Applications are accepted throughout the year from students wishing to do their HDR with the Institute for Positive Psychology & Education.

Higher Degree Research (HDR) at IPPE

We welcome applications from both domestic candidates from Australia and New Zealand, and international candidates. The next round of applications for PhD and MPhil programs closes at 11.59pm Monday 4 December 2023 AEST.

When you study at IPPE you have access to;

  • a world-class research training environment;
  • experienced supervisors who are also leading international academics;
  • high-level supervision to produce a first-rate PhD within minimum time periods;
  • competitive scholarships;
  • financial support for research projects and data collection, publications, conference participation, and research training;
  • technologically advanced facilities and support;
  • grant writing support;
  • the support and training to develop successful publications;
  • an intellectual and social support network of international scholars and postgraduate community; and
  • a lively intellectual environment based on common interests and facilitated by a world-class research program.

For general enquiries about becoming a HDR Student at ACU, please contact Research Candidature services: res.can@acu.edu.au

View IPPE HDR supervisors

View the Thesis Repository for all PhD's completed by IPPE students

View IPPE Student Testimonials

Virtual Open Day

Our Virtual Open Day is designed to answer your questions about the IPPE PhD/MPhil experience. If you are interested in applying for one of our funded places for the PhD or MPhil programs, or would like to hear more about what these courses involve, please join us for one of our sessions. Please Click Here for more information on the Virtual Open Day Sessions and Individual Appointments.

The Virtual Open Day Information Sessions is being offered on:

  • 2024 dates to be announced

Higher Degree Research Scholarships

Postgraduate Research Scholarships can be found on the ACU Higher Degree Research Hub

Applicants must follow the instructions on the ACU Become a Research Candidate page.

Important when Lodging an Application/Query with IPPE

Please ensure that the research proposal is aligned with the 'research interests' of the academic that you intend to carry out your study with and/or the broader 'Research Institute' interests/strategic objectives. Please also ensure that prior to lodging an application/query, the 'English language proficiency' is duly met.

Please see Appendix C in 'Higher Degree Research Regulations' for more detail.

Educational & Developmental Psychology EDP Program

 

Research Project

Researcher

Exploring gender differences in the effect of social capital on university aspirations

Professor Philip Parker

Using archival data to explore social class effects in educational attainment across Australian history (1960 to Today).

Professor Philip Parker

Comparing the effect of gender on psychological skills and academic achievement of urban, farming-Rural, and non-farming-rural children

Professor Philip Parker

Measurement of mindfulness related constructs and testing the efficacy of mindfulness related interventions

Dr Baljinder Sahdra

Social emotional learning skills for promoting educational outcomes

Dr Baljinder Sahdra

Computational methods for analysing idionomic data

Dr Baljinder Sahdra

Process-based approaches to improving the human condition (e.g. well-being and performance)?

Professor Joseph Ciarrochi

Identifying factors that promote positive development?

Professor Joseph Ciarrochi

Nonattachment: How do we measure it, how do we promote it

Professor Joseph Ciarrochi

Individual and gender differences in academic motivational factors (e.g., task value, self-concept) and educational and career choices particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Associate Professor Jiesi Guo

How multiple ecological systems (e.g., sociocultural, school, individual factors) shape adolescent social-emotional skills

Associate Professor Jiesi Guo

Intervention studies looking into how to promote students' learning motivation (e.g., value, self-concept, mindset) and alter subsequent decision-making in coursework and major selections

Associate Professor Jiesi Guo

Can students evaluate the effectiveness of their teachers? How do their ratings compare to how teachers rate themselves, and does student feedback improve teaching?

Professor Herb Marsh

Use of publication citation analysis to evaluate research productivity

Professor Herb Marsh

Academic Selective Schools. Do they help or hinder student achievement, academic self-concept, and long-term educational outcomes?

Professor Herb Marsh

How do we stop school bullying? What makes a difference based on secondary data analysis of international surveys, and what interventions work.

