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Research

Join our supportive education research community

Learn how our education research creates diverse, inclusive, socially just and sustainable societies. Get to know our research centres and groups and become a partner – we work collaboratively with government, industry and community.

Choose Deakin for education research

Research in the School of Education addresses the challenges of our time, encouraging creative responses from informed and innovative thinkers. We participate in the creation of equitable, democratic, secure, sustainable and vibrant futures. Our research nurtures ethical engagement within and across disciplines and local, national and international borders.

Our education research centres

The School of Education is an active contributor to global education research and theory. Our research is essential to the success and growth of education programs at Deakin and around the world.

Centre for Research for Educational Impact

Under the leadership of Alfred Deakin Professor Julianne Moss, REDI brings together more than 50 researchers working on research programs from early childhood through to higher education – focusing on a wide range of professional, policy and practice issues that are both in and out of school systems.

ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child

Professor Louise Paatch is the Deakin lead for the Centre for the Digital Child, which is a collective of researchers from Australian universities focused on supporting young children growing up in a rapidly changing digital age.

Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning

Led by Alfred Deakin Professor David Boud – currently the world’s leading higher education researcher – and Professor Phillip Dawson, CRADLE's main role is to research assessment practices in the changing settings of education, which are increasingly embracing digital learning.

The Centre for Regenerating Futures

Led by Associate Professor Peta White and Dr Jo Raphael, the centre explores educators’ roles to promote global perspectives on education for long-term sustainability of complex living systems. The Centre is committed to healing country and engaging with First Nation ways of knowing to guide education for uncertain futures.

Deakin is the #1 university in Australia for education and educational research*

In 2022 Deakin University was also ranked fifth globally in the category of Education and Education Research in the ninth annual U.S. News Best Global Universities list, illustrating Deakin’s leadership in education research. Deakin was considered ‘Above world standard’ in the 2018 Excellence for Research in Australia ranking.

Our research groups

Innovating Teacher Education (ITE)

Prioritises the co-production of research-informed partnerships and alliances across the eco-systems of educational provision that includes early childhood, school and higher education. Co-convened by Dr Natalie Robertson and Associate Professor Amanda Mooney.

Being and Becoming Learners (BBL)

Explores innovative, creative and ethical ways in understanding and engaging diverse learners within early childhood, schooling, home and communities to enhance understanding of the ecologies in which they live, learn and play. Co-convened by Associate Professor Tim Corcoran and Dr Marcus Horwood.

Transforming Professional Lives, Learning and Learnership (TPLLL)

Addresses professional learning across workplaces, early years, schools, vocational education and training and higher education by examining leadership capacity building for transformative organisational change. Co-convened by Associate Professor Rod Neilsen and Dr Lihua Xu.

Transforming Curriculum, Assessment and Pedagogy (TCAP)

Investigates curriculum, pedagogy and assessment topics across formal and informal contexts, including early childhood education, primary education, secondary education, vocational education and training, higher education and community settings. Co-convened by Associate Professor Michiko Weinmann and Dr Rebecca Cairns.

Discover our research strengths and find a supervisor

When you study a PhD or postdoctoral research at the School of Education you'll be supported by world-renowned researchers. Our education HDR supervisors conduct research across several discipline areas.

Featured projects

Deakin researchers are involved in a number of innovative education research projects.

Teaching digital writing in the era of AI text generators

Teaching digital writing in the era of AI text generators

Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow Dr Lucinda McKnight is undertaking a three-year investigation into the teaching of digital writing in secondary English. She is exploring how teachers are conceptualising writing in a time of rapid technological change, including through the introduction of AI text generators like ChatGPT.

Supporting teachers of high-ability students

Supporting teachers of high-ability students

Dr Maria Nicholas, Associate Professor Andrew Skourdoumbis, and School of Information Technology’s Dr Shaun Bangay are leading a team to develop new understandings on how to support high-ability students in diverse school contexts. In partnership with the Victorian State Government’s Department of Education and the Centre for Higher Education Studies, the project uses 360-degree video of classroom practice and virtual animated simulations housed within an interactive online platform.

Be part of research that’s above world standard

Our research-intensive environment delivers and translates high-quality world-class research into outcomes that are relevant and meaningful to our communities.

Partner with us

Footnotes

*US News and World report 2022 www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/education-educational-research

Contact us

Get in touch with our team to find out more on our research programs, media expertise and collaboration.

Partnership and general research enquiries
soeadmin@deakin.edu.au