September 9, 2015

Early Start gains traction as an international leader in child development

Prestigious international journal to dedicate an entire special edition to UOW's early childhood research. 

UOW’s outstanding early childhood research is attracting attention, with the announcement that a prestigious international journal will dedicate an entire special edition to its research. 

In July, UOW officially launched the most sophisticated early childhood teaching, research and community engagement initiative ever undertaken in Australia. 

The $44million transformational project, Early Start, consists of an international hub for multidisciplinary research, cutting-edge early childhood courses, a partnership with 41 early childhood education and care centres to translate research into practice, and Australia’s only dedicated ‘children’s museum’ promoting learning through play and the importance of life-long learning. 

The September issue of Educational Psychology Review will feature research from a range of experts from UOW’s Early Start Research Institute on cognitive, physical activity and health in the early years. 

UOW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Inclusion & Outreach) Professor Paul Chandler, who is a renowned educational psychology researcher and helped spearhead the Early Start vision from the outset, will guest edit the edition, with contributions from Professor Tony Okely, Myrto-Foteini Mavilidi, Professor Fred Paas, Dr Sharon Tindall-Ford, Dr Steven Howard, Dr Shirley Agostinho and Dr Dylan Cliff. 

The journal will feature UOW research on how body movement and gestures help children learn, and best practice for teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the early years. 

Other high profile universities, such as the Ivy League institution Princeton University in the U.S. and Eramus University in the Netherlands, which has recently been ranked in the top 20 institutions in Europe by the Times Higher Education, will also contribute to the edition. 

Professor Chandler said this is the first time an entire journal issue has been dedicated to UOW research. 

“To have a dedicated journal to a UOW project is great, but to have a stellar group of overseas researchers publishing together in the same edition is quite unique,” Professor Chandler, who has also just been asked by Springer to write a five volume book series about Early Start research, said. 

Professor Tony Okely, Director of the Early Start Research Institute, said Early Start’s aim has always been to create a blueprint for teaching and learning in the 21st century. 

“Early Start is a first for Australia and we hope it will become a model for the world.” 

“This is a significant achievement for Early Start. It firmly places us on the world stage, exposing us to an international academic audience of the highest calibre in a very respected journal publishing.” 

UOW will also host the Inaugural Early Start Conference from 28-30 September, which will bring researchers (including renowned early childhood education expert Professor Catherine Snow, from Harvard University) and educators from around the world together to discuss how early childhood policy and practice can be improved.  

Topics to be explored include how a brain-training computer game can help children with ADHD, how standing preschools can improve kids’ energy levels and mental development, and the impact of father involvement on children’s language, literacy and cognitive development.