Research Reframed: New Horizons
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: Research Reframed: New Horizons
When
Date: Saturday 15th August, 2026
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 14th August 5-7pm, we are offering a HDR Workshop (see details below). This is offered at no cost in combination with attending the Forum.
From Thesis to Contribution: Articulating Your Research Story
Facilitated by Dr Sian Chapman
How do you move from describing your thesis (part 1) to clearly articulating what it contributes to educational research and practice (part 2)?
This interactive workshop supports postgraduate research candidates to reframe their research story, clarify their contribution, and practice communicating their work to different audiences. Designed for HDR students across all stages of projects, the session offers practical tools, reflective discussion, and structured writing time to help participants confidently articulate why their research matters, and to whom.
4:45 pm HDR Workshop registration opens
5pm HDR Workshop
Part 1: Share your research. An opportunity to share HDR research project with other participants through a prepared infographic. Details provided on registration and an opportunity to attend an Infographic Design workshop in June is also available.
Part 2: Move from describing research to articulating the contribution of your research.
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 July 31st, 2026
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
The Forum will commence with a panel discussion. The panel members (below) will discuss how we might reframe educational research for the future and what our challenges might be. Each panelist will contribute to the discussion with a different research focus. This will be a thought-provoking discussion. Panel member details will appear here as confirmed.
Professor Laura Perry
Murdoch University
Professor Laura Perry conducts comparative research about educational disadvantage and inequalities, especially as they appear between schools, and the systems, structures and policies that shape them. The aim of her research is to inform policy for improving equity of educational opportunities, experiences and outcomes. Professor Perry’s specific research interests include educational marketization, school segregation and stratification, school funding, and between-school inequalities. Professor Perry draws on the disciplines of comparative education, sociology of education, and education policy to examine these topics.
Dr Libby Jackson-Barrett
Edith Cowan University
TBA
Dr Cindy Smith
Curtin University
TBA
Dr Garth Stahl
University of Queensland
Associate Professor Garth Stahl’s research interests focus on the relationship between education and society, socio-cultural studies of education, student identities, equity/inequality, and social change. Currently, his research projects and publications encompass theoretical and empirical studies of youth, sociology of schooling in a neoliberal age, gendered subjectivities, equity and difference as well as educational reform. Associate Professor Stahl was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council (2017-2019) where he researched the relationship between extreme disadvantage, masculinities and widening participation (DE170100510). In 2019, he was ranked by The Australian newspaper as one of the top 40 researchers in Australia who were less than 10 years into their career. Dr. Stahl is particularly interested in qualitative research methods, visual research methods and ethnography. At the University of Queensland, Dr. Stahl’s teaches at the Undergraduate, Masters and PhD levels.
Recently, he was awarded two ARC Discovery projects: Including the voice of boys and young men in their health and well-being education (DP250102623) and Investigating how boys and young men experience their digital lives (DP250104014).
TBA…
TBA
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 July 31st) | $130 | $150 |
| Standard (from Sat Aug 1st) | $140 | $160 |
| Concession card holder | $85 | $115 |
| HDR & Forum (up to Friday July 31st) | $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 July 31. 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.
