Australian Association for Research in Education

Navigating the neoliberal tensions during the COVID-19 pandemic- IB practices within Singapore, Hong Kong & Taiwan - The Australian Educational Researcher International Baccalaureate (IB) schools in Asian societies such as Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong have experienced a quick rise since the turn of the millennium, propelled by the globalisation and marketisation of education, proliferation of cosmopolitan imaginations associated with international education, but saliently framed in the vocabulary of neoliberalism. With the increasing adoption of international curricula into local and national education systems in the Asia–Pacific region, IB...

Have you read first online #OA article by Suraiya Abdul Hameed, Yu-Chih Li & Jack Tsao 'Navigating the neoliberal tensions during the COVID-19 pandemic- IB practices within Singapore, Hong Kong & Taiwan' in AER? https://loom.ly/V5TODB0

The Early Childhood SIG invites AARE members to Session 3 of “Shaping Futures: Conversations on Quality Early Childhood Education”, an online research-sharing event showcasing the work of SIG members.

Held on Monday 23 March at 10:00am Perth time (1:00pm AEST)

https://loom.ly/wwHWosQ

Teacher workload's a problem. What is the solution? Workload: what's needed - more time, quality support, assistance with complex student needs, sensitive approaches to change management

Current ‘wellbeing’ strategies that emphasise individual coping are very limited when discussing a system-wide issue like workload. Mihajla Gavin et al explain why solutions to the current teacher workload problem needed to be grounded in system-level strategies. https://loom.ly/777lFWA

Teacher Digital Competence in New Zealand Primary Schools: A Qualitative Study of Integration Practices, Challenges, and Cultural Considerations - The Australian Educational Researcher This qualitative study examines the state of Teacher Digital Competence (TDC) in New Zealand primary schools through interviews with five teachers. Applying Starkey’s model of digital integration and the DigCompEdu framework (Redecker in European framework for the digital competence of educators: DigCompEdu. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017), the research reveals a spectrum of technology adoption from basic tool use to advanced pedagogical infusion. Key findings hig...

Have you read first online #OA article by Huidan Niu & Maureen Rajani Rajendran Niranjan 'Teacher Digital Competence in New Zealand Primary Schools: A Qualitative Study of Integration Practices, Challenges, and Cultural Considerations' in AER? https://loom.ly/gCijMmM

In a public school classroom, talent won't grow by accident - teachers need more The Inspire initiative is a promising beginning. Are we prepared to invest in the teachers who transform talent into excellence?

Professional learning is frequently positioned as an accompanying feature of reform like the Inspire initiative in NSW. Carla Trott argues that when educators are well prepared to design challenging, intellectually rigorous tasks, high potential students flourish. https://loom.ly/m2ayPVU

SIG Grant Funding Round opened 23rd February 2026 and closes 10am 27th April, 2026. https://loom.ly/c-QWz5o

AARE members who are interested in the opportunity to represent AARE, are invited to submit an Expression of Interest which includes a symposium proposal by COB Monday 9th March 2026.

https://loom.ly/GD1dSdk

Will the social media ban impact NAPLAN results? Social media ban: hard to imagine why we should expect improvements on NAPLAN when the proposed intervention is not aligned with curriculum

The evaluation of the social media ban will use data linkage techniques including NAPLAN data. Sally Larsen explains why it is hard to imagine how improvements on a standardised test like NAPLAN can be linked to a ban that is not aligned with curriculum. https://loom.ly/rpp5lRE

Partnerships in Practice: Understanding History Teaching Through School Based Research | monday.com forms From campaigns to creatives, lead generation & more, manage every request, contact or feedback with monday.com forms

Tuesday 3rd March - Partnerships in Practice: Understanding History Teaching Through School Based Research

Presented by Claire Golledge, University of Sydney

When: Tuesday 3rd March 2026
Time: 4:30pm AEDST
Via Zoom https://loom.ly/vAmAErY

Rethinking the gradual release of responsibility in ITE mentoring: an andragogical perspective - The Australian Educational Researcher Consistent, high-quality mentoring is essential in initial teacher education (ITE), as mentoring effectiveness significantly influences preservice teachers’ learning during classroom professional experience. Yet, ITE mentoring practices are often informal rather than structured or reflective. This qualitative case study, conducted within a government-funded university-school partnership in Victoria, Australia, investigates a targeted intervention aimed at enhancing mentoring. It explores how ...

