Our faculty conducts high quality research that addresses educational, social and policy issues of global significance.
We promote innovation through Research Themes and Centres. Each of the themes impacts on the work of teachers, school leaders and other school employees, and is felt within families and communities more broadly. Each has policy, practical, pedagogical, curricular, ethical, philosophical, economic, psychological and social dimensions, hence each can benefit from interdisciplinary approaches that propose solutions to pressing problems.
This theme researches: teacher shortages in developing sectors/countries; teacher and principal burnout and attrition; decline in the teaching workforce; international partnerships for education workforce development; mental health issues affecting the education workforce; education policy and curriculum reform and its impact on teaching and school leadership; teacher preparation for addressing loss of educational gains due to the COVID-19 pandemic; academic attrition and higher education workforce shortages.
This theme researches: parent-school communication and conflict; Competing interests between parents and schools (e.g., parental demands regarding rights/religious freedoms that would lead to exclusion/discrimination in school communities); the nature and purpose of schooling and curriculum and parents’ roles in relation to these; parental engagement in school governance; engaging parents in culturally diverse schools and communities; non-normative families and education; school engagement with adoptive, foster and non-custodial parents; the role of schools in supporting at risk children and families; engaging with parents affected by family violence; the impact of Covid-19 on parents and children’s learning support.
This theme researches: equity of access and participation; inclusive educational practices in schools and classrooms; inclusive curriculum and pedagogy; multiculturalism and diverse community values and practices; bullying, conflict and violence in schools; social and environmental impacts on children’s cognitive development; multidimensional poverty and education; impact of gender-based and family violence on schooling; schools’ duty of care for LGBTQI+ students, families and staff; decolonisation of the curriculum; fair access to higher education; equity, diversity and inclusivity in higher education; academic ethics and patronage.
This theme researches: Child/youth mental health issues such as depression, stress and anxiety during Covid-19; child/youth suicide and suicide prevention; educational factors associated with children’s mental health issues; child/youth grief and loss; child safety and wellbeing; child displacement and trauma due to global conflict, child labour and trafficking; learning after trauma.