Dr Murni Sianturi

With a Scientia Scholarship funded by UNSW, Murni earned her PhD in Social Sciences, specialising in the sociology of education, in 2024. Her doctoral thesis, Enhancing Indigenous Parents' Agency: Integrating Technology to Promote Culturally Responsive Home-School Partnerships, explores how technology can support Indigenous parents in education.

She completed her master’s degree in education at National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan, in 2016, and bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from State University of Medan, Indonesia, in 2011.

• Grants

  • Australia–Indonesia international research project with Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), funded by the Indonesian Government and co-funded by Excelsia University College, Australia (2025-2026)
  • HDR Thesis Editing and Proofreading Fund, UNSW (2023)
  • Journal articles grant, UNSW (2022)
  • HDR Essential Research Scheme grant, UNSW (2022)
  • Scientia scholarship for PhD program, UNSW (2020-2024)
  • Journal articles grants, DIPA Musamus University (2017 and 2018)
  • Research grants, DIPA Musamus University (2017 and 2018)

  Awards

  • Excellent research outputs, UNSW (2022, 2023 and 2024)
  • Won the Editor’s Choice Category in the Education and Culture Fields, The Conversation Indonesia (TCID) Author Awards (2023)

Her research interests lie at the intersection of the sociology of education, curriculum design, and educational technology. In recent years, she has focused on the sociology of education, particularly issues related to marginalised children and educational inequity. Her research also specifically explores factors influencing the learning achievement, well-being, and cultural identity of vulnerable. Built on her PhD research, she continues to explore how educational technology can improve the educational outcomes and well-being of vulnerable students while promoting cultural responsiveness and inclusivity.

• Towards a Shared Framework for Culturally Responsive and Sustainable Early Childhood Teacher Education: A Comparative Study of Australia and Indonesia
• AI, EdTech, and Inclusive Futures: Centering Equity, Indigenous and Multicultural Perspectives in Digital Education

Books:

• Sianturi, M. (2019) Geometry and Measurement in Elementary Education.CV Alfabeta, Bandung
• Sianturi, M., Hurit, A. A. (2018). Easy Math: The Joy of Learning Multiplication in Kampung Wendu.CV Alfabeta, Bandung

Journal Articles:

• Sianturi, M., & Suryani, D. R. (2025). The knowledge of Indigenous West Papuan pre-service teachers about primary school mathematical contents: Strengths and weaknesses. Mathematics Teaching Research Journal, 17(5), 85-103. https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.commons.gc.cuny.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/34462/files/2025/12/4_Sianturi.pdf   
• Sianturi, M., Lee, J.S., & Cumming, T. M. (2025). The synergy between Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing and technology in culturally responsive home-school partnerships. Information Technology for Development, 1–24. [Special issue: Indigenous knowledge and information technology for sustainable development, edited by Ransome Bawack, Sian Roderick, Abdalla Badhrus, Denis Dennehy and Jacqueline Corbett]

https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2025.2465435.  

