Confirmation of Candidature - Candidate : Margaret Banks

The first five years of a child's life are crucial in developing foundational language, physical, cognitive, and social emotional skills. Because a child's brain develops so rapidly in the first five years of life, children require ongoing interactions with, and care and attention from significant adults, including their parents and primary caregivers. High quality early childhood education and care has been shown to improve children's learning outcomes later in life; however despite the recognised benefits, many children miss out.  Research has shown that children from all backgrounds are susceptible to developmental delays but that children from regional, rural, and remote locations are more likely to experience academic and social difficulties when transitioning to school.  Positive parent support in the early years has been shown to improve school transitions. Family engagement refers to a partnership between teachers, families, community members, and other professionals working together to support children's learning, development, and wellbeing. Research on the benefits of parent engagement have predominately focused on school contexts (five to eight-year-olds). With the known importance of the first five years of a child's life for development and well-being, I am curious to inquire how teachers work, plan, and engage with families of children birth to five years in ECEC programs and services in regional, rural, and remote locations in Australia. The research question guiding this inquiry is: What are the lived experiences of teachers in regional, rural, and remote locations in engaging with families of children birth to five? Using a constructivist paradigm, the research will follow a phenomenological methodology.  Face-to-face semi-structured interviews will be conducted to elicit the perceptions and experiences of teachers in regional, rural, and remote locations of Queensland, when engaging with families. Gaining deeper insights will inform how teachers might best be supported, and ways in which relationships between teachers and parents/carers can be the enriched. 

For more information, please email the Graduate Research School or phone on 0746 311088.