Research news

Each cycle of the global Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) includes a student questionnaire. One questionnaire topic – effort and persistence in mathematics – is essential for students’ success and skill development. The data provide useful prompts for teachers when considering their own students.

Schools across Australia are marking Children’s Book Week this week, and library spaces are at the heart of the celebrations. They’re a hub of expertise throughout the year, supporting teaching and learning. In this article, we share new research findings about their evolving role.

To encourage students to read, it’s important they have access to books that appeal to their interests. This infographic shares the most popular fiction and non-fiction genres of ebooks borrowed by students in primary, secondary and upper secondary. 

Transitioning to formal schooling, and from primary to secondary school, is a big change for students. New research shines a light on the impact of student absenteeism during these transition years, and recommends primary and secondary schools work together to support attendance. We’re joined by the study’s lead author to find out more.

If you've been keeping up with the latest coverage at Teacher, you'll know we've been sharing plenty of content on the topic of careers education. In this edition of Researching education: Five further readings, we’re sharing 5 resources on careers education.

As a teacher, you’ll likely remember your first few years in the profession and the support that made a difference to you. But what does the research say about how schools can best support early career teachers? Ebony Malzek from Monash University joins Dominique Russell in this podcast to discuss new research in this area. 

Each year, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership’s (AITSL) Australian Teacher Workforce Data initiative collects data from higher education providers, teacher regulatory authorities and teachers themselves on topics important to the national teacher workforce. In today’s article, Dr Gillian Clark, Alex Allan and Dr Susan-Marie Harding from AITSL provide a snapshot of some of the latest data. 

This term, thousands of 15-year-olds around Australia are sitting PISA – showing how they can apply their knowledge and skills to real-life problems and situations. Here, we look at what’s new for the 2025 cycle of this global assessment, and how teachers and leaders can use PISA insights to inform their own practice and drive school improvement.

A new report presents 2025 survey data from 104 senior staff in Australian schools about their school’s use of digital technology. The findings show that most schools are using AI tools and that the use of other digital technology has changed since 2023.

‘Teachers and parents can help to foster social-emotional functioning among students, which is important for their healthy development more broadly.’ In this reader submission, Rebecca J. Collie and Richard M. Ryan share findings from their recent study that examined the role teachers and parents play in relation to students’ social-emotional competence.