Have you read first online #OA article by Allison Byth 'Rethinking the gradual release of responsibility in ITE mentoring: an andragogical perspective' in AER? https://loom.ly/3biJSHE

Racism: those of us with institutional power must now respond with honesty not defensiveness Racism is always going to be a problem but having the support to deal with it will make a big difference in the lives of Black students.

Peter Anderson argues that "the Respect at Uni study released last week demands that those of us with institutional power respond with honesty, not defensiveness." https://loom.ly/BHnUjfs

Becoming a disabled teacher: teacher placements as sites for identity formation - The Australian Educational Researcher Teacher placements are crucial learning opportunities due to their ontological function: in placements, students not only learn but also gather experiences of being a teacher. While earlier research has portrayed placements as venues for professional identity formation, this study examines how historically marginalised students become known as (dis)abled teacher subjects in placements. This study examines the identity narratives of five disabled pre-service teachers in Australia through longi...

Have you read first online #OA article by Juuso Henrik Nieminen, Mollie Dollinger & Rachel Finneran 'Becoming a disabled teacher: teacher placements as sites for identity formation' in AER? https://loom.ly/rOkn3rc

Which resources support teachers to embed Indigenous perspectives? A convergent mixed methods analysis - The Australian Educational Researcher The national Australian Curriculum includes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross-curriculum Priority (CCP). The aim of this CCP is to build students’ knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and specifically within the curriculum’s eight key learning areas. It has been established in research that many teachers report hesitancy or even unwillingness to teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, and a lack of quality resour...

Have you read first online #OA article by Emma C. Burns, Lucy Plummer, Greg Vass, Kevin Lowe, Signe M. Duff & Annette Woods 'Which resources support teachers to embed Indigenous perspectives? A convergent mixed methods analysis' in AER? https://loom.ly/0Oc__6Y

Remembering Dr Colin Symes.
You are invited to an informal gathering at Macquarie University Wallamattagal Campus on Tuesday, 10th March 2026, 1-2pm in the Readers and Writers Lounge, Ground Floor, 25B Wally’s Walk.

What happens when students weaponise feedback against women academics? Opposition to gender equality, anti-racism and queer rights is currently providing a vehicle for far-right populism

Like schooling which structurally enables gender based violence, so too does the higher education sector. Sam Schulz and Sarah McDonald assert that by failing to support academic women and censure anti-genderism, the university is implicated in these trends. https://loom.ly/zrgxB4s

Collaborative approaches to quality through educator critical reflection - The Australian Educational Researcher This article examines a collaborative research project carried out in a regional Australian kindergarten investigating quality practices in early childhood education (ECE) through educator critical reflection (ECR). The project was initiated in response to Australia’s National Quality Agenda (NQA), a national policy initiative aimed at improving the quality of ECE. Central to the NQA is the National Quality Standard (NQS), which outlines expectations for high-quality practice, and Belonging, ...

Have you read first online #OA article by Claire Philp-Clark 'Collaborative approaches to quality through educator critical reflection' in AER? https://loom.ly/-9n4P7M

Why we need cross-institutional Indigenous supervision reform now Indigenous HDRs deserve equitable, culturally safe supervision. Indigenous academics deserve equitable recognition for work. Will anyone act?

Indigenous HDR students deserve equitable, culturally safe supervision. Indigenous academics deserve equitable recognition for their labour. Maria Raciti and Bronwyn Fredericks propose three practical reforms that are administratively feasible. https://loom.ly/OME6cmw

🗣️NEW SIG!
AARE is pleased to announce the launch of the Learning Environments Special Interest Group (LE SIG).

Members are warmly invited to join the LE SIG and contribute to its inaugural activities in 2026.
Details here:
https://loom.ly/S3mnwBo

As universities are slashed, this is what we need more than ever Interdisciplinary research: when universities solve real-world problems, their relevance and benefit for our society are on display.

