Research projects
For the past decade, the TTRC has undertaken dozens of rigorous, large scale, mixed-methodology research projects addressing education’s greatest challenges.
Quality teaching
Thriving Schools
2024-2027
The Thriving Schools project involves ‘research-practice’ partnerships with 25 disadvantaged NSW government schools, focused on Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR). Over three years, schools will embed QTR with the aim of enhancing teaching quality, supporting teacher wellbeing, and building positive school cultures, ultimately to lift student academic outcomes.
The Thriving Schools project builds on a long-term partnership between the NSW Department of Education, the University, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation to support improvement in teaching and student outcomes, with a focus on equity.
Strengthening Induction through QTR
2023-2026
The Strengthening Induction through Quality Teaching Rounds project is a $5 million, four-year agreement between the Australian Government and the University of Newcastle. It provides the opportunity for 1,600 early career teachers and their colleagues to take part in QTR as part of their induction into teaching. The project aims to boost teacher morale, confidence, job satisfaction, and retention, while simultaneously enhancing teaching quality and improving student achievement. The project is an initiative of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.
Find out more and register your interest
Supporting Quality Teaching at Cessnock High School
2020-2024
Our four-year research project with Cessnock High School, the most disadvantaged school in the Hunter region, has had substantial impact since it began in Term 3, 2020. Utilising longitudinal mixed methods to assess a wide range of teacher and student outcomes, the project tracked the impact of sustained school-wide professional development in QTR, QT assessment practice and programming practice, and middle leadership.
In 2023, Cessnock High School ranked first in the Hunter region and 11th overall in the state for their growth in NAPLAN results from Year 7 to 9. Cessnock students’ HSC results also improved by more than 50 per cent in 2022 and 2023. Student attendance and engagement grew by seven per cent – triple the average across the state. Positive behaviour referrals were up 130 per cent in 2023 while negative behaviours significantly decreased.
Quality Teaching in Higher Education
2024
Quality teaching is a core part of higher education – central to both student outcomes and the student experience. Academics often receive training in the pragmatics of teaching, such as course management, accessing university systems, and using IT. However, to work towards genuine instructional improvement, university educators also need a strong conceptual understanding of quality teaching.
Our research on the QT Model led to the development of a free online self-paced course for academics to improve their teaching. University of Newcastle teaching staff (including permanent, fixed-term and sessional staff) and HDR students can access the course via Discover. Academics and teaching staff at other institutions can access this course via our QT Academy.
In 2024, the Quality Teaching in Higher Education program was expanded through two professional development opportunities: Peer Review of Teaching and Support for Promotion, Award and Job Applications. Forty-four participants from across all Colleges of the University registered to engage in one or both options. Extending upon a successful pilot study, these professional development opportunities were evaluated to examine participants’ learning experiences and determine potential future directions for implementation.
Enhancing Initial Teacher Education
2021-2024
Between 2021 and 2024 we have delivered a tailored two-day QT workshop for more than 80 final year initial teacher education students. We found participation to be associated with a greater sense of preparedness for, and less stress associated with, their final internship and greater confidence during the internship. Embedding the QT Model and QTR could significantly enhance the preparedness, success, and retention of ITE students and set them up for a successful transition into the teaching workforce and long rewarding careers.
Other Universities are encouraged to get in touch about other opportunities to engage pre-service teachers in quality teaching workshops.
QTR in Sweden
2024
Following a successful pilot in September 2023, we commenced a promising collaboration with Mälardalen University researchers to test the impact of QTR for 50 teachers from 10 Swedish schools. The project seeks to understand and adapt the QT Model and QTR to the Swedish education context with plans for larger scale studies and a wider roll-out of the program in the Nordic country.
