At Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER), we have one of the largest concentrations of university-based education researchers in the country. Our researchers work are an interdisciplinary coalition working to ensure that the benefits which can flow from any form of education and learning are genuinely accessible to all people in all contexts. Our focus is on the pursuit of educational and social justice, and we invest in research and research activities that generate new knowledge about diverse learners and diverse contexts. Our Blog provides introductions to our outstanding team of researchers, and our original, impactful research.
Latest posts
Meet Dr Sonal Nakar
Student learning in the 21st century is complex and requires a deep understanding of the realities of teaching in diverse, under resourced and uncertain contexts. Dr Sonal Nakar has developed her passion and intricate knowledge of ethics and ethical reasoning for teacher education, with a career encompassing private and public teaching in schools and the vocational education (VET) sector in India and Australia. Read More
From being “too afraid to speak” to “too afraid not to”
There’s long been acknowledgement of the importance of embedding Indigenous content into the Australian curriculum and classrooms, however recent research tells us teachers are still quite apprehensive around doing so. There are long standing fears of getting it wrong, certain sensitivities at play, and a lack of awareness of how to Indigenise a classroom or apply appropriate Indigenous frameworks. Read More
Meet Professor Leonie Rowan
Professor Leonie Rowan is the Director of GIER. Her research is strongly grounded in the pursuit of social and educational justice and she is passionate about changing the way we think and act, both consciously and unconsciously in the space of diversity. Read More
Principal leadership for parent engagement in disadvantaged schools: New book
GIER member Dr Linda Willis has co-authored a new book, Principal leadership for parent engagement in disadvantaged schools: What qualities and strategies distinguish effective principals? Read More
Reading with storybook apps
Shared reading of storybooks is an important activity for learning how to read. Young children often enjoy reading with their classroom teachers. Shared reading of digital books (e.g., storybook apps using tablets or iPads) is increasing in the pre-school classroom: however, little is known about how early childhood educators can best enhance children’s interactions with digital storybooks. Read More
“Punching above their weight”: NAPLAN metaphors
How are economically disadvantaged communities and schools portrayed in news stories about school results in the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assessments? In one case, a news story used the metaphor, ‘punching well above their weight’, when referring to the NAPLAN results of ‘disadvantaged’ schools. This metaphor represents schools in locations of poverty as performing poorly on NAPLAN by implying that any NAPLAN success is unusual or an exceptional variance. Recent research by Dr Aspa Baroutsis has investigated the use of metaphors in news stories about the NAPLAN performance of schools in locations of poverty in the Australian print media over the last 10 years. Read More
Research in 2021 and beyond
Griffith University’s School of Education and Professional Studies (EPS) and Griffith Institute for Educational Research (GIER) annual research conference “Research in 2021 and Beyond” was held at the Ship Inn, South Bank. Read More
Honorary doctorate award: Prof Stephen Billett
Professor Stephen Billett, a leading world scholar in adult learning and development and work-based learning, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Geneva at the Dies academicus ceremony, that he attended remotely on 9 October. Read More
3,100 people tune in to a webinar about living with autism
Have you ever thought about live streaming a webinar about your research findings to engage and inform a public audience? The Autism Centre of Excellence team did just this, and were inundated with viewers. Read More
Advanced Queensland Fellowship awarded to GIER Research Fellow
Griffith Institute for Educational Research Fellow Dr Yoriko Kikkawa has been awarded an Advance Queensland Fellowship that aims to prepare frontline healthcare professionals working with infectious patients during pandemics such as COVID-19. Read More
