Research
Projects
The theory of practice architectures in early childhood education
2024
To share the resources Leanne Gibbs and I created for the Exemplary Early Childhood Educators project (as described in the paper Unpacking the theory of practice architectures for research in early childhood education) we created a website:
https://practice-architectures-ece.com/
The website provides a range of resources and links for those looking to use the theory of practice architectures in research, particularly in Early Childhood Education.
A cross-context comparison of educators perspectives and practices of risk-taking in Early Childhood Education
2023-current
This project sees application of the survey developed in the pilot study below. All educators across all ECE centre-based settings in Australia will be invited to participate in the survey. The project aims to compare educators perspectives and practices of risk-taking across a range of centres and contexts. The survey is also being implemented by Professor Ellen Sandseter and colleagues in Norway, allowing for cross-country comparison. If you are located in another country and would like to join the project, please get in touch.
Strengthening the research agenda related to risk-taking in early childhood education: A pilot project
2021-2022
In this project I piloted a survey that will be used to follow on from my PhD work. The survey aims to explore educators' perspectives and practices of risk-taking across a wide range of early childhood education settings. The project was funded by Deakin University through the Research Project Development Scheme.
Towards a reconceptualisation of risk-taking in early childhood education
2017-2020
This was my PhD project. The project explored educators’ perceptions and practices of risk-taking in high quality early childhood education settings in Australia. The research provides new ways of thinking about children’s risk-taking and identifies the place of educators risk-taking in the pursuit of high quality early childhood education.
Peer Reviewed Publications
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Robertson, N., Cooke, M., Bussey, K., Mooney, A., Blake, D. (2022). Reframing early childhood teacher education to support equity and access: The practice architectures of an enabling ‘degree-qualified’ pathway. In print.
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Salamon, A., Gibbs, L., & Cooke, M. (2022). Democratic practices with and for our youngest citizens: Early childhood education, agency and the education complex. In print.
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Gibbs, L., Cooke, M., & Salamon, A. (2022). Unpacking the theory of practice architectures for research in early childhood education. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 18369391221119834. https://doi.org/10.1177/18369391221119834
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Press, F., Cooke, M., Gibbs, L., & Warren, R. (2021). Inequality, social justice and the purpose of early childhood education. Journal of Childhood and Adolescence Research, 4, 510-524. https://doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v16i4.09
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Cooke, M. (2021). The risk of being researched: Re-envisioning educator research participation for high quality early childhood education. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/18369391211046681
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Cooke, M., & Francisco, S. (2020). The practice architectures that enable and constrain educators’ risk-taking practices in high quality early childhood education. Early Childhood Education Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-020-01112-x
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Cooke, M., Francisco, S., Press, F., & Wong, S. (2020). Becoming a researcher: The process of ‘stirring in’ to data collection practices in early childhood education research. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 18(4), 404-417. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X209429511
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Cooke, M., Press, F., & Wong, S. (2020). Educators’ risk-taking in high quality early childhood education. International Journal Early Years Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2020.1848531
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Cooke, M., Wong, S., & Press, F. (2020). High quality educators' conceptualisation of children's risk-taking in early childhood education: Provoking educators to think more broadly. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(3), 424-438. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1755499
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Cooke, M., Wong, S., & Press, F. (2019). Towards a re-conceptualisation of risk in early childhood education. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949119840740
Other Publications
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Cooke, M. (2022). The good, the bad and the beautiful of risk-taking in early childhood education. ABC Kids Early Education. Online Journal. https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/early-education/reflective-journal/the-good,-the-bad-and-the-beautiful-of-risk-taking-in-early-chi/14017036
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Cooke, M. (2021). Cultivating happy, healthy and resilient children through risk-taking. Play and Learn Together Blog. https://www.playandlearntogether.com.au/play-blog/
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Cooke, M. (2020). Towards a re-conceptualisation of risk-taking in early childhood education. Rattler. https://www.cela.org.au/rattler
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Cooke, M. (2020). Courage and risk-taking in early childhood education. C & K Blog. https://www.candk.asn.au
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Cooke, M. (2019). Does ‘safe’ bush kinder lose meaning? CELA Blog. https://www.cela.org.au/2019/01/14/safe-bush-kinder
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Cooke, M. (2019). Early Childhood Education Handbook. Playground Ideas. https://playgroundideas.org