Quality Assessment Rounds
2024
Ten NSW primary and secondary schools are currently participating in the first QT Assessment Rounds research project since it was first addressed in the ARC Linkage Grant, 'Systemic Implications of Pedagogy and Achievement in NSW Public Schools'. This pilot project is exploring the impact of QT Assessment Rounds on teaching and learning. QT Assessment Rounds are a great way to stay engaged with the QT Model during times of teacher shortages, as well as embedding the Model throughout the school.
Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools
2019-2023
Through three interrelated activities – research, scaling, and setting up a sustainable business model – the Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools project set out to comprehensively explore what QTR could do for schooling in Australia.
The project was generously supported by a $17.2 million philanthropic grant from the Paul Ramsay Foundation as well as cash and in-kind support from the NSW Department of Education, the Australian Research Council, and the University of Newcastle.
Read the final report to the Paul Ramsay Foundation
Hospital Schools
2022-2023
This project undertook to evaluate the impact of the professional development approach, Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR), on pedagogy within hospital school settings. Teachers in hospital schools navigate a distinctive space in schooling. They are presented with the unique challenges associated with having students with significant health issues or impairments, and often having medical staff, parents and/or families present during lessons. Teaching takes place bedside, on the ward, or in a more traditional classroom setting, and can be carried out virtually and/or in person. We found that participation in QTR led to improvements in the quality of teaching. Most notably, participants reported: increased confidence; increased collaboration; improvements in reflective practice; increased awareness of the QT elements and how to apply them in the classroom and in planning; and, shifts in language used with students and colleagues.
QTR and Casual Teachers
2022
Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs) provide an essential role in the effective functioning of schools. In Australia, it is estimated that students spend approximately three hours per week, or up to one cumulative year over the duration of their schooling, being taught by someone other than their classroom teacher. Despite the important role played by CRTs in our schools, they often find it difficult to access high-quality professional development, due to availability, location and cost.
In this project, we worked with eight schools in the Hunter and Central Coast regions to provide access to QTR professional development for 32 CRTs (four per school). We found that participation in QTR led to improved quality of teaching, enhanced confidence and morale, a stronger sense of professional identity and belonging to the profession, stronger professional networks, and, subsequently, better job prospects. Given the increase in classes taught by casual teachers post-COVID, the policy implications of these findings are important.
Leveraging Evidence for Action to Promote change
2022
Project LEAP (Leveraging Evidence for Action to Promote change) is an initiative of the Jacobs Foundation designed to enable research and social entrepreneur fellows to contribute as consultants and advisors to a range of impactful education projects across the world.
The potential for the QT Model and QTR to make a significant difference globally was identified by the Jacobs Foundation following our participation in its annual conference, held in collaboration with MIT Solve. As part of this project, four fellows: Sergio Medina, Clint Bartlett, Efua Payida, and Mahjabeen Raza, worked with us over a 10-week period to develop an evaluation tool and strategic framework for international expansion of QTR.
Supporting Quality Teaching in Schools for Special Purposes (SSP)
2020-2021
This project was undertaken with colleagues from the University’s Special Education Centre in partnership with Kotara School. It sought to understand how QTR and the QT Model impact teaching and student outcomes in Schools for Specific Purposes (SSP).
The Kotara School is home to 28 primary students and seven teachers, as well as students in the NEXUS mental health unit at John Hunter Hospital. The project led to a significant turnaround in teaching quality and student engagement, maintained beyond the two-year scope through an ongoing strategic approach to staff collaboration. As a result, Kotara School developed a highly collaborative culture and has taken on a regional leadership role in mainstream and special education settings.
Investigating the efficacy, complexity and sustainability of teacher change
2018-2021
This ARC Discovery project was part of the larger Building Capacity for Quality Teaching in Australian Schools program of research. This project aimed to investigate the path from professional development to changes in teaching practice and student achievement. As a randomised controlled trial, this study integrated sophisticated quantitative and qualitative methods, driving innovation in educational research. Outcomes include significant insights into how professional development can impact measurably in ways that benefit the ongoing renewal of Australia's teachers to enhance student outcomes.
