Justen has research experience that utilises systems thinking, social ecology and strengths-based approaches to explore curriculum and pedoagogy associated with health, physical education, sport and lifetime physical activity. Justen also has an interest in inclusion within education as well as formal and informal forms of participation in movement. Justen is fluent in both quantitative and qualitative research methods and has expertise in designing scales for measurement.

Justen's research has attracted a range of external funding. He is chief investigator on a recently awarded ARC Linkage grant 'Informal sport as a health and social resources amongst diverse young people' ($250,000) with lead investigator Assoc Prof Ruth Jeanes, Professor Dawn Penney and Professor Ramon Spaaij and in partnership with VicHealth, Centre for Multicultural Youth, Cricket Victoria and the Department of local governernment, sport and cultural industries. Justen is the principal chief investigator on projects evaluating the provision of Mental Health support in sporting clubs, partnering with VicHealth and the AFL players association.

• Transforming teaching and learning
• Educating for diversity and inclusion
• Enhancing health and wellbeing
• Health and Physical Education curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
• Informal sport participation
• Social-ecological and complex systems drivers of physical activity and wellness
• Inclusion in sporting and community settings
• Mental well-being in community sporting settings
• Children and community sport / physical activity
• Motor skill learning

Justen is interested in supervising and supporting students at the Honours, Masters and PhD level. Justen works with his PhD students to publish findings in high-quality journals/books. In the past 2 years, 4 of his PhD students have produced 8 quality publications with more on the way. He is interested in supporting students in the broad areas of:

• Transforming teaching and learning
• Educating for diversity and inclusion
• Enhancing health and wellbeing (including mental health and well-being)
• Health and Physical Education curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
• Alternative or informal sport participation, community physical activity participation
• Systems thinking in movement contexts, including social-ecological drivers of physical activity and wellness
• Children and community sport / physical activity program evaluation or intervention
• Designing and building scales for measurement using Rasch measurement model

EDF2171 Motor Control and Skill Acquisition: This unit explores the discipline of human movement, particularly how humans acquire and refine a broad range of movement skills. The study of motor control and skill acquisition is a broad area that uses foundational biophysical knowledge together with elements of psychology, sociology and understanding of growth and development to explore how and why the human body moves.

EDF4171 Advanced Sport and Exercise Science: This unit expands upon foundational physiological, kinesiological and psychological understandings of human movement science within health and physical education. 

Justen is a nationally recognised keynote presenter. He has given the keynote address at a range of conferences across Australia.

Justen has worked with a range of schools and sporting agencies. He was instrumental in developing 'On Track,' a modified program for Little Athletics. He has developed programs for childcare, Sports Without Borders, local government and schools including Elizabeth Murdoch College where he worked closely with staff to redevelop their HPE curriculum. Justen has done a range of workshops for school teachers in the area of physical education, curriculum and planning and assessment.