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Research students in the College of Education benefit from the work that the College does in its links with a number of leading research centres. There are strong links with:

Staff collaborations

Staff at the College of Education are involved in a number of collaborative research projects:

Professor Vivienne Anderson

  • Associate Director, Centre for Global Migrations, a University of Otago research theme. Other management team members include Professor Angela McCarthy (History) and Professor Henry Johnson (School of Performing Arts).
  • Principal Investigator, Refugee-background students in Aotearoa: Supporting successful secondary to tertiary education transitions. This three-year project is funded through a New Zealand Council for Educational Research Teaching and Learning Research Initiative Grant. Other research team members include Dr Jo Oranje and Sayedali Mostolizadeh (University of Otago). Research partners include Amber Fraser-Smith (Otago Polytechnic), Pip Laufiso (Ministry of Education), Angela Watts (Carisbrook School), Jarrah Cooke (NZ Red Cross) and Dr Rachel Rafferty (University of Derby – external advisor).
  • Participating researcher, Educational Activism Project. This project, led by Dr Sally Baker from the University of New South Wales, is a collaboration between 17 scholar-activists based in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
  • Leader, Pathways to Tertiary Education Network. This Dunedin-based network was established in 2018 as a cross-sector partnership aimed at advocating for and supporting tertiary education access and success for former refugees in Southern Aotearoa. Members include staff from the University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand Red Cross, the Otago-Southland Ministry of Education, and student representatives.
  • Member, Learning Together in Aotearoa. This national, inter-institutional staff-student network was established in 2019 by Professor Sara Kindon from Victoria University of Wellington with the support of the Tertiary Education Commission. The group's aim is to facilitate collaborative advocacy, research and practice that fosters former refugees' access to and success in tertiary education in Aotearoa.

Associate Professor David Berg

Professor Alex Gunn

Dr Hugh Morrison

  • Affiliated Colleague of Scottish Studies, University of Otago.
  • Member, Centre for Research on Colonial Culture, University of Otago.

Dr Sylvia Robertson

  • The Centre for Educational Leadership and Administration [CELA] is currently involved in the following international research collaborations and networks, for which Dr Robertson is the New Zealand research director.
  • International Successful School Principalship Project [ISSPP] 2008 – present. Under the auspices of Professor Chris Day, University of Nottingham, this 14-country project aims to focus research attention on factors behind school principals' success based on two major research questions:
    1. What practices do successful leaders use?
    2. What factors give rise to successful educational leadership?
  • International School Leadership Development Network [ISLDN] 2011–present. Under the auspices of the British and American Educational Leadership Associations, this 7-country project aims to determine how best to prepare educators to be leaders in high-needs schools. This is in response to the generic nature of principal preparation programmes across member countries.
  • UCEA Center for the International Study of School Leadership 2019–present. Dr Robertson is Associate-Director of this center that has three key areas of focus: Culturally responsive leadership, indigenous leadership, and leadership for linguistically diverse schools.

Dr Steven Sexton

  • Dr Sexton is working with members of the New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators (NZAPSE) Research Committee on preparing a response to Sir Peter Gluckman's report as Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister on the state of science education in the 21st Century. Members include Bronwen Cowie and Anne Hume from Waikato University, Margie Harris of Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Rena Heap at Auckland University, Dayle Anderson at Victoria University, Bill McIntrye at Massey University and Chris Astall at Canterbury University.

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