Improving Teaching Quality Through Peer Observation and Feedback: An Investigation of the Impact of Quality Teaching Rounds
2014-2015
This study was the first randomised controlled trial on the impact of QTR. It tested the impact of QTR on the quality of teaching through a clustered trial involving 192 teachers from 24 NSW government schools.
The trial found significant positive effects on teaching quality for both primary and secondary teachers, those in metropolitan and rural locations, regardless of their years of experience. Importantly, these effects were sustained six months later.
Investigating Quality Teaching Rounds to Support Teacher Professional Learning
2012
The aim of this project was to investigate the feasibility of QTR across diverse school settings. Using design experiment methodology, this project explored the impact of modifications to the implementation of QTR in 18 ACT schools, as an extension of our prior research on teacher professional learning (Effective Implementation of Pedagogical Reform, ARC 2009‐2012). The project indicated that teachers found participation in Quality Teaching Rounds to be a positive and productive experience, regardless of the specific adaptations made to group size and time spent.
Effective Implementation of Pedagogical Reform
2009-2012
This ARC Linkage project tested the extent to which QTR could make a substantial difference in: changing teachers’ understanding of pedagogy; structuring effective teacher professional learning; and, impacting positively on student outcomes. Sixteen schools from the Parramatta Catholic Education Office were involved in the study. Strong positive results from this study supported the implementation of pedagogical reform, through QTR. By changing teachers’ understanding of pedagogy, providing a strong and structured teacher learning framework, and improving student outcomes, this project made a significant contribution to the field of study and provided an effective and valuable mechanism for professional development.
Systemic Implications of Pedagogy and Achievement in NSW Public Schools
2004-2007
This ARC Linkage project was designed to provide vital information for the NSW Department of Education by examining the relationships among professional development, pedagogy, and student outcomes, and to make significant contributions to educational research on these central educational phenomena. Combining research with the resources of the NSW DET in a large longitudinal study in 36 schools, the project made a significant impact on schooling, school reform and educational research.
Aspirations
Aspirations: 10 Years On
2024
This project investigates how the current economic and socio-political climate is influencing young people’s thoughts and plans about their post-school futures, generating rigorous evidence to inform higher education policy, social policy, and equity interventions. The study extends our Aspirations program of research to examine how the educational and occupational aspirations of young Australians have changed over the past decade. We compare existing datasets involving students in Years 3-12 (n ~8000) with follow-up surveys and interviews with a new cohort of students and teachers from a sub sample of secondary schools from the original study. The study is funded by the Department of Education and Workplace Relations and the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success.
Aspirations, Equity and Higher Education Course Choice: The Path Travelled
2020-2021
This project sought to engage the original participants from the Aspirations Longitudinal Study to investigate which students realised their childhood aspirations, for what higher education courses, and why, to determine how their school aspirations shaped their post-school destinations.
Commencing in October 2020, we surveyed 52 and interviewed 21 participants from the original study who had left school prior to 2021. In the surveys and interviews, specific consideration was given to students from equity target groups and to the potential exacerbation of inequalities as a result of recent national crises, such as bushfires and COVID-19.
The final report was submitted to the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education in October 2021.
Aspirations Longitudinal Study
2012-2018
The Aspirations Longitudinal Study was the first of its kind to seek comprehensive insight into factors that shape the career and educational aspirations of students during schooling (Years 3-12).
Over a four-year period, the project, which attracted more than $1 million in funding from the Australian Research Council and the NSW Department of Education, tracked students from 64 government schools to investigate how their aspirations developed or changed over time.
We collected more than 14,000 surveys (student, parent and teacher) and conducted interviews and focus groups with more than 1,000 participants. The project attracted additional funding for several related studies using and extending the comprehensive data from the Aspirations Longitudinal Study.
Community Influence on University Aspirations: Does it take a village?
