This project aims to build teacher competence and enhance student learning in online environments. With a participatory action research design, it involves the collaboration of university researchers and ‘teacher-researchers’ from primary schools in Sydney. Connecting the quality of learning and the quality of classroom talk, the project guides teachers in designing for educationally productive learning interactions using online learning environments available to them and provides a case-based analysis of the evolving practices. 

The qualitative analysis draws on data self-collected by the teachers (classroom observations, students’ work, lesson plans, etc.), teachers’ reflections, university researchers’ meeting notes, and teacher-interviews. To communicate the project findings to a wider professional audience, an open-source knowledge centre – Dialogic Teaching Hub – is developed with best practice illustrative examples. Ultimately, the project strengthens the convergence of educational theory and practice, with fresh understandings of the benefits of talk-oriented (dialogic) teaching in online learning environments.

What does participation involve?

It is hoped that six primary school teachers from three schools will participate for a duration of two terms but if this is not practicable, alternative arrangements can be made.

Participation will involve the following activities:

• a full day professional development workshop
• conducting a needs analysis and developing action plans for improving and evaluating practices
• co-designing and implementing 1-2 units of work
• collaborating with critical friends in the ongoing review and action research of practices
• contributing to the development of a new repository (the Dialogic Teaching Hub).

Please see Detailed Overview of Project for further information.

What happens next?

Interested schools should contact Eva Vass E.Vass@westernsydney.edu.au and Lynde Tan L.Tan@westernsydney.edu.au

Associated Documents

• Detailed overview of the project >
• Dr. Eva Vass >
• Dr. Lynde Tan >

This research seeks to determine how senior mathematics teachers interpret and implement NESA’s alternative assessment (assignment) requirements in Years 11 and 12, explore what types of tasks teachers design to satisfy NESA’s requirement, and what factors/issues impact teachers’ decisions whilst creating such alternative tasks. 

Teachers’ beliefs impact their practice. Therefore, this research will also look at teachers’ beliefs about mathematics learning and teaching and investigate whether their beliefs influence the types of tasks that teachers design and use to assess their senior students learning. It will particularly focus on the validity and effectiveness of using these alternative tasks to assess students’ problem-solving skills.

This study aims to answer the following research questions:

• How do secondary mathematics teachers interpret NESA’s requirement to develop ‘assignments or investigation-style tasks’?
• What types of tasks do secondary mathematics teachers design in response to NESA’s requirement to develop ‘assignments or investigation-style tasks’?
• How valid are the tasks for assessing problem-solving that secondary mathematics teachers design in response to NESA’s requirement?
• What factors/dilemmas influence teachers’ designs of ‘assignments or investigation-style tasks’?
• What relationship (if any) is there between secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics learning and teaching, and the type of ‘assignments or investigation-style tasks’ that they design?

What does participation involve?

We are looking for senior mathematics teachers from schools in NSW to help us answer these questions. Participation is easy and we aim to take up as little school time as possible.

The survey is approximately 8-10 minutes and can be accessed here.

If you are interested in participation, you can opt to only complete the 8-10 minute online survey, or both the survey and the 60 minute interview. Pseudonyms will be used when findings are reported.

Participation is completely voluntary and participants can withdraw at any time. An information sheet is provided under Associated Resources with further information.

What happens next?

If you wish to participate, please contact Professor Jim Tognolini (jim.tognolini@sydney.edu.au) and Miss Kelly Padayachee (kpad5991@uni.sydney.edu). This will also provide an opportunity to clarify any final questions.

Associated Documents

• Survey Link >
• Principal Information Sheet >
• Participant Information Sheet >
• Consent Forms >

The research project examines how Year 12 students in New South Wales perceive the dual purposes of the HSC as both a secondary school exit credential and a tertiary entrance pathway through the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). Using a mixed-methods approach, it involves a survey and semi-structured interviews with Year 12 students in 2025 and students who graduated Year 12 in 2024, including students who went to university and other pathways. This enables exploration of misconceptions about these dual purposes and their connection to students' stress levels.

The study also aims to provide insights into students' preferred alternatives to the current system, offering recommendations to reduce stress and better align the HSC with student needs.

What does participation in your project involve?

The aim is to recruit two to three schools from Sydney. If you decide your school would be interested in participating in this study, your interested Year 12 students will be asked to complete a short online survey during Term 1, which can be accessed via the Recruitment Advertisement.

