Vanessa Green

Professor Vanessa Green is a Professor of Education at the School of Education, Victoria University of Wellington. She is a registered psychologist with extensive expertise in developmental psychology, social and emotional development, and bullying prevention and intervention. Her work focuses on understanding children's social worlds and developing effective strategies to promote positive peer relationships and social competence.

Education:

• PhD in Developmental Psychology, Queensland University of Technology, Australia (1999)
• MEd, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
• PGDip(Psyc), University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia
• BSS, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Professor Green's research primarily centers on the social and emotional development of children and young people, with a particular focus on bullying prevention and intervention strategies. She leads the Marsden Funded "Social Worlds of Young Children Project" which investigates how children navigate social situations and develop social competence. Her work spans multiple contexts including schools, families, and communities, with special attention to vulnerable populations such as sexual minority students, students with disabilities, and ethnically diverse students.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding bullying dynamics from multiple perspectives - examining the roles of victims, bullies, bystanders, parents, and teachers. Her recent work has particularly emphasized how parents socialize their children regarding bullying behaviors and responses, and how school-based anti-bullying programs like KiVa can be effectively implemented in diverse educational settings.

Professor Green serves on the editorial board of School Mental Health and has secured significant research funding from both university and external sources including the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Australian Research Council.

Supervision and Grants:

• Currently supervising doctoral research on school-home communication in bullying prevention and parental responses to sexual minority youth bullying
• Supervising master's research on witnesses' responses to bullying
• Principal investigator on multiple grants including "An investigation of parents' and teachers' bystander strategies" (2025-2026) and "Can we teach young children to be defenders?" (2024-2025)
• Previously led the Marsden-funded "The Development of the Bystander: A Socialisation Oversight?" project (2021-2024)

Through her teaching in human development, social and emotional development, and educational psychology, Professor Green trains future educators and researchers to address complex social-emotional challenges in educational settings. Her work bridges research and practice to create safer, more supportive learning environments for all children and young people.