2018
This project, funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, investigated the impact of local communities on school students’ aspirations for higher education. Drawing on multiple datasets involving students in Years 3-12 (n ~ 8000) and augmented by rich, detailed case studies, we explored the role of communities in shaping post-school aspirations among students from targeted equity groups. By foregrounding the role of communities, including variance within and between communities, this project contributed to building the evidence base for equity policy and practice.
Girls in Maths
2017
This project, funded by the Margaret Bowers Estate, explored girls’ mathematics-related educational and occupational aspirations. Using Year 12 subject selection data, quantitative data from the Aspirations Longitudinal Study, and interviews with students, parents and mathematics teachers this project examined the complex relationship between gender and school mathematics participation. The project contributed robust evidence towards understanding girls’ underrepresentation in mathematics, demonstrating how gender biases continue to impact boys’ and girls’ relationship with mathematics.
Locating Aspirations: Evidence to Support Participation in Higher Education of Students from Regional and Remote Australia
2016
This project, funded by the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program, examined the educational and career aspirations of regional and remote students, especially those from low SES backgrounds. Existing longitudinal data were combined with additional quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys of, and interviews with, students, teachers and parents. The project produced robust evidence on regional and remote student aspirations, demonstrating how heterogeneity within areas and communities provided varying experiences and shaped diverse aspirations.
Guiding Futures: The Role of Teachers in the Formation of Students’ Aspirations for Higher Education
2016
This project, funded by the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program, investigated the impact of teachers on Year 3 to Year 12 students’ aspirations for higher education. A second objective was to test the idea that underrepresentation of students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds and other disadvantaged groups in universities may in part be a function of the explicit and implicit guidance students receive from teachers.
Unlocking Capacity and Empowering Choices: Indigenous Students’ Aspirations for Higher Education
2016
This project, funded by the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program, explored the educational intentions and occupational interests of Indigenous school students from Years 3-12 as well as their understanding of the path from school to higher education. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from the Aspirations Longitudinal Study, plus additional focus groups and interviews, indicated major enablers and barriers to higher education achievement that were identified by Indigenous students, their parents and teachers.
Who Seeks Access To What, When and Why? Interrogating the Pivotal Role of Student Aspirations in Higher Education Participation
2015
This project, funded by the Australian Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program, addressed low SES student underrepresentation in higher education, particularly in high-status degrees. Data from surveys and focus groups were mapped to indicate the specific occupational interests and educational aspirations of school students from Years 3–12 to inform targeted university outreach activities. A robust evidence base was generated, applicable to outreach activities across all Australian universities.
Choosing VET: Investigating the VET Aspirations of School Students
2015
This study, funded by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, explored the views of 6492 NSW primary and secondary school students’ post-school aspirations. It investigated when VET begins to feature in students’ thinking about their futures, the kinds of students who think about VET, and under what conditions. The study informs how teachers, schools and VET providers might enrich the information available to students and their parents/carers and address current gaps and misunderstandings in students’ knowledge about VET.
Choosing University: The Impact of Schools and Schooling
2014
This project, funded by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, sought to identify factors associated with schools and schooling that impact on students’ aspirations to attend university. Students targeted for the study were primarily from low socioeconomic status backgrounds. Taking account of SES, Aboriginality, location, and sex, the Choosing University project examined patterns identifiable in the complex relationships between student background and their aspirations for university; and the extent to which and ways in which schools support students’ aspirations for university.
Teaching, learning and equity
HunterWiSE
2016-Ongoing
The HunterWiSE initiative has been running since 2016, developing mentoring opportunities for women in STEM careers throughout the Hunter region. HunterWiSE promotes positive collaboration and sharing of experiences, building on a partnership between the University of Newcastle and several key regional partners.
Professor Elena Prieto Rodriguez is a founding member of HunterWiSE.
