Evidence and Insights to Inform Early Years Practice

Despite widespread calls for evidence-based improvement in education, until recently, little has been known about using research and other types of evidence to inform teaching and learning of young children, particularly in early childhood education and care settings, and the first years of formal schooling.

Considering the importance of evidence-informed practice in education, this book offers a timely and innovative exploration of the use of evidence in early years and how this translates to practice. Through rich case studies and reflections on a portfolio of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies, the authors investigate tensions and constructive collaborative possibilities between research, practice, and policy. Chapters intersect with components of the Q Project’s Quality Use of Research Evidence (QURE) Framework to provide a lens through which to examine and support evidence-informed practice in a range of diverse communities. The book highlights how evidence can be meaningfully integrated into early years provision to inform policy, programmes and practice.

This book will appeal to researchers, early years professionals, and policy-makers, and provide directions for how research and other evidence can better inform practice from local to international settings.

Anne Keary is Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the School of Curriculum, Teaching and Inclusive Education, Faculty of Education, Monash University. Her research, teaching, and engagement work enhances the provision of socially just education in diverse cultural and linguistic educational settings.

Lucas Walsh is Professor of Education Policy and Practice, Youth Studies at the Faculty of Education at Monash University and director of the Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice, a national research centre seeking to understand and improve the life outcomes of children and young people.

Janet Scull is Associate Professor at Monash University in the Faculty of Education. Her research examines young children’s language and literacy acquisition processes, early years teaching and assessment, and practices that support children’s transition from early childhood settings to school.

Susanne Garvis is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Griffith Institute for Educational Research, Griffith University. She is an international expert in pedagogy and learning, quality improvement, and early childhood teacher education. She has worked in higher education institutions in Australia and Sweden.