Early Years Research Lab - Southern Cross University

About Us

The Early Years Research Lab (2026–2030) is a collaborative community of Faculty of Education scholars and research partners committed to advancing early childhood education and care (ECEC) through critical, innovative, and impactful scholarship. Together, we generate transdisciplinary research, build meaningful partnerships, and advocate for policy and practice that uphold children’s rights, learning, and wellbeing; strengthen educators, families, and communities; and contribute to socially just, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable futures.

EYRL Strategy 2026-2030

The strategy draws on diverse knowledges and diverse approaches to research. Four interconnected principles guide the academic and research endeavours of Early Years Research Lab members. Each principle encompasses key objectives that define what we aim to achieve and collectively provides the foundation for transformative strategies across ECEC, teacher education, research, and community engagement.

Relational and Entangled Childhoods that values the complexity and interconnectedness of childhood, providing a counterpoint to individualised and human-centred approaches and opening possibilities for sustainable futures.

Impactful Research that is rigorous, collaborative and responsive to the complexities of children’s lives, communities and the worlds they inhabit, with impact extending across research, policy, practice and public life.

EYRL Strategy 2030 (pdf)

Disruptive Transformation as a generative force for questioning established assumptions, unsettling dominant paradigms and opening possibilities for new ways of thinking, being and doing.

Honouring Wisdom of children and the ECE profession and build upon the histories, teachings, pedagogies and practices that have often been overlooked or marginalised, recognising children, families, educators, communities and Elders as contributors to what can be known, understood and imagined.

Impact and Engagement

Dr Charmaine Bernie - Conversation piece https://theconversation.com/babies-crawl-scoot-and-shuffle-when-learning-to-move-heres-what-to-watch-for-if-youre-worried-204913
Ronksley-Pavia, M., Neumann, M.M., Manakil, J.F., & Pickard-Smith, K. (2023). Concepts and Perceptions of Gendered Women's Experiences in Academia, In M. Ronksley-Pavia, M.M. Neumann, J.F. Manakil & K. Pickard-Smith (Eds.). Academic Women: Voicing Narratives of Gendered Experiences (Bloomsbury Gender and Education, Ch 1, pp. 9-21). London: Bloomsbury Academic. http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350274303
L'Estrange, L., Walker, S., Lunn-Brownlee, J., Ryan, M., Bourke, T., Rowan, L., & Johansson, E. (2023). Capturing Epistemic Reflexivity for Teacher Educators Teaching About/To/For Diversity in Teacher Education. Heliyon, 9 (2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13754
Alicia Phillips & Marianne Fenech (2023) Educators’ perceptions of Australia’s early childhood education and care quality assurance rating system, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2023.2211758

Meet the Researchers

Meet the Graduate Researchers

Research Projects

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Contact the Faculty of Education

Student Administration	Professional Experience Team	Office of the Executive Dean	Education Research Team
E: education.enquiry@scu.edu.au	T: +61 2 6626 9384 E: FoEAdmin.placements@scu.edu.au	E: EAEducation@scu.edu.au or ExecutiveDean.Education@scu.edu.au	E: educationresearch@scu.edu.au

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