From this survey, students can opt to participate in a 30-minute interview on your school premises in Term 1. If necessary, parental/guardian consent will be obtained using the Carers Participant Information Statement and Carers Participant Consent Form. There is also a Participant Information Statement and Participant Consent Form for the young person engaging in the interview. Appropriate times for these interviews will be finalised with the researcher, your school and any interested students in later discussions to ensure maximal convenience for all parties involved.

In the interview, your students will be asked 6 main questions, with some follow up questions as seen in the Interview Questions Document. To make the process of distributing project documentation to students easier, you can choose to nominate a contact staff member who will also be the main point of communication with the researcher. For further information, refer to the Principal Participant Information Statement and Principal Participant Consent Form.

What happens next?

If you are interested, please read the Principal Participant Information Statement and Principal Participant Consent Form and contact Bianca Aiello (baie7618@uni.sydney.edu.au) and Jim Tognolini (jim.tognolini@sydney.edu.au). Contacting us will provide an opportunity to clarify any questions.

Associated documents

• Recruitment Advertisement 
• Principal Participant Information Statement
  
• Principal Participant Consent Form 
• Carers Participant Information Statement
• Carers Participant Consent Form 
• Young Peoples Participant Information Statement 
  
• Young Peoples Participant Consent Form
• Interview questions
  

This study aims to explore the evaluation practices of gifted programs in Australian independent schools. Furthermore, it seeks to identify the methodologies used, factors affecting these evaluations, and how the experiences and perceptions of involved stakeholders influence the evaluation processes.

The researchers are looking to recruit senior executive leaders and gifted education leaders in schools that have an existing gifted education program since these schools are more likely to have engaged in program evaluation. An existing gifted program, in this instance, is a program that has been present in the school for 12 months and one day or more.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part in the research study, we will ask you to participate in an online interview, and you will be asked questions about gifted program evaluation in your school. Principals (or senior leader representatives) will also be asked to provide anonymised documents relevant to gifted program evaluation practices at your school. The documents may include, but are not limited to curriculum documents, program outlines, evaluation reports, and other related printed communications. Participants may participate in the interview without principals submitting documents to the research team.

Participants will receive anonymised copies of these documents via email from the research team a week prior to the scheduled interview, to allow them to review the documents. In the interview, we will discuss the documents relevant to gifted program evaluation that your principal has provided to the research team.

The interview will take place using Microsoft Teams and will take approximately 45 minutes. With your permission, the research team would like to video record the interview. Since Microsoft Teams will automatically record audio and video, if you do not wish to be video recorded, you may turn your camera off. The research team will only use and retain audio and visual recordings for transcription. It will not publish recordings that can identify individuals (i.e., identifiable information) when reporting the research results or within the publication. If you do not wish to be recorded but you would like to participate you advise the research team and written notes will be taken.

There are no costs associated with participating in this research project, nor will you be paid.  However, you will receive an Amazon gift card of $25 to reimburse you for your time while completing the online interview.

What happens next?

For further information about participating, please see the PISCFs in the Additional Resources list or email: h.stephenson@student.unsw.edu.au  with the subject line ‘Gifted Program Evaluation Study”.

Additional Resources

• Senior Leadership/Executive Leadership Participant Information Statement and Consent Form
• Gifted Education Leader Participant Information Statement and Consent Form
• Principals (or leadership representatives) Participant Information Statement and Consent Form

What happens in your brain when you use metacognition?

This project aims to explore and reappraise the notion of metacognition using the learning sciences and apply its findings to enhance the design of teacher professional learning.

A common and simple description of metacognition is ‘thinking about thinking.’ However, the processes, functions, and features of metacognition are more complex. For instance, error detection and feedback are key components of the metacognitive learner. These two features enable learners to be aware of and fine-tune their learning and thinking processes and to be critical thinkers. This is essential for any learner, especially in the age of AI.

What does participation involve?

There are two parts to the study,

Part 1 - Survey: We invite all teachers at any school in Australia to participate in a 20-minute survey about teachers’ perceptions of metacognition. Responses are anonymous and confidential. Use this link https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ill9EZzUk3dSM6 to access the survey. You can read more about the study here or here or contact us for further details.

Part 2 - Electroencephalography (EEG): In the second part of the study, we will be recruiting 50 Primary school teachers to participate in an electroencephalography (EEG) based study. EEG is a safe and non-invasive method to measure the tiny electrical signals from our brains as we engage in cognitive tasks. The EEG will record your brain signals as you use your metacognition. It enables us to ‘look inside’ the brain. All the data that is gathered is anonymous and is used for the purpose of this study only.

