The education and training of doctoral students is one of the most important aspects of a university's activities. The pursuit of knowledge through research higher degree programs not only leads to a well-educated society and a highly trained professional work force, but also contributes significantly to the University's research and scholarship. The aim of the PhD program is to provide research training in a manner that fosters the development of independent research skills in candidates. Education systems These projects are engaged in both analyses of policy and professional practice and analyses for policy and professional practice. Critique of policy has included work on refugees and asylum seekers, higher education, international education and gender. Analyses for policy and practice have included work on second language acquisition, leadership, counselling and that developing out of the productive pedagogies research. These projects have provided significant theoretical and methodological contributions to the fields of professional learning and education policy, and have an impact upon educational practice and policy both nationally and internationally. Curriculum and pedagogy Projects in this group are concerned with reforming educational practices in relation to pedagogy and curriculum. The research is guided by a commitment to social justice values and democratic processes, and the formation of students as engaged citizens with the knowledge and skills to participate actively and critically in society. It follows that much of the research has been concerned with inquiry-based teaching and learning, with collaborative learning processes in classrooms and with ways of enhancing students’ competencies in the key curriculum domains of mathematics, science and literacy. Specialist studies in education Projects here focus on the area of special education, inclusion and diversity across the lifespan (children, adolescents, and adults) and the broad area of educational psychology, encompassing such fields as learning theory, assessment processes, self-regulation and motivation, instructional practices and intervention, peer-mediated learning and group processes, and the development of literacy and literacy knowledge and skills.