• Sianturi, M., Riska, S., & Sianturi, I. A. J. (2025). Connecting cultures with mathematics: A study on incorporating Indigenous Papuan cultural contexts to mitigate errors in solving math word problems. Journal of Intercultural Studies. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2024.2440467  
• Sianturi, M., Lee, J. S., & Cumming, T. M. (2025). Strengthening Indigenous parents’ co-leadership through culturally responsive home-school partnerships: A practical implementation framework. Pedagogy, Culture, and Society, 33(3), 823-846. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2272746  
• Sianturi, M., & Au Hurit, A. (2024). “I want to read this book again!” Decolonizing children’s literature to support Indigenous children in reading and mathematics learning. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 45(2) 338-362. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2023.2247345  
• Sianturi, M., Lee, J. S., & Cumming, T. M. (2023). Shifting the belief of the “hard-to-reach parents” to “reachable parents”: Parent-teacher collaboration within schools in a post-colonial country. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 97, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101892  
• Sianturi, M., & Palobo, M. (2023). Using technology in home-school partnerships during Covid-19. Musamus Journal of Mathematics Education, 5(2), 53-66. https://doi.org/10.35724/musamus journal of mathematics education.v5i2.5001.  
• Astawan, I. G., Suarjana, I. M., Werang, B. R., Asaloei, S. I., Sianturi, M., & Elele, E. C. (2023). STEM-based scientific learning and its impact on students’ critical and creative thinking skills: An empirical study. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 12(3), 482–492. https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v12i3.46882  
• Lumban Gaol, N. T., Lumban Tobing, L., Purba, E. F., Pardede, V. W., Bukidz, D. P., Sianturi, M., &  Purba, E. F (2023). Deductive Thematic Analysis of Educational Leadership Stylesin Indonesian Religious School. Jurnal Kependidikan Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Kajian Kepustakaan di Bidang Pendidikan Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran, 9(3), 1007-1018. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v9i3.8790  
• Sianturi, M., Lee, J. S., & Cumming, T. M. (2022). Using technology to facilitate partnerships between schools and Indigenous parents: A narrative review. Education and Information Technologies, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11427-4  
• Sianturi, M., Lee, J. S., & Cumming, T. M. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11427-4 (2022). A systematic review of Indigenous parents’ educational engagement. Review of Education, 10(e3362), 1-38. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3362  
• Sianturi, M., Chiang, C. L., & Sumarsono, A. (2022). The preservation of the identity and culture of the Indigenous Lanninese people of West Papua, Indonesia, through education. Culture and Education, 34(2), 424-465. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2022.2034287  
• Sianturi, M., Sulantin, R., & Fitrianti, H. (2022). Relationships between cognitive styles and Indigenous students’ mathematics academic outcomes. Journal of Learning for Development, 9(3), 528-544. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i3.684.  
• Sumarsono, A., & Sianturi, M. (2019). Peluang media interaktif dalam menunjang efektivitas pembelajaran tematik di sekolah dasar. Jurnal Pendidikan Edutama, 6(2), 101. https://doi.org/10.30734/jpe.v6i2.353.  
• Sianturi, M., & Nurhayati. (2019). The effect of smartphones on students' learning at National Dong Hwa University. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 9(2), 9-14. https://doi.org/10.22610/jevr.v9i2(V).2790  
• Saragih, G. B. A., Palobo, M., & Sianturi, M. (2019). Analisis faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi siswa dalam mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah matematika siswa Madrasah Aliyah Al-Munawwaroh Merauke tahun akademik 2017/2018. (An analysis of factors affecting students in doing mathematics homework at students of Madrasah Aliyah Al-munawwaroh Merauke academic year 2017/2018).  Musamus Journal of Mathematics Education, 1(2), 62-73. https://doi.org/10.35724/mjme.v1i2.1371
• Wulandari, P., Nurhayati., & Sianturi, M. (2019). Pengembangan lembar kegiatan siswa berbasis discovery learning untuk meningkatkan berpikir kreatif (Development of student worksheet based on discovery learning to improve creative thinking).  Musamus Journal of Mathematics Education, 1(2), 80-89. https://doi.org/10.35724/mjme.v1i2.1374  
• Sianturi, M., Chiang, C. L., & Au Hurit, A. (2018). Impact of a  place-based education curriculum on  Indigenous teacher and students. International Journal of Instruction, 11(1), 311-328. https://doi.org/10.12973/iji.2018.11122a   
• Irianti, W. S., Meirista, E., & Sianturi, M. (2018). Perbandingan efektivitas pendekatan pembelajaran SAVI dan kontekstual ditinjau dari prestasi belajar Matematika siswa kelas VII SMP Muhammadiyah Merauke (Comparison of the effectiveness of the SAVI learning approach and contextual based on mathematics learning achievement of eight grade students of Muhammadiyah Junior High School, Merauke). Musamus Journal of Mathematics Education, 1(1), 30-42. https://doi.org/10.35724/mjme.v1i1.782  
• Sumarsono, A., & Sianturi, M. (2018). Implementation interactive media and characterized meme media: A comparison study. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 9(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.22610/jevr.v9i1.2557  
• Sianturi, M., & Lin, H. H. (2017). Effects of student’s grade to teacher teaching: a case study in an Indigenous classroom. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 7(4), 6-11. https://doi.org/10.22610/jevr.v7i4(V).1504  

Media

• Sianturi, M., Lee, J.S., & Cumming, T. M. (2023). 3 ways that education in Papua better reflects local values ​​and culture , https://theconversation.com/3-cara-agar-pendidikan-di-papua-mencerminkan-nilai-nilai-dan-budaya-lokal-dengan-lebih-baik-216542
• Sianturi, M. (2023). Relevant education for Papuan children and building effective collaborations with Papuan parents. Republic of Indonesia Radio, Merauke-Papua, Indonesia.