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Doctoral Award - Dr Sarah Young

Dr Sarah Young has been awarded the Victorian Branch Early Childhood Australia Doctoral Thesis Award.

Dr Young completed her thesis under the supervision of Professor Susan Edwards and Professor Joce Nuttall in the ACU Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education.

The aim of the Award is to recognise the level of excellence and diligence required to undertake and complete a Doctoral thesis and to encourage the generation of quality and early childhood research in Victoria.

Dr Young’s thesis provides a contemporary theorising of the teacher as a co-player and provides detailed options for early childhood teachers co-creating with children in their dramatic play.

The Victorian Branch Early Childhood Australia, praised Dr Young’s work “Her research equips early childhood professionals with increased skills, knowledge, and the confidence necessary to engage in imaginative play in ways that extend on children’s high-quality learning outcomes.

It is a significant contribution to the field of early childhood and research that will have ongoing impacts on the ways in which play supports learning.”