Research at the School of Education addresses the challenges of our time, encouraging creative responses from informed and innovative thinkers. As Australia’s #1 university 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.
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.
Learn from the best at Australia’s #1 university – and top five globally – 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.
Amrita Kamath
PhD student
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.
Under the leadership of Alfred Deakin Professor Julianne Moss, REDI brings together more than 50 researchers working on research programs from early childhood to higher education.
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.
Led by Alfred Deakin 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.
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.
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 specialist research groups conduct research across Deakin's five research strengths.
Prioritises the co-production of research-informed partnerships and alliances across the eco-systems of early childhood, school and higher education.
Investigates curriculum, pedagogy and assessment topics across formal and informal contexts, including early childhood, primary, secondary and higher education and more.
Addresses professional learning across workplaces, early years, schools, vocational education and training and higher education by examining leadership capacity building for transformative organisational change.
Deakin researchers are involved in a number of innovative education research projects.
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.
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.
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.
*U.S. News & World Report, Best Global Universities Subject Rankings 2022–2023
Get in touch with our team to find out more on our research programs, media expertise and collaboration.
General research enquiriesProfessor Linda Hobbs, Associate Head of School (Research)
Higher degree by research enquiries
Dr Trent Brown, HDR Coordinator
