The Department acknowledges the importance of research evidence that informs and influences policy development and practice to improve outcomes for children and young people.
The Department welcomes high quality proposals for research that are designed to contribute to the body of knowledge relating to education outcomes, early childhood development and young people's wellbeing.
The nature and volume of requests being made for research in schools or early childhood settings has significant potential implications for their efficient operation and the wellbeing of children, students and staff. It is therefore necessary for the education system to manage and approve research requests to minimise disruption and to protect children, students and staff.
The Department must approve all proposals to conduct research in schools or early childhood settings before researchers approach principals or centre directors. There are three stages to the approval process:
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Review of proposal: gaining Departmental approval to approach school principals or centre directors
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Consent of schools or early childhood settings: gaining the approval from principals or centre directors to conduct research in their settings
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Consent of participants: gaining the agreement of children and young people (and where necessary the consent of their parents) and/or staff for participation in the research.
Details of these stages are outlined in the document
Conducting research in Victorian government schools and early childhood settings: Guidelines for applicants, which researchers should read before completing the
Application to conduct research in
Victorian government schools or early childhood settings. To ensure all required documentation is provided, researchers should complete the
Checklist of research attachments and include it with their application.
Download documents
Trial of the National Application Form
During 2015, the Department is participating in a trial of a National Application Form for researchers who require approval from more than one educational jurisdiction to conduct research. For further information, see:
Australian Association for Research in Education
Submissions
Please submit your application, attachments and checklist electronically to
research@edumail.vic.gov.au or a hardcopy can be posted to:
Research, Evaluation and Analytics Branch, Performance and Evaluation Division
Department of Education and Training
Level 3, 33 St Andrews Place
GPO Box 4367, Melbourne, 3001.
More information
External applicants may contact the Research, Evaluation and Analytics Branch for further information:
research@edumail.vic.gov.au
For information on accessing data sets owned or managed by the Department, please contact:
research@edumail.vic.gov.au
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