have in this process. As a sociologist, Dr. Hillier is interested in educational inequalities in educational outcomes (academic achievement and attainment), with a focus on socioeconomic status and geographical location. All this work informs her graduate course that focuses on the diversity of families in schools and explores how teachers/schools can support families.

In community service, Dr. Hillier believes university and local school connections are important in supporting teachers and students. This is evident in the research and community work she has done in her previous university in supporting pre- and in-service teachers in their implementation of robotics and coding in K-8 classrooms. This is work she hopes to continue in Saskatchewan.

Dr. Hillier maintains professional and academic connections by offering robotics workshops for in-service teachers, publishing in journals, and presenting at conferences. She has published in national and international journals such as International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, Rural Sociology, Canadian Journal of Education, Computers & Education, Journal of Children & Media, and Qualitative Research. She has contributed book chapters to books published by Oxford University Press and University of Chicago Press. In 2024, Dr. Hillier and Dr. Wendy Bokhorst-Heng released their co-edited book titled Equity and Diversity in Canadian Schools: Fostering Human Flourishing(published by Canadian Scholars Press). This book includes contributions from educational researchers and practitioners across Canada to offer a theoretical/conceptual grounding of various forms of diversity found in Canadian schools along with practical ideas for schools and teachers in supporting student flourishing.

• Ph.D, University of Waterloo, 2018, Department of Sociology
• M.A, Wilfrid Laurier University, 2011, Department of Sociology
• M.Ed, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, 2008, Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning
• B.Ed, University of Windsor, 1999, Primary/Junior
• B.A, University of Waterloo, 1998, Department of Sociology

• ECUR 382 – Methods in Elementary Social Studies
• ECUR 822.3 – Representing Families in Schools

• Children’s use of digital technologies as a learning tool and the roles of families and schools in this process
• Robotics and coding initiatives with pre- and in-service teachers
• Educational inequalities from a sociological perspective (focusing on socioeconomic status and geographic location)
• Family engagement in children’s schooling
• School policy change and implementation from an organizational perspective
• Research methods with children (e.g., photo-diaries, digital diaries, drawings, etc.)

• Hillier, C., & Bokhorst-Heng, W. D. (Eds.). (2024). Diversity and equity in Canadian schools: Fostering human flourishing. Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars Press. https://canadianscholars.ca/book/diversity-and-equity-in-canadian-schools/
• Hillier, C., Campbell, T. G., & Singh, D. (in press). Exploring extracurricular opportunities: Mentoring teacher candidates in a university robotics club. In C. Smith, G. Salinitriv, & X. T. Nguyen (Eds.), Mentoring to support teacher candidate development. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature.
• Hillier, C., Singh, D., & Campbell, T. G. (2024). The influence of a university-school partnership on preservice teachers’ perceived preparedness and views on teaching and learning S.T.E.M. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-024-10460-8
• Hillier, , Sano, Y., Pizarro-Milian, R., & Zarifa, D. (2023). Where did they go? Regional patterns in student mobility within Ontario post-secondary education. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 53(1), 44-61. https://journals.sfu.ca/cjhe/index.php/cjhe/article/view/189927/186635
• Aurini, J., Davies, S., & Hillier, C. (2023). Reproducing inequality or creating opportunity? The case of summer programs. Canadian Journal of Education, 45(4), 1055-1083. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/5311/3261
• Rizk, J., & Hillier, C. (2022). Digital technology and increasing engagement among students with disabilities: Interaction rituals and digital capital. Computers & Education Online, 3 (17 pages). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100099

• Hillier, C., Campbell, T., & Singh, D. (2025). Exploring extracurricular opportunities: Mentoring teacher candidates in a university robotics club. American Educational Research Association, Denver Convention Centre, Denver, Colorado, April 25.
• Singh, D., Hillier, C., Campbell, T., & Sears, H. (2024). “I came to develop a love for robotics!”: Pre-service teachers’ experiences with a university and elementary school robotics program. Science Education Research Group, Canadian Society for Studies in Education, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, June 13.
• Hillier, C., & Bokhorst-Heng, W. D. (2024). Book Panel: Diversity and equity in Canadian schools: Fostering human flourishing. Canadian Association for the Sociology of Education, Canadian Society for Studies in Education, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, June 14.
• Hillier, C. (2023). Children’s digital lives: A comparison of three investigations using visual research in Canada. XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, Australia, June 27.
• Hillier, C., & Rizk, J. (2023). Children's use of digital technology for learning: An exploratory case study using digital diaries. Canadian Sociological Association, Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, York University, Toronto, May 29-June 2.