University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC Approval No. 2023/899).

What happens next?

Complete the survey here https://sydney.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ill9EZzUk3dSM6.

Interested schools should contact Associate Professor Minkang Kim, minkang.kim@sydney.edu.au and Stanley Yip (PhD candidate), syip9239@uni.sydney.edu.au

Associated documents

• Survey about metacognition
• Information flyer
• Participant Information Sheet (PIS)
  

This research seeks to explore the factors that enable and demonstrate growing, leading and sustaining evidence-informed practice in schools. By collecting examples from whole-school sites that demonstrate and lead evidence-informed practice, the aim is to learn about what teachers and leaders in schools are doing; the structures, cultures and strategies being developed; and the extent to which individual and organisational factors influence changes in practice. This knowledge will be used to help schools lead evidence-informed practice well in the future.

The research aims to answer the following questions:

• What factors enable and demonstrate growing, leading and sustaining evidence-informed practice in schools?
• What are teachers and leaders in schools doing to influence changes to evidence-informed practice?
• What indicators and actions suggest the impact will be sustainable in the future.
  
  

What does participation involve?

Participation in this study will involve a 45-60 minute semi-structured interview at a time convenient for you. If there is only one participant from your school, it will be an individual interview. All interviews will be conducted online via Teams and will be recorded.

Participants may provide examples of artefacts such as whole-school programs that demonstrate the use of evidence-informed practice. All shared documents will be de-identified. Participants may also be asked to take part in a 45-60 minute observation. This will occur in a professional setting at a time convenient for you. For example, a staff meeting. No students will be observed throughout this study.

Participation is voluntary and you can withdraw at any time. Participant Information Statements and Participant Consent Forms are provided under the Associated documents heading.

What happens next?

If you are interested in participating in this study, please read the associated documents relevant to you and email Dr Christine Grice (christine.grice@sydney.edu.au) and Isaac Dargan (idar8852@uni.sydney.edu.au).

Associated documents

• Participant Information Statement for Principals
• Participant Consent Form for Principals
• Participant Information Statement for Teachers
• Participant Consent Form for Teachers

This research seeks to determine the deep motivations of parents and carers about their choice of non-government school. The survey is part of a larger independent study, exploring the reasons for school choice in Australia, an important topic for parents, schools, governments, and Australian society.

Since this study is not commissioned by a school or a school peak body it can inquire about hard and controversial choice factors as well as positive aspects. It is a study of the psychology and behaviours from the perspective of parents, rather than from the perspectives of institutions or politics.

This study seeks to answer the following research questions about parent motivation:

• What political economy factors motivate parents?
• What organisational theory factors motivate parents?
• What behavioral economics factors motivate parents?
• What moral psychology factors motivate parents?
• What personal religious factors motivate parents?
• How are all of the above affected by ethnicity, income, religious affiliation and activity, education, family background, employment, gender, and age?  
  
  

What does participation involve?

We are looking for any parents or guardians who have a child/ward in an Australian non-government school to anonymously participate in a survey to help answer these research questions. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes, and can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7BSZPKN

What do I do next? 

If would be great if school leaders could distribute information about the survey amongst your parent and staff bodies - many staff are also parents of children in non-government schools. If you choose to assist in this way, an optional summary of the research tailored for your type of school and general location can be provided once the data has been analysed. Please note that schools are deidentified in this report.

Contact Associate Professor David Hastie for further information, or just send through the survey link to your parents and staff.

Feel free to use this message we have prepared for you:

Dear parents and staff, 

The Australian School Choice Survey is a fully independent study of the deep motivations of parents in choosing non-government schools, led by Associate Professor David Hastie from Alphacrucis University College. The researchers are looking for any parents or guardians who have a child/ward in an Australian non-government school to participate in an anonymous survey, which takes approximately 15 minutes, and can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7BSZPKN. The survey is part of a larger independent study, exploring the reasons for school choice in Australia, an important topic for parents, schools, governments, and Australian society.

Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) is evidence-backed professional development where small groups of teachers form professional learning communities (PLCs) to learn from each other and enhance their teaching practice. Funded by the Australian Government as part of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, the project aims to improve the morale, confidence, job satisfaction and retention of your early career teachers and their colleagues through participation in QTR.

Read our school stories to see what other teachers and school communities are saying about their involvement in QTR.

All Australian schools are eligible to participate, providing they have a minimum of four teachers, two of whom are in their first three years (early career) of teaching. Schools can engage as many groups of four as they like, providing at least half of each group are early career teachers.

