About the Author

Dr Andrew Martin is a psychologist and researcher specialising in educational psychology. In 2003, he was listed in The Bulletin's SMART 100 Australians and ranked in the Top 10 in the field of Education. In 2002, the American Psychological Association judged his PhD the world's Most Outstanding Doctorate in Educational Psychology and prior to that the Australian Association for Research in Education judged his PhD the Most Outstanding Education Doctoral Dissertation in Australia. Dr Martin is regularly invited to conduct keynote conference papers, student workshops, teacher professional development, parent nights, and presentations to education departments aimed at enhancing student motivation, engagement, and achievement. His work is also featured on television and radio and in major newspapers and magazines. Dr Martin has conducted extensive research into student motivation, engagement, and achievement as well as work into boys' education, gifted and talented, disengagement, educational resilience, effective teaching, parenting, teacher-student relationships, and Aboriginal education. He has published this research in many of the world's top academic journals and at international conferences. His first book, 'How to Motivate Your Child For School and Beyond' (Bantam, 2003) has been enthusiastically received by schools and parents across Australia. Dr Martin is Research Fellow at the Self-concept Enhancement and Learning Facilitation (SELF) Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney, and is Director of an educational consultancy (www.ajmartinresearch.com). He lives in Sydney with his wife and children.