Research
Join our supportive education research community
Learn how our education research creates diverse, inclusive and sustainable societies. Find a PhD supervisor to kick-start your research career and make an impact. Get to know our research centres and groups and become a partner – we collaborate with government, industry and community.
Choose Deakin for education research
Research at the School of Education addresses the challenges of our time, encouraging creative responses from informed and innovative thinkers. As the #11 university in the world for education and educational research, we help to create equitable, democratic, secure, sustainable and vibrant futures. Our research nurtures ethical engagement within and across disciplines and local, national and international borders.
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. With high-quality training and supervision, strong financial support and career development programs, our PhD program offers a direct pathway to a research career.
#13 in the world for education and educational research
From studies looking at the use of social media to teach literature in secondary schools to the value of bush kindergarten for pre-school aged children's STEM learning capabilities, our team is at the forefront of exciting new research in the education space.
My PhD supervisors at Deakin are perfect mentors. They work with me to strengthen my academic profile through co-publishing, conference presentations and giving me the opportunity to be involved with research beyond my project.
PhD student
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 Deakin Distinguished Professor Julianne Moss, REDI brings together more than 50 researchers working on research programs from early childhood to higher education.
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child
Professor Julian Sefton-Green 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 Deakin Distinguished Professor David Boud – the world’s leading higher education researcher – and Professor Phillip Dawson, CRADLE researches 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 Associate Professor Jo Raphael, the centre explores educators’ roles to promote global perspectives on education for long-term sustainability of complex living systems.
Find a scholarship
Reach your full potential and achieve your career goals with the support of a research degree or PhD scholarship. Our top scholarships recognise and reward students from a range of backgrounds and interest areas.
Our research groups
Our specialist research groups conduct research across Deakin's five research strengths.
Innovating Teacher Education
Prioritises the co-production of research-informed partnerships and alliances across the eco-systems of early childhood, school and higher education.
Deakin Education Practice and Policy Group
Investigates curriculum, pedagogy and assessment topics across formal and informal contexts, including early childhood, primary, secondary and higher education and more.
Transforming Professional Lives, Learning and Leadership
Addresses professional learning across workplaces, early years, schools, vocational education and training and higher education by examining leadership capacity building for transformative organisational change.
Featured projects
Deakin researchers are involved in a number of innovative education research projects.
Teaching digital writing in the era of AI text generators
Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA) Fellow Associate Professor 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
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
Whatever the size of your organisation, we can help you grow your ideas from concept to reality. Our research-intensive environment delivers and translates high-quality world-class research into outcomes that are relevant and meaningful to our communities.
*Deakin references data from a range of government, higher education and reputable media sources. For more information,visit our University rankings page.
Contact us
Get in touch with our team to find out more on our research programs, media expertise and collaboration.
General research enquiries
Professor Linda Hobbs, Associate Head of School (Research)
Higher degree by research enquiries
Dr Trent Brown, HDR Coordinator
