Research reports

NESA collaborates with researchers to improve the education outcomes of students. View the list of research that has been done by or in collaboration with NESA.

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Research reports available for download

View the list of research reports that were conducted, commissioned, or done in collaboration with NESA. Read more about each research project by downloading the relevant report.

Topic	Year	Description
Protecting children and adolescents from cyberbullying	2024	An evidence review of risk and protective factors, and effective interventions. This review provides the latest scientific evidence about cyberbullying to support decision makers in NSW education to enhance online safety policy and practice. View the report.
Accreditation Audit Reports	2021	NESA audits accreditation decisions to ensure they are consistent with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards) and align with the NSW Teacher Accreditation Manual. Findings are de-identified and published annually. View the reports .
Professional development provider survey – key findings report	2021	A survey of previous NESA registered professional development providers to gain feedback on the interim principles of effective professional learning. View the report.
Proficient Teacher benchmark research	2021	Report on the methodology used to establish a baseline level for what it means for a teacher to effectively demonstrate Proficient Teacher practice according to the Standards. View the report.
Quality of teacher professional learning	2021	Outlines the rationale and research basis of the eight principles of effective professional development to be addressed by courses seeking NESA accreditation. View the report.
Attrition of NSW graduate teachers report	2020	Investigates and analyses the proportion of NSW graduate teachers who are no longer accredited after 6 years. The report aims to understand why this is occurring. View the report.
HSC student feedback survey results – 2019	2019	Results from the annual student feedback survey of 2019. Students were asked why they chose their subjects, how they thought the subjects were taught, and reflections on their HSC year. View the survey.
Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) survey report	2018	Reports on feedback from NSW HALTs about their professional development experiences. View the report.
HSC student feedback survey results – 2018	2018	Results from the annual student feedback survey of 2018. Students were asked why they chose their subjects, how they thought the subjects were taught, and reflections on their HSC year. View the survey.
Teaching writing – report of the thematic review of writing	2018	Investigates how teachers teach writing in schools and outlines 6 recommendations to improve the way writing is taught to students across NSW. View the report.
Teaching writing – report on the Australian writing survey	2018	Investigates teachers’ knowledge and approach to teaching and assessing writing. The Australian Institute of Learning Science and Teacher Education questioned over 4,000 primary and secondary teachers. View the report.
Teaching writing – initial teacher education report	2018	Examined how prepared pre-service teachers were to teach writing, and how prepared initial teacher education students are to teach writing in subjects other than English. View the report.
Applying professional development	2017	A series of questions asking teachers about their experiences when putting professional development training into practice. Questions focused on factors that determined whether they found it challenging or exciting to apply their learnings. View the report.
Digital literacy skills and learning report	2017	Reviews the content of current programs in ITE that prepare teachers to teach Information and Communication Technologies in relation to the curriculum of NSW syllabuses. View the report.
Enablers and barriers to initiating professional development	2017	A survey on how teachers had initiated their professional development over the last 18 months. It surveyed factors that prevented them from engaging in professional development during that period. View the report.
Future needs review	2017	A survey asking teachers about the most relevant methods and priority content areas for future professional development training. View the review.
Planning and identifying professional development report	2017	A survey asking teachers how they identified and planned for their professional development, with additional questions specifically asking accredited teachers to determine if there were other factors that influenced their professional development. View the report.
Supporting teachers, supporting children report	2017	Aims to identify the professional learning requirements of early childhood and primary teachers to support students with additional learning needs. View the report.
Teacher professional learning environment preferences	2017	Reports on what teachers nominated as their preferred learning environment for professional development training. The options were online, face-to-face or blended. View the report.
Learning assessment – report on teaching assessment in initial teacher education in NSW	2016	Identifies how student and initial teachers can learn to use, analyse, interpret and develop assessments to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practices. View the report.
Learning to teach primary mathematics report	2016	Provides a comprehensive review of 46 primary education degrees and recommends a whole-of-profession response to improving primary maths teaching. View the report.
Classroom management and students with special education needs	2015	Evaluates the approach Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers take when delivering courses to student teachers in classroom management and special education. View the report.
Literacy learning in early years report	2015	Focuses on the adequacy of primary initial teacher education programs in addressing literacy learning in the early years (K to 2) and specifically examines the approach of preparing early years teachers to teach reading. View the report.
Online initial teacher education in NSW report	2015	Evaluates the extent of online learning in initial teacher education in NSW, the arrangements for quality professional experience placements in NSW schools, and the general quality of an online mode of study. View the report.
Academic outcomes of home schooling – review of research and analysis of statewide tests	2014	Examines the academic outcomes of children who have been home schooled. This includes an analysis of results in statewide assessments such as the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests, School Certificate and Higher School Certificate. View the report.