Professor Herb Marsh

New approaches to factor analysis: Comparing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM), and using Bayes estimators. Professor Herb Marsh
Gender differences in different school subjects: Relations to academic achievement and academic self-concept. Professor Herb Marsh
The benefits of repeating a year in school. Professor Herb Marsh
School Principals Health & Well-being: What promotes and hinders based on results from our School Principal Health and Well-being Survey. Professor Herb Marsh

A systemic and holistic approach to school wellbeing:

1)The effects of teacher wellbeing on student motivation and achievement.

2)Fostering principals' wellbeing in a digital age

A/Prof Theresa Dicke

Does student achievement really benefit from students attending high achieving groups?
Using archival data to bust educational myths!

A/Prof Theresa Dicke

What are the determinants of ethical decision-making?

Dr. Geetanjali Basarkod

How can we enable students to make decisions that are rooted in ethics and morality, rather than personal gain?

Dr. Geetanjali Basarkod

How can we enable students to extend their moral consideration to people from diverse backgrounds?

Dr. Geetanjali Basarkod

What is the relationship between media literacy and wellbeing/mental health? Dr Chloe Gordon
How do we raise the profile of media literacy education in schools? Dr Chloe Gordon

Indigenous Game Changers IGC Program

 

Research Project

Researcher

Enabling Indigenous preschool children's self-concept, literacy, and numeracy

Professor Rhonda Craven

Enabling Indigenous school children's self-concept, literacy, and numeracy

Professor Rhonda Craven

Enabling Indigenous youth attending university voice and agency

Professor Rhonda Craven

Factors driving the successful transition, retention, and completion of Indigenous university students

Professor Rhonda Craven

Factors driving the successful transition, retention, and completion of Indigenous preservice teacher education university students

Professor Rhonda Craven

Positive Parenting in Indigenous Communities

Professor Rhonda Craven

Teaching the Teachers Indigenous Studies Professor Rhonda Craven
Research Synthesis/Meta-Analysis in Indigenous Education Professor Rhonda Craven

Improving the Engagement of Indigenous Students through the implementation of an Autonomy-Supportive Intervention Program for Teachers

Dr Anthony Dillon

Envisioning Success for Remote Communities Dr Anthony Dillon

Conceptions and Drivers of Indigenous Youth Wellbeing and Success

Professor Alexander Yeung

Parent-delivered language intervention: Indigenous preschool children

Professor Alexander Yeung

Capitalising on character strengths: A cross-cultural study on Indigenous populations

Professor Alexander Yeung

Providing a nudge towards success: Evaluating an innovative text messaging intervention to increase educational attainment and academic achievement in high school

Professor Joseph Ciarrochi

Motivation & Behaviour M&B Program

 

Research Project

Researcher

The influence of different types of electronic screen exposure on children and adolescents' health and wellbeing.

Dr Taren Sanders

Building upon a scalable partnership model for physical activity promotion: Adapting the iPLAY program to improve girls' health

Dr Taren Sanders

A school-based intervention to promote physical activity in children with intellectual disabilities.

Dr Taren Sanders

Quantitative and qualitative studies of late-life adults' well-being and self-determination and how they can be best supported by people and institutions.

Dr Emma Bradshaw

Studies of people's access to and perceived access to human rights and their associations with well-being.

Dr Emma Bradshaw

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of self-determination theory.

Dr Emma Bradshaw

Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Intervention: Improving teachers' classroom motivating styles

Professor Johnmarshall Reeve

Understanding Psychological Needs: An exploration of need dissatisfaction

Professor Johnmarshall Reeve

Student Engagement: What exactly do highly engaged students do that allows them to develop (1) greater capacity and (2) improved performance? Professor Johnmarshall Reeve

Understanding Classroom Instructions: Effect of an intrinsic instructional goal on tone of voice

Dr Hye-Ryen Jang

Exploring teachers' instructional goals

Dr Hye-Ryen Jang

Find out how to apply to study with IPPE

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