PhD and Research Masters

Why a PhD or Research Masters in Comparative and International Education at Newcastle?

The University of Newcastle's School of Education is home to the Comparative and International Education (CIEGUN) research group.

PhD and Masters by Research students who undertake projects with CIEGUN will benefit from the group's critical mass of established comparative and international researchers, who explore global educational policies and alternatives for contemporary times.

CIEGUN scholars bring expertise in critical and diverse approaches and associated research methodologies to analyse international educational phenomena.

Distinctive research spokes, led by group members, investigate policy across geographical regions, time periods, and educational forms, with a common focus on developing critical understandings of policy on multiple levels of scale.

CIEGUN's comparative work extends to Central Europe (Hungary and Slovenia), Latin America (Venezuela, Cuba, Chile and Brazil), Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe), and South Asia (India).

Our graduate researchers are currently undertaking fieldwork in Vietnam, PRC, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

What you can research

Research proposals are invited in the following areas:

• International development
• World-systems analysis
• Adults
• Race/ethnicity
• Gender identity
• Sexuality
• Socialism
• Politics of childhood
• Mobility
• Community
• Social movements
• Asian childhoods
• Teacher wellbeing
• Educational aid

Research methodologies

CIEGUN members apply various critical approaches to research from a range of theoretical perspectives including feminist, world-systems, Marxist, queer theory, post-structural frameworks. Research includes historical, comparative, international, and interventionist work.

Find a supervisor

Before you apply, contact a supervisor for discussion on possible research projects. This will allow you to frame your proposal to align with established disciplines and areas of supervisor capacity.

• Associate Professor Linda Newman: pedagogical inquiry; professional ethics; teacher inquiry
• Dr Joanne Ailwood: history of early childhood education; post-structuralism in early childhood education; relationships in early childhood education
• Associate Professor Tom Griffiths: comparative and international education; education and social change; Latin America; Wallerstein; World-systems analysis; socialism
• Dr I-Fang Lee: contemporary issues of equity and diversity in early years; early childhood education policies and changes; post-structuralism in early childhood
• Dr Stephen J. Smith : comparative and international education; sociology and anthropology
• Dr Nisha Thapliyal: education policy analysis; social movements and education; the right to education

Current graduate studies in Comparative and International Education

There are a number of research projects being undertaken by graduate students in the area of Comparative and International Education at Newcastle. Take a look some of the current topics:

• Decentralization and Universal Primary Education in Tanzania: How Do They Work Together?
• Impact Assessment of Access to Primary Education on Socio-economic Condition in Sierra Leone
• The Construction and Reconstruction of Vietnamese National Culture: A study of University Curriculum Policy from 1986 to Present
• Interrogating the Discursive Constitution of the 'Normal' in Early Childhood Education
• The Impact of Preschool Educational Programs on Children's Creative Thinking: A Cross-Cultural Study of Educational Programs and Children's Creative Thinking in Iran and Australia