Dr Tara McLaughlin B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D.

Contact details

• Ph: +64 6 3569099 ext. 84312
  Location: 3.11, Collinson Village
  Campus: Turitea

Qualifications

• B.A. - Psychology/Primary and Special Education - Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY (2000)
• M.Ed. - Special Education - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (2003)
• Ph.D. - Early Childhood Studies/ Disability Studies - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (2011)

Research Interests

• Promotion of children’s social-emotional development
• Prevention of challenging behavior
• Embedded instruction (intentional teaching) in natural learning environments
• Inclusive education
• Early intervention
• Teacher/school-family partnerships in early learning
• Interdisciplinary teaming
• Practical applications of the International Classification of Functioning –Child and Youth Version (ICF-CY)
• Comparative studies of program quality in early learning settings
• Professional learning for early childhood teachers

I approach research from a pragmatic perspective and use a range of methods to explore and examine research questions. I have extensive training in research and evaluation methodology, with a focus on single subject and group experimental design, measurement, statistical analysis, and secondary data analysis of extant data sets.

I believe research evidence should be informed from three inter-related sources of knowledge: 1) empirical research to identify relationships between teaching and learning for young children; 2) wisdom and experience of families and teachers to ensure teaching and learning practices are acceptable and feasible in real-life settings; and 3) community values and priorities to guide culturally relevant practices and desired outcomes for children.

Thematics

21st Century Citizenship, Health and Well-being

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Comparative and Cross-Cultural Education (130302): Curriculum and Pedagogy (130200): Early Childhood Education (excl. Maori) (130102): Education (130000): Education Assessment and Evaluation (130303): Education Systems (130100): Primary Education (excl. Maori) (130105): Special Education and Disability (130312): Specialist Studies in Education (130300): Te Whariki (Maori Early Childhood Education) (130107): Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators (130313)

Courses Coordinated

• 263.200 Teaching as an Act of Influencing Others
• 265.471 Learning and Development in Early Childhood Education Contexts
• 265.737 Young Children and Their Families
• 265.738 Children's Play and Learning in an Intentional Teaching Practice

Current Doctoral Supervision

Supervisor of:

• Susan Bisschoff - Doctor of Philosophy
  Dynamic Assessment as an Early Screening Tool for Risk of Reading Difficulty in New Zealand New Entrants

Co-supervisor of:

• Sam Brydon - Doctor of Philosophy
  An investigation into the optimal initial vocabulary size for an augmentative and alternative communication system.
• Linda Clarke - Doctor of Philosophy
  Practice-Based Coaching to Promote Teaching Practices that Support and Enhance Toddlers’ Social-Emotional Competence in New Zealand Early Childhood Services
• Sarah Aiono - Doctor of Education
  How Teachers Promote Children's Social and Emotional Competence as they Transition from Early Childhood to Primary School

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Co-supervisor of:

• 2018 - Monica Cameron - Doctor of Education
  Assessing Four Year Old Children's Learning: New Zealand Early Childhood Teachers' Purposes, Practices and Knowledge