Calls for researchers to work in interdisciplinary teams to solve complex world problems are increasingly difficult to adress when higher education institutions, which are under increasing budget pressures, are the place this research thrives. https://loom.ly/-mMXj4s

👪The Early Childhood SIG presents “Shaping Futures: Conversations on Quality Early Childhood Education”

🕙Monday 23 March at 10:00am Perth time (1:00pm AEST)

🗣️Dr Elise Hunkin (La Trobe University) & Dr Amelia Ruscoe (Edith Cowan University) will be presenting

Details: https://loom.ly/wwHWosQ

Three concerns that must not torpedo explicit instruction now With the increasing uptake of explicit instruction in schools, there are three concerns to dispel so educators can be more comfortable, confident, and effective in its implementation Schools are increasingly prioritising explicit instruction as the preferred approach to teaching. Education departments at state and federal levels are also emphasising this approach, including in initial teacher ...

Andrew Martin explains that teachers’ professional judgement, attention to the individual student, and students’ independent learning are closely tied to the implementation of high-quality explicit instruction. https://loom.ly/R_H0AM0

Teaching in the Age of AI: Media Literacy, Digital Identity & Rethinking Assessment with Professor Frederica Fornaciari - Technology and Learning Research (AARE) In this episode, Dr Ellie Meissner speaks with Professor Federica Fornaciari about what educators need to know as AI rapidly reshapes teaching and learning. Together they unpack how media literacy now demands far more than spotting fake news, it r...

🚨Podcast Alert 🚨

AARE Technology and Learning SIG

Dr Ellie Meissner speaks with Professor Federica Fornaciari about what educators need to know as AI rapidly reshapes teaching and learning.
https://loom.ly/ud9kzXY

Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) Bill 2025 Committee: Education and Employment Legislation Committee Date referred: 5 February 2026 Submissions close: 10 April 2026 Reporting date: 25 June 2026 On 5 February 2026, the Senate referred the Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hi

📓New Bill open for submission until 10 April on reversing JRG.
🗣️Parliament of Australia, Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse JRG Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) Bill 2025
Details here: https://loom.ly/D8VAIx8

🗣️EOI for History and Education SIG due today
Partners for the Past – Exploring Partnerships in History Education

❓What is it?
A collaborative project examining the ethics, practices, and possibilities of partnerships in history education.

Details in link: https://loom.ly/CqXih2M

About one in four teachers is a man. That's not enough Understanding who completes initial teacher education (ITE) programs is essential for building an accurate picture of Australia’s future teaching workforce. We also need to know the pathways they take. Those figures tell us who is actually positioned to join the profession.    What we know is this. Men remain significantly under-represented in teaching, making up around ...

Only 28% of the teaching workforce in male. Scott Cowie, Loam Dao, Jeanne Allen and Darren Pullen's research shows that male ITE completions are increasingly occurring through flexible study modes and argue that recruitment should reflect this. https://loom.ly/JHmcue4

Demoralised: I left teaching because I love it There is nothing special about my story: “Qualified, committed teacher quits full time, classroom teaching.” I’m one of the thousands of experienced educators, who according to AITSL either leave the profession completely or pivot to short contracts and casual relief teaching. But what I can say is I am not done, or washed-out, and I ...

It is not only workload, lack of leadership or admin support that is influencing teachers to leave the profession. Kerrie Petersen argues if professional fulfillment and moral rewards are brought back to teaching, teachers will follow. https://loom.ly/dDDnx_A

🍱Got a desk lunch today?
Why not pop into the Research Development Seminar
🗣️Race, Education, Niceness, and (Threats to) Academic Freedom in Post-Truth Climates online lecture by Professor Angelina Castagno
🕙Today 11:00:00 - 12:30:00 AEST
✒️Register: https://loom.ly/hVRkXgs

🗣️Have your say on the Decadal Plan for Education Research

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, in partnership with AARE, is developing a Decadal Plan for Australian Education Research —a 10-year roadmap.

✅Consultation open until 1 March

https://loom.ly/cloo93Y

Setting the Standards: who chooses 'best practice'? A review of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers is due to Jason Clare this month. Who gets to set the Standards?

Mandates about teaching approaches means professional identity is reshaped, agency is narrowed, and the credibility of HALT as a marker of genuine expertise is weakened. John Cole explains the challenge that lies with a review of the APSTs. https://loom.ly/qoFaDUg

✅SAVE THE DATE!!!

Conference 2026 dates are 29 November to 3 December

This year, our theme will be ‘Educational Research for Ethical Lives’ and the Radford Lecture will be delivered by Professor Tracey Bunda.