Practice to research. Research to practice.
At PLC Sydney, research is not separate from teaching and learning, it is embedded within it. By engaging with evidence, inquiry and innovation, we create learning experiences that prepare students to thrive in a complex and changing world.
Research helps us move beyond assumptions and trends. By engaging with evidence and contributing to new knowledge, we ensure our educational practice remains relevant, responsive and future-focused.
We believe that great schools do more than deliver knowledge; they create it. Through the Elizabeth Webby Research Portfolio, PLC Sydney contributes to educational research that informs teaching, shapes practice and helps schools better understand the opportunities and challenges facing young people today.
Named in honour of distinguished ex-student and literary scholar Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby AO, the portfolio reflects her legacy of intellectual curiosity, academic excellence and lifelong learning.
Research at PLC Sydney informs our classroom work, strategic decision-making and broader conversations about education, well-being and the future of learning. Through partnerships with universities, researchers and industry experts, our staff investigate emerging issues and translate evidence into meaningful outcomes for students.
For our students, this means learning experiences informed by evidence, teachers committed to continual improvement and a culture that values curiosity, critical thinking and lifelong learning.
Research in action
Our work connects classroom practice with national and international conversations about the future of education. Through research projects, publications and partnerships, PLC Sydney contributes to the ideas and innovations shaping young people’s learning and flourishing. Working alongside students, teachers, universities and research partners, we explore key issues in education through collaborative inquiry. The following are our current areas of work.
Shaping thoughtful approaches to AI in schools
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape education, PLC Sydney is contributing to research exploring its impact on teaching, learning and assessment. Through collaborative investigations involving independent schools, educational leaders, technology specialists and students, this work examines how schools can respond thoughtfully to emerging technologies while maintaining academic integrity, creativity and human connection.
Epistemic Well-being
Young people need to navigate an abundance of information to understand the world and make decisions in their lives. Dr Suzana Sukovic, the project lead, explains the concept:
Epistemic well-being is the motivation, capability and agency to develop and refine one's own understanding of truth in order to live a good life.
We investigate how to enable and support our students’ epistemic well-being beyond the school walls. We are currently creating a model of epistemic well-being to inform the development of critical thinking, information literacy and student care.
Young women talk alcohol, vapes and drugs
Supported by the 2022 ALIA Research Grant, this study by Dr Suzana Sukovic and Dr Tony Stojkovski explores how young women understand substance use and how they want to learn about it. Based on surveys and focus groups with nearly 400 students and recent graduates, the research highlights the value of respectful, safety-focused education and has been presented nationally and internationally, including at the International Academic Forum conference at the Sorbonne.
Teaching in an age of uncertainty
In partnership with the University of Technology Sydney, Newington College, Pymble Ladies’ College and Trinity Grammar School, this collaborative project explores how educators support young people to navigate disagreement, contested knowledge and uncertainty.
Through cross-school social labs, teachers examined classroom resources, reflected together and modelled collaborative practice for the benefit of their students.
Honouring Elizabeth Webby
Established in 2025, the Elizabeth Webby Research Portfolio reflects the College’s commitment to connecting research and practice.
Named in honour of distinguished ex-student and literary scholar Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Webby AO, the portfolio celebrates her legacy of intellectual curiosity, academic excellence and lifelong learning. In her study, she displayed a simple yet profound statement:
Ideas have an economy when institutions give them currency.
The portfolio affirms that teachers are researchers: into their students, into how learning happens, and into the conditions that enable young people to thrive.