Completed Research
2004-06 Enhancing Relationships in School Communities (ERIS): A Program to Promote Creative and Constructive Conflict Resolution Skills through Sustained Professional Development
Collaborative Research Team: Elizabeth Freeman, Professor Eleanor Wertheim (La Trobe University), Professor Ann Sanson; Australian Psychological Society - Psychologists for Peace Interest Group)
Project Manager: Margot Trinder
Funding: The Scanlon Foundation, Morawetz Social Justice Fund
The aim of this collaborative project was to enhance the capacity of primary schools to develop productive conflict handling and relationship-building processes in the schools (including in the area of cultural diversity) and to teach children how to handle conflict constructively. ERIS Phase 2: Enhancing Relationships in School Communities (ERIS) commenced mid 2007.
Visit the ERIS website.
Download the ERIS summary report [pdf, 176kb]
2000-2002 Australian Research Council Strategic Partnerships with Industry Grant
The Effectiveness of Student Welfare Professional Development as a Strategy for Whole School Student Welfare, Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention
Chief Investigator: Professor Johanna Wyn
Collaborating Partner: Catholic Education Office Melbourne
Elizabeth Freeman and Desma Strong from the Melbourne Graduate School of Education's Student Wellbeing team collaborated with staff Youth Research Centre and the Catholic Education Office in a three-year longitudinal research study to investigate the impact of systemic credentialed professional development in student welfare on teacher participants and their schools at the whole school level.
Cahill, H. Shaw, G. Wyn, J., & Smith, G with Freeman, E. Strong, D. Huggins, D. Mary Tobin, M., & Montgomery, J. (August 2004). Translating caring into action: An evaluation of the Victorian Catholic Education student welfare professional development initiative. Australian Youth Research Centre Research Report No. 26 [pdf, 1.1mb]
Action Research Projects in Student Wellbeing
As part of the Master of Education (Student Wellbeing), and its forerunner, the Postgraduate Diploma in Education Studies (Student Welfare), at the University of Melbourne, participating teachers have been undertaking action research projects in their schools in areas such as student wellbeing policy, anti-bullying policy and programs, behaviour management, social and emotional learning; drug education, home-school partnerships, transition, peer connectedness, student leadership and staff wellbeing. Example projects are available for reading.
Supervision
Student Wellbeing staff have supervised research in the areas of the role of the school in promoting wellbeing, student wellbeing policy, programs and practice, organisation of welfare in schools, the teacher's role in wellbeing, the teacher-student relationship, school-community partnerships, conflict management in education, bullying, disability and cross-cultural issues.
