Research Awards

Dr Carly Steele, School of Education

Bolormaa Shinjee, School of Education

Associate Professor Julian Chen, School of Education

Dr Jia White, School of Education

Associate Professor Stuart Bender ,School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry

Dr Carly Steele, School of Education

Associate Professor Atiq Zaman, School of Design and the Built Environment

‘YOORWAL KOORL’

Associate Professor Michelle Johnston, Dean Indigenous Futures Mandy Downing, Professor Kim Scott, Dr Kerreen Ely-Harper, Dr Glynn Greensmith, Dr David Whish-Wilson and Jonathan Pillai.

Curtin University School of Education PhD student Marisa Schiavi has received a highly competitive scholarship through the Australian Government’s National Industry PhD Program.

Delivered in partnership with Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA), the program will allow Marisa to continue working in a senior education role while undertaking research designed to turn complex challenges facing schools into practical solutions.

Marisa said she was in shock when her principal supervisor, Curtin Senior Lecturer Dr Carly Steele, called to share the news.

“I was not expecting it at all,” Marisa said.

“When she told me I had received the scholarship, I was laughing and in tears. I knew how competitive it was and how much work had gone into the application.”

For Marisa, the scholarship provides an opportunity to pursue a long-held ambition without stepping away from a career she values.

“I have wanted to complete a PhD for a very long time, but I did not know how I would manage it alongside a full-time leadership role,” she said.

“This support allows me to remain in a role that I love while completing research that is closely connected to the work I already do.”

Marisa is the EAL/D and Languages Coordinator at CEWA, where she leads a team supporting 163 Catholic schools across Western Australia.

Her PhD project, Architectures of Inclusion and Exclusion: Negotiating Policy, Practice and the Positioning of Multilingual Learners in Australian Schools, will explore tensions that may arise through the negotiation of policy aspirations, institutional arrangements and educational practices, and how these shape the conditions of inclusion and exclusion for multilingual learners within schools.

“One thing I have observed through my role is that translating commitments to equity, inclusion and multilingual education into everyday practice is often more complex than it first appears,” Marisa said.

“In my experience, educators are highly committed to student success. Sometimes the challenge is not intent, but having the confidence, tools and support needed to effectively respond to the cultural and linguistic diversity present in today’s classrooms.” The research will examine policy and school documents, interviews with school leaders, teachers and EAL/D specialists, and classroom and whole-school practices across culturally and linguistically diverse schools.

The project aims to produce evidence-informed recommendations that can strengthen leadership, professional learning and teaching practice.

Marisa hopes the findings will benefit CEWA schools, as well as education systems across Australia and potentially internationally.

“I want to identify the opportunities that lie ahead of us within multicultural and multilingual education and understand what those opportunities could look like in practice,” she said.

“Ultimately, I hope the research helps schools create more inclusive and equitable learning environments and better equips school leaders and teachers to respond to Australia’s existing and growing cultural and linguistic diversity.”

Marisa’s interest in multilingual education began early in her career as a teacher in Argentina. After studying Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and Applied Linguistics, she continued working across language education, multicultural learning and leadership.

“As my career progressed, I became increasingly aware that, despite growing commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion, significant challenges remain in ensuring that multilingual learners are fully recognised, supported and able to participate meaningfully in education.” she said.

“My motivation is to find practical ways to address those challenges.”

The project builds on an established partnership between Curtin’s Applied Linguistics, TESOL and Languages research cluster and CEWA.

Since 2024, Marisa has worked closely with Dr Steele, Associate Professor Julian Chen and Professor Toni Dobinson through professional learning initiatives and collaborative research.

She credited her supervisory team with encouraging her to pursue the PhD and apply for the scholarship.

“Carly said, ‘Let’s do this, you can do this,’ and helped bring the application together under a very tight deadline,” Marisa said.

“Carly, Julian and Toni, together with critical friends who have supported and challenged my thinking along the way, encouraged me to pursue something I had wanted to do for a long time, and they continue to support me as I work towards achieving this goal.”

For Marisa, the scholarship represents both a personal milestone and an opportunity to create meaningful change.

“I hope the research supports systems, school leaders and teachers, strengthens inclusive practice and ultimately makes a difference for students.”