Research projects and grants
Monash Education is renowned for conducting innovative research projects and making a significant contribution to the educational outcomes and health and wellbeing of children, young people and adults from diverse backgrounds and circumstances.
Current externally funded projects
Conceptual PlayLab
Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer
2019 - 2024
ARC Laureate Fellowship
Fleer’s Conceptual PlayLab aims to test ground-breaking play-based models for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics to young children.

Q Project
Assoc. Professor Mark Rickinson, Professor Lucas Walsh, Ms Connie Cirkony
2019 - 2023
Paul Ramsay Foundation
The Q Project is an Australian first study to investigate how research evidence is used in schools, and how to support educators to better use that evidence as part of their work.

Leading Virtual Learning Teacher Course
Assoc. Professor Mike Phillips, Professor Michael Henderson, Dr Zachari Swiecki
2020 - 2022
Department of Education and Training (Victoria)
This project is a world first in developing and implementing a curriculum diagnostic system based on the emerging psychometric field of Epistemic Network Analysis.

Kids co-designing sustainable and healthy environments
Assoc. Professor Deana Leahy, Assoc. Professor Ruth Jeanes, Assoc. Professor Iris Duhn, Dr Rosie Welch, Professor Jo Lindsay, Mr Warren Taylor, Dr Claire Tanner, Dr Bronwyn Cumbo
2020 - 2021
VicHealth
A project to develop an online toolkit that local councils, early childhood centres, and/or schools can use to engage children and young people in co-designing healthy and sustainable environments.

Data-smart schools: enhancing the use of digital data in secondary schools
Professor Neil Selwyn, Professor Dragan Gasevic, Professor Michael Henderson, Dr Luci Pangrazio
2019 - 2021
ARC Discovery Project
This project aims to investigate the use of digital data in schools to identify ways to improve its capture and use.

School leadership amid the pandemic
Dr Venesser Fernandes
2020 - 2021
Independent Schools of Victoria
This research project explores the experiences of principals from Independent schools in Victoria in leading their schools through the Covid-19 pandemic.

A novel transformational model for school food education in Pacific coastal communities
Assoc. Professor Deana Leahy, Dr Kathleen Aikens
2020 - 2021
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
This scoping study will inform the design of a novel model of community engaged food education in the Pacific.

Building Babies Brains (Bfor3) and Literacy Acquisition for Pre-Primary Students (LAPS) 2020 Project
Assoc. Professor Janet Scull
2020 - 2021
Waardi Limited
A project to evaluate Bfor3 and LAPS programs, and to help design teacher professional learning program and classroom teaching approaches to facilitate implementation.

Informal sport as a health and social resource for diverse young people
Assoc. Professor Ruth Jeanes, Dr Justen O'Connor, Professor Ramon Spaaij, Professor Dawn Penney, Ms Carmel Guerra
2019 - 2021
ARC Linkage Project
This research investigates the contribution of informal sports participation to the well-being of diverse young people and considers how governments, sport and health agencies can support this participation.

Islamic Schooling in Australia and Indonesia: A Collaborative Documentary Film
Dr Melanie Brooks, Professor Jeffrey S. Brooks, Dr Fida Sanjakdar, Dr Agus Mutohar
2019 - 2021
Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and the Australia-Indonesia Institute
This project explores the similarities, differences, challenges, and educational successes of two Islamic schools, one in Melbourne, Australia and another in Semarang, Indonesia.

Challenging Homophobia in Rugby Union
Professor Richard Pringle
2020 - 2021
Brennan Bastyovanszky (donation)
Research to examine homophobia within the context of the culture of rugby union.

Quasi-experimental research on Home Based Parenting Education Program
Dr Gloria Quinones, Dr Corine Rivalland, Dr Liang Li, Dr Hilary Monk
2018 - 2021
Plan International Nepal
A project to assess the effectiveness of the Home Based Parenting Education Program in Nepal.

Setting up for success: reengaging young parents with education
Dr Penny Round, Dr Pearl Subban
2019 - 2021
Department of Social Services (Australia)
A project to identify ways to provide education to young parents who have discontinued their formal education.

Family Violence Prevention in Victorian Muslim Communities
Dr Fida Sanjakdar, Dr Melanie Brooks
2020 - 2021
Board of Imams of Victoria Inc.

Respectful relationships in early childhood professional learning
Dr Marie Hammer, Dr Liang Li, Dr Hilary Monk, Dr Corine Rivalland, Assoc. Professor Nikolay Veresov, Dr Megan Adams, Joseph Agbenyega, Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer, Dr Gloria Quinones
2017 - 2020
Victorian Department of Education and Training
Commissioned by the Victorian Department of Education and Training, this project is to develop a training and resource package, which aims to deepen the understanding of early childhood educators in the area of respectful relationships, gender equality, gender-based violence and family violence prevention.

M-cubed: Money, meaning and maths for learners with cognitive disability
Dr Sarah Hopkins, Dr Richard O'Donovan
2019 - 2020
Financial Literacy Australia
Project to develop an assessment tool for evaluating the effectiveness of programs targeting money skills for learners with cognitive disability.