What does participation involve?

Each teacher in the project attends a free QTR workshop (usually $950 per person) where they learn the knowledge and skills to implement QTR in their school.

Teachers will be asked to complete four short online surveys - two before attending a QTR workshop and two after participating in QTR. A small number of schools (approximately 20%) will also be invited to take part in an online interview.

Schools will be invited to send a school leader and a teacher with responsibility for induction to an optional free online workshop designed to support the induction process.

What happens next?

To get involved, principals need to read the information statement linked in the “associated documents” section on this page and complete the consent form at the bottom of the document. The project team will then make contact to arrange teacher consent and assign free workshop places.

If you’d like to learn more, Laureate Professor Jenny Gore AM hosts a free information webinar each term. You’ll find the link to the next available webinar + recordings of previous webinars as well as all project information on our website: https://qtr.edu.au/induction

Associated Documents

• Project overview
• Principal information statement 
• Teacher information statement 

We are excited to invite you to partner with us in the Pain Smart project. An initiative to provide education about pain to adolescents.

Pain can affect young people in many ways. It can have a profound impact on their daily lives, including school attendance, participation in physical, sport and leisure activities, and engaging socially with others. Concerningly, teenagers that experience pain frequently are also more likely to drink alcohol, smoke and suffer mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and bullying. Persistent pain can consequently have a significant impact on the overall health and wellbeing of adolescents.

What is the Pain Smart project?

Our team of pain researchers, health professionals, education professionals and teenagers received a grant from the Australian government to design and test a) a pain education module to be delivered in high schools, and b) case managed care for teenagers experiencing pain with impact on their lives.

In 2023 we surveyed 500 teenagers and conducted in-depth interviews with another 25 to understand what 11-16 year olds know about pain, what they’d like to know and how they’d like to learn. We integrated this information with up-to-date scientific understanding about pain and worked with an education professional to create a 3-lesson module that aligns with the Stage 4 and 5 PDHPE curriculum. Working with clinician partners we also designed a virtually-delivered pain care program. In 2024 we piloted the program in 2 schools in Sydney.

Now it is time to conduct a large trial to assess whether receiving the Pain Smart education module improves students’ understanding of pain, and whether receiving our model of care helps those troubled by pain. Half of the schools in the study will receive the Pain Smart module straight away and the other half will receive the module one year later. Students with pain will be randomly allocated to receive the care model or not.
 

What’s in it for your school?

By partnering with us, you’ll be contributing to better understanding of how pain education can be incorporated in the PDHPE curriculum. You’ll also receive the following benefits:

• Free professional learning resources: All participating teachers will gain training in the pain education module, and receive all materials and resources for three fully developed and tested lessons.
• Support for your students: The data and findings of the research project will help us develop practical resources for schools. We will also provide all the data specific to your students back to the school to help you better understand and support them.
• Be part of this innovative research: Your school will be part of an important project funded by the Commonwealth Government that addresses their recommendations in the National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management. We hope in the future, to have better health outcomes for those children and adolescents living with pain.
  
  

How can you get involved?

Getting involved is easy! Click here to express your interest and we will be in touch to schedule a meeting. There’s no initial commitment required on your part, and we will ensure that the process is as smooth as possible.

Associated Documents

• What does participation involve?

In this research project, we aim to learn from former teachers who, after leaving the teaching profession, decide to return. 

Teacher shortages and teacher attrition are significant issues for schools and sectors in Australia and globally. This research project represents Phase Three of a larger national project seeking to better understand teacher attrition and retention by drawing on the insights of former teachers.

Phase 1: We used a national survey to learn about why former teachers chose to leave the teaching profession and where they went after leaving.

Brandenburg, R., Larsen, E., Simpson, A., Sallis, R. & Trần, D. (2024). ‘I left the teaching profession … and this is what I am doing now’: a national study of teacher attrition. The Australian Educational Researcher 51, 2381–2400. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00697-1

Phase 2: We interviewed former teachers from across the country to better understand how they experienced their work after leaving teaching.

Larsen, E., Brandenburg, R., & Papatraianou, L. (2025). Former teachers’ perceptions of post-teaching career job satisfaction: lessons for the profession. Educational Review, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2025.2449931

In Phase 3, we are interested in learning from those former teachers who, after leaving, decide to return to the profession. Our research question is: What motivates former teachers to return to the profession? We aim to collect diverse and meaningful insights that will inform universities, Initial Teacher Education programs, government, system leaders, schools, principals, and other stakeholders interested in teacher retention and attrition.