Impact of Teacher Shortages on Teachers Remaining in Hard to Staff Schools
2023-2026
This ARC Discovery project aims to investigate the lived experiences of teachers in a time of unprecedented teacher shortages. While previous studies have examined the causes of teacher shortages, the project is significant in its review of the issues of teacher retention focusing instead on those teachers who remain. By addressing the problem of retention this way, the expected outcomes of this project include developing a much deeper understanding of how educational systems, as well as individual schools, can support those teachers remaining in the profession. This project will provide significant benefits such as informing policy on how to facilitate greater teacher retention at a time when maintaining support for a declining teaching workforce is urgent.
Mathematics Retraining Program
The Mathematics Retraining Program is a collaboration between the University and the NSW Department of Education. The program supports experienced primary and secondary trained teachers looking to progress their careers as in-field secondary mathematics teachers or head teachers - mathematics.
Participants in the program complete either a fully funded master’s program, graduate diploma or graduate certificate at the University of Newcastle, chosen based on their prior experience and career goals.
Understanding the Equity Implications of University Early Entry Schemes
2023
Media coverage on Early Entry Schemes tends to focus on a perception that students who get early entry into university ‘slack off’ from their HSC studies. The findings from this pilot study tell a different story.
Early entry schemes are valued by students and their families because they present a more holistic view of students’ capabilities and recognise their potential beyond the narrow scope of the HSC/ATAR. Rather than causing students to ‘slack off,’ early entry can reduce pressure and ease mental health concerns enabling them to achieve.
With a specific focus on students from underrepresented equity backgrounds, the pilot study also showed that early entry schemes support more equitable pathways into higher education.
Decodable and Levelled Reading Books: A Systematic Review
2021-2022
In March 2022, with colleagues in the University’s School of Education, we published a systematic review on the quality of the research evidence supporting decodable and levelled reading books. We found that the different styles of phonics readers are not well understood. Our latest research shows that the current evidence base supporting both decodable and levelled readers falls short of what’s required to make informed policy decisions about literacy teaching.
COVID-19 Effects on Students and Teachers
2021-2022
After the pandemic interrupted our QTR randomised controlled trial, we found ourselves in a unique position to repurpose these data to provide some of the world’s earliest empirical evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on teachers and students.
We found that, in Australia, widely speculated ‘losses’ in student learning didn’t materialise. With a higher focus on literacy and numeracy, students in disadvantaged schools may have caught up some of the achievement gap with their more privileged peers. On the other hand, however, we found remote learning and the narrowed curriculum, among other issues, contributed to significant negative effects on teacher and student wellbeing.
Learn more about this world-leading research
Coding and STEM 4 Schools
2021
The Coding and STEM 4 Schools project (CS4S) provided professional learning opportunities for, and conducted research into, the teaching and learning of coding and STEM in primary and secondary schools. CS4S research and professional learning opportunities focused on: the implementation of the digital technologies learning area of the Australian Curriculum; the teaching of coding and computational thinking in K-12; and integrating coding and computational thinking with different K-12 subjects (such as Mathematics).
This project was funded by a Google Educator PD grant and included two NESA-accredited professional learning workshops developed in collaboration with colleagues at University College London on their Scratch Maths program.
Learning Impact: Evaluation of QuickSmart Maths
2016-2018
Funded by Evidence for Learning, this project used randomised controlled trial methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of the QuickSmart Maths program. The TTRC acted as the independent evaluator.
The trial found QuickSmart did not have an additional impact on maths achievement compared to regular classroom instruction. A small positive gain, equivalent to one month’s additional growth was recorded, however it was not statistically significant in its effect size.
Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment
2018-2020
The Movement Oriented Games Based Assessment (MOGBA) program was the first Specialised Movement Skills (SMS) intervention for children aged 8-12 years participating in multiple sport and physical education settings. MOGBA was designed to provide an appropriate range of games-based activities and an integrated assessment framework to develop and assess children’s SMS competence within a dynamic and fluid environment simultaneously.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.