Completed projects
Mental Wellbeing in Community Sports Club - Healthway
Dr Justen O'Connor, Assoc. Professor Ruth Jeanes, Dr Karen Lambert, Dr Christine Grove
2020 - 2020 (Completed)
Numeracy across the curriculum research project
Assoc. Professor Gillian Kidman, Dr Jennifer Hall, Emeritus Professor Helen Forgasz, Dr Geraldine Burke, Assoc. Professor Deana Leahy, Dr Nish Belford, Dr Melissa Barnes, Dr Gary Bonar, Dr Rosalie Triolo, Dr Jo Blannin
2020 - 2020 (Completed)
Mathematics and Fractions and Decimals Online Interviews Review
Assoc. Professor Ann Gervasoni, Dr Ann Downton, Dr Penelope Kalogeropoulos, Dr Sharyn Livy, Professor Michael Henderson, Professor Colleen Vale, Doug Clarke
2020 - 2020 (Completed)
Zoos Victoria Fighting Extinction School Impact Project
Assoc. Professor Alan Reid, Mark Boulet, Dr Nick Faulkner, Lena Jungbluth
2018 - 2020 (Completed)
Vocational institutions, undergraduate degrees: distinction or inequality
Professor Sue Webb, Dr Shaun Rawolle, Dr Steven Hodge, Professor Trevor Gale, Professor Ann-Marie Bathmaker
2017 - 2020 (Completed)
High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) Resources Catalogue
Assoc. Professor Mike Phillips
2020 - 2020 (Completed)
Getting Evidence Moving in Schools
Assoc. Professor Mark Rickinson, Dr Carlo Perrotta, Professor Neil Selwyn
2019 - 2020 (Completed)
Engaged Exchanges: Teaching and integrating inquiry learning in online environments
Assoc. Professor Gillian Kidman, Dr Hazel Tan, Dr Sarika Kewalramani, Mrs Donna Rady, Dr Kirsten Ellis, Nerissa Kinnaird, Sharon Daujat, Sharon Bourke, Sarah Blessen
2020 - 2020 (Completed)
The internationalization of Australian Independent Schools: The influence of Confucian Heritage Culture on Pedagogy
Dr Hongzhi Zhang, Dr Wing Chan
2017 - 2019 (Completed)
Developing a conflict resolution theoretical framework for principals, leaders, teachers and whole school staff
Dr John Pardy, Dr Geraldine Burke
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Teachers' knowledge and practice in developing students' multiplicative thinking in Years 3 & 4 2018
Dr Ann Downton
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Dynamic Leadership in Early Childhood
Dr Sharryn Clarke, Dr Robyn Babaeff, Dr Leigh Disney
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Building an evidence-base for using Minecraft: Education Edition as an educational tool
Mr Roland Gesthuizen, Assoc. Professor Gillian Kidman
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Teacher knowledge and practice of geometry in Kindergarten to Year 6
Dr Ann Downton, Dr Sharyn Livy
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Turning inquiry experiences into robust learning: Exploring the potential of structured mathematics learning sequences
Dr Ann Downton, Dr James Russo, Emeritus Professor Peter Sullivan, Melody McCormick, Sally Hughes, Dr Sharyn Livy, Professor Janette Bobis, Shirley Cheong
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
Evaluation of the Let's Count E-Learning Pilot Program for The Smith Family
Assoc. Professor Ann Gervasoni
2018 - 2019 (Completed)
External Evaluation of Explore Learning Sites Critical and Creative Thinking Collaborative Inquiry Project
Assoc. Professor Debra Panizzon, Dr Kathy Smith, Dr Jane Kirkby
2017 - 2019 (Completed)
Teachers' knowledge and practice in developing students' multiplicative thinking in Years 3 & 4 2017
Dr Ann Downton
2017 - 2018 (Completed)
Numeracy@Home: Enhancing the capacity of parents to support the learning of their children
2014 - 2017 (Completed)
Teachers' knowledge and practice in developing students' multiplicative thinking in Years 3 & 4 2016
Dr Ann Downton
2016 - 2017 (Completed)
Are Islamic Schools in Indonesia Educating for or Against Religious Extremism
Dr Melanie Brooks, Professor Jeffrey S. Brooks
2017 - 2017 (Completed)
Pacific Indicators for Disability Inclusive Education (Pacific INDIE) project
Professor Umesh Sharma, Professor Joanne Deppeler
2013 - 2016 (Completed)
Using pedagogical reasoning to explicate expert practice that aligns with national teaching standards
2014 - 2016 (Completed)
Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources
Professor Paul Richardson, Professor Helen Watt
2014 - 2016 (Completed)
An investigation into the relations between imaginary situations and scientific abstractions in preschool digital play
Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer
2014 - 2016 (Completed)
Making a digital difference? An investigation of new technologies in secondary schools
Professor Neil Selwyn, Dr Nicola Johnson, Dr Scott Bulfin
2014 - 2016 (Completed)
Affective imagination in science education: exploring the emotional nature of scientific and technological learning and engaging children and teachers
Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer, Emeritus Professor Richard Gunstone
2013 - 2015 (Completed)
Elite independent schools in globalising circumstances: a multi-sited global Ethnography
Emeritus Professor Jane Kenway
2010 - 2014 (Completed)
Peopling educational policy: realising the new Australian English and mathematics curricula
Emeritus Professor Peter Sullivan
2011 - 2013 (Completed)
Conceptual play: foregrounding imagination and cognition during concept formation in early years science education
Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer
2011 - 2013 (Completed)