What does participation involve?

Who can participate? Any teacher in Australia who after leaving the profession to take up an alternate career path, decided to return to teaching.

What does participation involve?

1. Survey
   This Online Survey is estimated to take up to 15 minutes. Questions consist of short answer, scale or tick responses for your convenience. This survey is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time. The data will be anonymous and your confidentiality will be protected.
2. Interview (should you choose to do so)
   At the end of the survey, you will be invited to provide your consent to participate in a 30-minute follow-up interview online and contact details to arrange this should you wish to take part. You can just complete the survey and not volunteer for an interview.
   
   

What happens next?

If you are a returning teacher, and you choose to participate, simply click on this link to go directly to the survey: https://surveys.unisq.edu.au/index.php/214525?lang=en

Here you can read the Project Information first before starting the survey. You can stop at any time. Your data will only be received once you hit submit. At the end of the survey, you can indicate if you wish to participate in an interview just by choosing the "Yes, I consent" response and providing us with an email contact. We can then work out a time that suits you to complete the interview.

Schools might like to make available the Project Flyer with the survey link (and QR code) to staff in case they may wish to take part.

Associated Documents

• Project Flyer

Teacher retention, especially among early career teachers, is a critical issue in the Australian education system. High attrition rates can disrupt the continuity of student learning and place financial strains on the education sector due to the costs associated with recruiting and training new teachers. Mentoring and coaching have been identified as potential strategies to support early career teachers, providing them with the necessary guidance, feedback, and emotional support to navigate the challenges of the teaching profession.

This study aims to explore how online mentoring and coaching training programs can assist in improving the mentoring and coaching experience and therefore increase the possibility of retaining early career teachers in Australian schools. The primary aim of this research is to improve the retention prospects of a group of early career teachers. This is intended to be achieved through the provision of an online coaching program.

What does participation in your project involve?

We are seeking coaches and early career teachers. Coaches should be experienced teachers. Early career teachers should be in their first 5-7 years of teaching.

Coaches will be trained (online) in coaching strategies. This will take the form of 8 x 1 hour sessions during Term 3 2025. They will then be assigned a teacher to coach during Term 4 in 2025, and Term 1 in 2026. The duration of the coaching is 10 x 1 hour sessions over the two terms. It will be delivered online. They will also be interviewed twice during this process.

Teachers will be assigned a coach. During Term 4 in 2025 and Term 1 in 2026, teachers will meet (online) with their coach. They will also be interviewed at the conclusion of this project.

What happens next?

If you are interested in becoming a coach or taking part as a teacher, please contact Keith Heggart (keith.heggart@uts.edu.au)

Associated documents 

• Participant Information Form and Consent Form for Coaches
  
• Participant Information Form and Consent Form for Early Career Teachers
• One-page overview of the project

The project will examine the ways that on-demand access to online historical information and information processing tools are shaping the teaching and learning of historical thinking in secondary schools.

As a history teacher, I’ve seen both the tremendous opportunities afforded by the presence of on-demand information and information processing tools in the classroom, but I’m also increasingly aware of the challenges they pose. My PhD project is trying to better understand these opportunities and risks by seeking advice from a wide field of experienced history teachers. Together with my supervisors, I am hoping to use teachers’ expert advice to develop a protocol that can guide teachers in their practice.

What does participation in your project involve?

Participants will use Delphi Protocol to reach a consensus. The protocol will consist of:

• Questionnaire Round 1: answer a number of questionnaire items including both close and open-ended questions (30 mins electronic questionnaire) (Mid Term 2, 2025)
• Questionnaire Round 2: Review answers from Questionnaire 1 in light of what other participants have said. (30 mins electronic questionnaire) (Late Term 2, 2025)
• Questionnaire Round 3 (only if no consensus reached after Round 2): Review answers from Questionnaire 2 in light of what other participants have said. (30 mins electronic questionnaire) (Early Term 3, 2025)
• Protocol Review: provide feedback on the protocol that has been developed by the research team (30 mins electronic questionnaire) (Mid Term 3, 2025)
  
  

What happens next?

If history teachers are interested in the project, they should contact David Chilton | david.chilton@hdr.mq.edu.au | to ask any questions and submit a Participant Information and Consent Form (see associated documents).

Associated documents

• Participation Information and Consent Form 
• Flyer
  

Guidelines for Collaboration

Ethics Considerations

Two key resources have been developed to assist researchers and schools in understanding ethics.