Centre for Positive Psychology and Education

Professor Herb Marsh Inaugural  Professorial Lecture and Launch of Quantitative Special Interest Group

When: 5.00 pm  - 6.00 pm on 6 June 2012
Where: University of Western Sydney, BA 02.G.04 (LT05), Bankstown Campus (opens in a new window)

For more information, please see Professor Herb Marsh Inaugural Professorial Lecture and Launch of Quantitative Special Interest Group 

Visiting Researcher from Germany

Theresa studied psychology at the University of Oldenburg and the University of Trier in Germany, graduating in 2008. After working in the HR department of an international logistics company for approximately 2 years she decided to pursue an academic career and started working as a PHD student and research assistant at the Department of Instructional Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen in 2010. Her main research interests are teacher’s stress, motivation and resources, classroom management and just recently self regulated learning. She will be working at the Centre of Positive Psychology and Education (CPPE) of the University of Western Sydney as a visiting researcher from May to the end of July 2012.

UWS establishes the Centre for Positive Psychology and Education (CPPE) in 2012

The Educational Excellence and Equity (E³) Research Program has expanded to become the Centre for Positive Psychology and Education (CPPE). CPPE is under the direction of Professor Rhonda Craven. The mission of CPPE is to capitalise on excellence in international positive psychology theory, research, and practice to explore new tangible research-demonstrated innovations that foster excellence and address critical educational and social issues of our time.

CPPE’s formation is augmented by the addition of two leading scholars in the field of educational psychology, Professor Herbert Marsh and Professor Lazar Stankov, whose expertise will enhance the already strong team of researchers at CPPE.

Top educational psychologist scholar Professor Herbert Marsh rejoins the CPPE research team

The Centre for Positive Psychology and Education welcomes back distinguished Professor Herbert Marsh to the University of Western Sydney. Professor Marsh left UWS five years ago for Oxford University, where he extended his research output. He is recognised as world-leader in educational psychology, with over 350 journal articles published in over 70 journals. Professor Marsh is the founder of SELF International, and he joins CPPE to further his investigation into positive SELF and well-being. The CPPE is delighted to have Professor Marsh on board for an exciting new era in educational psychology research.

CPPE welcomes Professor Lazar Stankov to its team of researchers

Professor Lazar Stankov has taken up a position in the new Centre for Positive Psychology and Education. Professor Stankov spent more than 30 years teaching and researching at the University of Sydney, before moving to Princeton University for an appointment as Principle Research Scientist within the Research & Development Division at Educational Testing Service. Professor Stankov’s research at CPPE will focus on obtaining positive outcomes from the analysis of maladaptive behaviours, an area he already has an extensive publication record in.

Congratulations to our recent HDR graduates

We would like to extend our congratulations to all our recent PhD graduates, who now join the growing list of our illustrious alumni.

• Dr Anthony Dillon completed his PhD on ADHD in 2011 and took up a prestigious ARC funded Post Doctoral Fellowship at CPPE. His current research extends his knowledge of ADHD through an extensive analysis of how the condition is measured in individuals.
  
• Dr Janet Mooney completed her PhD in on the teaching of Aboriginal studies in primary teacher education courses. Janet is the Director of the Koori Centre at the University of Sydney.
  
• Dr Samantha Hornery’s PhD aimed to develop new interventions to break the cycle of reading difficulties among disadvantaged students. She was supported in her research by an ARC funded grant.
  
• Dr Peter McKenzie is an artist as well as a scholar. His PhD formed a critical analysis of the contributions of Aboriginal musicians to contemporary Aboriginal culture. Peter’s research was supported by an ARC Indigenous Researchers Development Grant.

We are very proud of the outstanding contributions to research that our recent graduates have made, and we look forward to more successful PhD completions from our current postgraduates 2012.

CPPE publication success

After an extremely successful publishing record in 2011, this year is shaping up to be a big year for publications from CPPE’s team of researchers. More than one dozen journal articles and book chapters by CPPE researchers have already been accepted for publication in 2012. In addition, Centre Director Rhonda Craven is a co-series-editor of a new research monograph titled International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice. The book aims to facilitate the global sharing of effective strategies to enable equitable access to educational opportunity in the 21^st century

Congratulations to CPPE PhD candidate Liz Angel on her publication success

CPPE PhD candidate Elizabeth Angel has had an article published in Nurse Education Today. The article titled ‘The nurses’ self-concept instrument (SNCI): A comparison of domestic and international student nurses’ professional self-concepts from a large Australian University’ is co-authored by Professor Rhonda Craven and Dr Nida Denson. The article addresses the differences in self-concept between domestic and international student nurses in Australia, and offers some strategies to remedy the imbalance. Nurse Education Today is a leading journal in nursing studies and has an ERA ranking of A.

Liz’s PhD project involves a comparison of cross-cultural groups of student nurses in order to establish what the motivating factors are that determine the choice of nursing as a career path.

Major Bronwyn Bancroft exhibition at Carriageworks

CPPE Doctor of Creative Arts candidate Bronwyn Bancroft is holding a major retrospective exhibition at Carriageworks as part of her research degree. The exhibition, titled Passion Power Politics comprises of a survey of Bancroft’s varied oeuvre and will explore the themes that are central to her practice, such as the politics of personal and cultural identity, and the experience of contemporary Aboriginal life that underpin her practice.

A Bundjalung artist of the Djanbun clan, Bronwyn Bancroft has been a practicing artist for thirty years. Working across painting, literature, fashion and textile design, Bronwyn is also an academic. She is currently completing a DCA at CPPE on a topic that she has special insight into, the role of the contemporary female artist.

Passion Power Politics runs from February 3 to March 17, and will be opened by Her Excellency Quentin Bryce, the Governor-General of Australia, on Thursday February 2 at 6pm.

7th SELF Biennial International Conference 2013

After six highly successful international conferences, the 7^th SELF Biennial International Conference is currently in preparation. The Conference will build upon the success of the previous events and will be a great opportunity for the newly formed CPPE to showcase the impressive research output of its researchers in positive psychology and SELF research. The Conference will be held in 2013 in Singapore. Keep checking this page for further details as they emerge.