Leading research that fosters educational justice across the life-course
From early childhood through adulthood, across formal and informal contexts, GIER (Griffith Institute for Educational Research) responds to and anticipates local, national and global opportunities for creating high quality learning experiences for all in a digital and post-digital age.
We co-create high impact research with diverse communities to make better worlds. Our work draws on critical and innovative theories and methods, including engagement and dialogue with Indigenous Knowledges. Our transdisciplinary approaches and strong professional, community and international partnerships enhance the role of education in creating inclusive, high-quality futures for all.
AI in Education Research Lab
Group leads: Dr Michelle Ronksley-Pavia with Adjunct Professor Chris Bigum
The AI in Education Research Lab serves as an interdisciplinary nexus, bringing together researchers exploring transformative potential of generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) in educational contexts. Functioning as a collaborative umbrella for experienced practitioners and those newly exploring its applications, the lab investigates how AI (Artificial Intelligence) disrupts fundamental educational assumptions while enhancing research methodologies.
Autism Centre of Excellence
Group lead: Associate Professor Kate Simpson
The Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) has a mission to improve the quality of life for autistic children and adults by supporting learning—from early childhood to education and employment. This will be achieved by providing training to parents and professionals in multidisciplinary settings and by undertaking research to expand knowledge about autism and autism intervention.
Educational Justice, Excellence and Equity
Group leads: Associate Professor Sue Whatman and Professor Parlo Singh
Educational Justice, Excellence and Equity (EDJEE) researches the impacts of socio-economic circumstances, mental and emotional upheaval and discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, migration status, gender and age on students’ experiences of education.
Educational Leadership Futures
Group lead: Carolyn Wade
Educational Leadership Futures is a GIER research collective for academics and HDRs exploring leadership as relational, context-driven, and shaped by equity, purpose, and change. We foster collaboration, share research-in-progress, and support emerging scholars to reimagine the future of educational leadership across schools, systems, and communities.
Griffith Literacy in Context
Group leads: Professor Beryl Exley and Associate Professor Jennifer Alford
Griff LinC is the Griffith University Literacy in Context research group. Literacy in context refers to the understanding and application of language and literacy skills within real-world situations and environments. This approach underscores the necessity of learning and teaching in ways that are directly relevant to learners' lives, authentic experiences, and the specific contexts in which they will use the broad set of skills related to language and literacy and multiliteracies.
Learning and Development across the Lifespan
Group lead: Professor Stephen Billett
Learning and Development across the Lifespan (LDXLS) positions learning and development as a continuous process arising in diverse social settings and through distinct kinds of support and guidance across human lifespan. LDXLS seeks to explore the needs and readiness of individuals at stages across the life course, centred on achieving outcomes that whose imperatives are personally, socially and societally dynamic and evolving.
