WAIER’s major event is its Annual Research Forum, which it has run since 1985. The Forum provides an opportunity for beginning and established researchers to present research and build collegial networks with researchers and educators working across Western Australia’s education sectors.
WAIER invites individuals and groups to attend, make a presentation, and participate in rigorous discussion on topics and research related to education and the Forum theme: ConnectED: Past, Present, Future
When
Date: Saturday 16th August, 2025
Venue
Boola Katitjin (Building 360)
Murdoch University
Discovery Drive, Murdoch
Forum Timetable
9:30am Research Forum Registration
10:00 am Opening Panel
11:30am Forum Presentations
4:00 pm Sundowner and award presentations
HDR Workshop
On Friday 15th August 5-7pm, we are offering a HDR Workshop (see details below). This is offered at no cost in combination with attending the Forum.
Hear from the Experts! This HDR workshop will feature presentations from colleagues who have recently completed their doctoral studies at WA Universities. Learn first-hand what contributed to their success, how they overcame barriers, and what advice they have for those who are still on the journey. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and network with other HDR students.
4:45 pm HDR Workshop registration opens
5pm HDR Workshop
7pm Dinner at a local venue for those who wish to continue conversations
Call for Abstracts
WAIER invites the submissions of abstracts from individuals and groups for presentations on topics and research related to education. The abstract should be approximately 200 words long and should contain the following:
- Title. Your title should include appropriate key words for search engines to find. Keep it short.
- The name/s of author/s
- Institutional affiliation of author/s
- Email addresses of each author
Abstracts are submitted at time of registration, see link below. Abstracts due August 1st, 2025
Abstracts will appear HERE as processed and accepted.
Presentations
Acceptance for presentation at the Forum requires that the author, or at least one of the authors in the case of multi-author presentations, be registered.
Presentation (25 minutes)
Presentations consist of a researcher or group of researchers presenting their work, with the aid of PowerPoint slides, for about 15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of interaction and discussion with the audience.
Abstracts of 200 words are to be submitted.
What makes an effective presentation? http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips
Abstracts will be printed in the WAIER Forum Program Booklet and posted on the WAIER website. Full written papers may also be submitted separately for peer review and publication in our journal Issues in Educational Research.
Panel Discussion
This year’s Forum will commence with a panel discussion. The panel members (below) will discuss the past, present and future of educational research and what our challenges might be. This will be a thought-provoking discussion. Panel member details will appear here as confirmed.
Associate Professor Susan Beltman
WAIER Past President (2012-2019)
Susan Beltman, PhD, is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Education at Curtin University, Australia. Now retired, she lectured in Educational Psychology and Inclusive Education. Her areas of teaching and research interest include educator well-being and resilience, motivation, and programs involving mentoring and role models. She primarily conducts qualitative research. Her previous career was as a School Psychologist in government and non-government schools in Western Australia and Queensland.
Sue joined the WAIER Committee in 1994 and held the following leadership roles:
2000-2002 Coordinator of Research Seminars for WAIER
2003-2009 Secretary of WAIER
2010-2011 Vice-President of WAIER
2012-2019 President (first female president)
She received the WAIER Fellow Award in 2010 and became a Life Member in 2019 and retired from the Committee in 2021.
Dr Philip Paioff
WAIER Past President (2001-2006)
Philip is Managing Director of Paioff Consulting with over thirty years of education and training experience including work as a Head of Department and Advisor to the Director General of Education in Western Australia. He has also been a State Coordinator for the Principal Australia Institute and served as the Developer and Managing Consultant of Mt Lawley Senior High School’s Aboriginal Excellence Program for 12 years, which has won a National Impact Award and two prestigious Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Aboriginal Education.
Philip was Program Manager in charge of establishing the Education Department’s Professional Learning Institute, which now provides quality training and development to thousands of graduate teachers. He was also a strategic advisor in leadership development on behalf of the Catholic Education Senior Aboriginal Education Team.
Philip is a past President of the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research (WAIER) and is Fellow of both WAIER and the WA Council for Educational Leaders. He was awarded an Outstanding Professional Service Award (Education) and admitted to the position of life member of the Churchill Fellows Association in 2014.
Dr Jian Zhao
WAIER Early Career Researcher Award winner 2023
University of Western Australia
Dr Jian Zhao is an early-career researcher at the Graduate School of Education, The University of Western Australia, and a visiting scholar at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. With a background in mental health measurement and assessment, and expertise in mixed-methods research, she has contributed to several projects exploring the mental health of Chinese international students in Australia, self-harm and suicidal behaviours of young people in Western Australia, generative AI (GenAI) and educational assessment, and the intersection of AI and mental health.
Dr Zhao has published widely in international peer-reviewed journals, including Frontiers in Psychology, Frontiers in Education, Behavioral Sciences, International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, and Education Research & Perspectives. Her research interests encompass mental health measurement, coping strategies, and GenAI in educational assessment. She was awarded the UWA Grand Challenge ‘Making a Difference’ Grant in 2022 and received the Early Career Award from the Western Australian Institute for Educational Research (WAIER) in 2023.
Sophie Karangaroa
WAIER Fogarty Postgraduate Student prize 2024
Curtin University
Sophie Karangaroa is of Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāpuhi descent (Aotearoa/New Zealand) privileged to be living and working on Wadjuk Noongar Boodja, Perth Western Australia. Currently Project Officer with the Moombaki Cultural Learnings project, Sophie completed a Master of Indigenous Studies, Otago University (Aotearoa) and BA TESOL, BYU-Hawaii (USA). A PhD candidate at Curtin University, her doctoral focus is on celebrating Indigenous self-determination in higher education, specifically the learning journeys of Noongar and Māori university students. Her thesis will consist of a docuseries as the creative component and an exegesis.
WAIER Awards
Forum activities include the presentation of WAIER’s Early Career Award (ECA), and Postgraduate Award (PGA). We also present the WAIER Research Grant and the WAIER Fellowship award.
Information and/or nomination forms are found here:
- Early Career Award WAIER-Early-Career-Award-information
- WAIER Research Grant here
Registration
Costs
| Member | Non-Member | |
| Early Bird (up to Friday August 1st) | $120 | $150 |
| Standard (from Sat Aug 2nd) | $130 | $160 |
| Concession card holder | $85 | $115 |
| HDR & Forum (up to Friday August 1st) | $100 | $130 |
| UG & Forum | $30 | |
| UG Only | No cost |
Forum Registration & Abstract Submission
Abstract submission and registrations are to be completed via form below.
Early bird registrations and abstract submission close Friday August 1. Registration cost increase after this date.
Abstracts are preferred at registration. The Forum has space for 48 presentations. Once we reach 48, a waitlist will be created. Abstracts are accepted in order of receival.
Payment is via Paypal – either through a Paypal account or credit card.
