
Overview
Background
Karen Thorpe is Australian Research Council, Laureate Professor and Group Leader in Child Development, Education and Care at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. Her research is grounded in the understanding that early learning experiences shape brain development and are critical in establishing trajectories of health, social inclusion and learning across the lifespan. A particular focus of her work is early care and education environments including parenting, parent work, quality of care and education, and the early years workforce.
Karen leads a multi-disciplinary team of developmental scientists undertaking large scale longitudinal studies with embedded studies to explicate mechanisms that enable or limit children’s life chances. She was Foundation Psychologist on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at the University of Bristol, UK; led the evaluation of the Preparing School Trial for Queensland Government; led the Queensland team of the E4Kids study of quality in Australian Early Education and Care and a recent data linkage project with Queensland Government to track participants through their school journey. In partnership with Queensland Government, Goodstart Early Learning and the Creche and Kindergarten Association she led a large population study of the Australian ECEC workforce (ARC Linkage). Her current research, as a chief investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families across the life course, and through an ARC Laureate fellowship, is to examine barriers to providing high quality early learning services in developmentally vulnerable communities.
In 2013 and again in 2019 Karen was named by the Australian Financial Review as among Australia's 100 Women of Influence for the impacts of her research on educational and family policy. In 2020 she was recognised by Australian Government, Advance Global Awards for her international contribution to education. Karen chairs the Australian Early Years Reference Council for Evidence for Learning, Australia whose remit is to build a strong evidence-base in early childhood education and care with focus on translation into policy and practice. She is also director on the board of the Australian Research Council for Children and Youth and advisor to the national board of Beyond Blue – Be You.
Availability
- Professor Karen Thorpe is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Bristol
Research interests
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Effects of experiences in the early years of life
Karen Thorpe is Australian Research Council, Laureate Professor and Group Leader in Child Development, Education and Care at the Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland. Her research is grounded in the understanding that early learning experiences shape brain development and are critical in establishing trajectories of health, social inclusion and learning across the lifespan. A particular focus of her work is early care and education environments including parenting, parent work, quality of care and education, and the early years workforce.
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Longitudinal studies
Karen was the Foundation Psychologist on the British Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children - a study of 14,000 children tracked from pregnancy in 1991 until the present day. This unique study was the first to combine genetic, biological and social data collections to understand the influences on children' s life course development. She continues to analyse data from this study and collaborate with colleagues in at the University of Bristol where these data are housed. Since returning to Australia in 2002 Karen has applied her expertise in longitudinal studies to create longitudinal data sets focused on early education and care experiences. She has established 4 large Australian data sets focussed on ECEC and in 2023 will commence another longitudinal study focused of ECEC in disadvantaged Australian communities funded by an Australian Laureate fellowship.
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Early Childhood Education and Care
Karen's work focuses on 4 domains that influence children's experiences in their early childhood learning environments - Policy - the funding mechanisms and social and educational policies directed towards access and quality of ECEC Provider - the effects of the mixed market of provision and enablers and constraints that influence allocation of available funds and types of provision Place - the social setting and circumstances that enter the ECEC service and room that can affect children's needs and everyday experiences People - the ECEC workforce and their capacity to support children and families given the resources within their setting A key focus is the potential of ECEC to redress social inequities and identifying ways to remove barriers to this aim
Works
Search Professor Karen Thorpe’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Meal provision in early childhood education and care programs: Association with geographic disadvantage, social disadvantage, cost, and market competition in an Australian population
Thorpe, Karen, Potia, Azhar Hussain, Searle, Bonnie, Van Halen, Olivia, Lakeman, Nicole, Oakes, Candice, Harris, Holly and Staton, Sally (2022). Meal provision in early childhood education and care programs: Association with geographic disadvantage, social disadvantage, cost, and market competition in an Australian population. Social Science & Medicine, 312 115317, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115317
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Emotional quality of early education programs improves language learning: A within‐child across context design
Rankin, Peter Sheldon, Staton, Sally, Potia, Azhar Hussain, Houen, Sandy and Thorpe, Karen (2022). Emotional quality of early education programs improves language learning: A within‐child across context design. Child Development, 93 (6), 1680-1697. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13811
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Eliciting and responding to young children's talk: a systematic review of educators' interactional strategies that promote rich conversations with children aged 2–5 years
Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen, van Os, Danielle, Westwood, Emily, Toon, Danielle and Staton, Sally (2022). Eliciting and responding to young children's talk: a systematic review of educators' interactional strategies that promote rich conversations with children aged 2–5 years. Educational Research Review, 37 100473, 100473. doi: 10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100473
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power
Cooke, Emma, Coles, Laetitia, Clarke, Andrew, Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2022). Discarded data: an Ahmedian engagement with young children’s gendered accounts of violence and power. Gender and Education, 34 (7), 787-803. doi: 10.1080/09540253.2022.2078795
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Do the numbers add up? Questioning measurement that places Australian ECEC teaching as ‘low quality’
Thorpe, Karen, Houen, Sandy, Rankin, Peter, Pattinson, Cassandra and Staton, Sally (2022). Do the numbers add up? Questioning measurement that places Australian ECEC teaching as ‘low quality’. The Australian Educational Researcher, 50 (3), 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s13384-022-00525-4
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Associations between food provision and feeding practices in socially disadvantaged childcare centres
Searle, Bonnie-Ria E., Staton, Sally S., Littlewood, Robyn and Thorpe, Karen (2022). Associations between food provision and feeding practices in socially disadvantaged childcare centres. Appetite, 169 105811, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105811
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Children's sleep and fathers' health and wellbeing: a systematic review
Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen, Smith, Simon, Hewitt, Belinda, Ruppanner, Leah, Bayliss, Olivia, O'Flaherty, Martin and Staton, Sally (2022). Children's sleep and fathers' health and wellbeing: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 61 101570, 101570. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101570
Featured
2021
Journal Article
Environmental light exposure, rest-activity rhythms, and symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity: an observational study of Australian preschoolers
Ulset, Vidar Sandsaunet, Czajkowski, Nikolai Olavi, Staton, Sally, Smith, Simon, Pattinson, Cassandra, Allen, Alicia, Thorpe, Karen and Bekkhus, Mona (2021). Environmental light exposure, rest-activity rhythms, and symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity: an observational study of Australian preschoolers. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 73 101560, 101560. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101560
Featured
2021
Journal Article
Three things I learn at sleep-time: children’s accounts of sleep and rest in their early childhood education programs
Gehret, Hannah, Cooke, Emma, Staton, Sally, Irvine, Susan and Thorpe, Karen (2021). Three things I learn at sleep-time: children’s accounts of sleep and rest in their early childhood education programs. Early Years, 41 (5), 556-573. doi: 10.1080/09575146.2019.1634010
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Identifying predictors of retention and professional wellbeing of the early childhood education workforce in a time of change
Thorpe, Karen, Jansen, Elena, Sullivan, Victoria, Irvine, Susan, McDonald, Paula and The Early Years Workforce Study team (2020). Identifying predictors of retention and professional wellbeing of the early childhood education workforce in a time of change. Journal of Educational Change, 21 (4), 623-647. doi: 10.1007/s10833-020-09382-3
Featured
2020
Journal Article
The when and what of measuring ECE quality: Analysis of variation in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) across the ECE day
Thorpe, Karen, Rankin, Peter, Beatton, Tony, Houen, Sandy, Sandi, Matteo, Siraj, Iram and Staton, Sally (2020). The when and what of measuring ECE quality: Analysis of variation in the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) across the ECE day. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 53, 274-286. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2020.05.003
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Beliefs and attributions: insider accounts of men’s place in early childhood education and care
Sullivan, Victoria, Coles, Laetitia, Xu, Yuwei, Perales, Francisco and Thorpe, Karen (2020). Beliefs and attributions: insider accounts of men’s place in early childhood education and care. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 21 (2), 126-137. doi: 10.1177/1463949120929462
Featured
2020
Journal Article
A man in the centre: inclusion and contribution of male educators in early childhood education and care teaching teams
Thorpe, Karen, Sullivan, V., Jansen, E., McDonald, P., Sumsion, J. and Irvine, S. (2020). A man in the centre: inclusion and contribution of male educators in early childhood education and care teaching teams. Early Child Development and Care, 190 (6), 921-934. doi: 10.1080/03004430.2018.1501564
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Many naps, one nap, none: a systematic review and meta-analysis of napping patterns in children 0-12 years
Staton, Sally, Rankin, Peter S., Harding, Mollie, Smith, Simon S., Westwood, Emily, LeBourgeois, Monique K. and Thorpe, Karen J. (2020). Many naps, one nap, none: a systematic review and meta-analysis of napping patterns in children 0-12 years. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 50 101247, 101247. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.101247
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Working towards the Australian National Quality Standard for ECEC: what do we know? Where should we go?
Thorpe, Karen, Westwood, Emily, Jansen, Elena, Menner, Ryan, Houen, Sandy and Staton, Sally (2020). Working towards the Australian National Quality Standard for ECEC: what do we know? Where should we go?. Australian Educational Researcher, 48 (2), 227-247. doi: 10.1007/s13384-020-00387-8
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Associations between prenatal maternal mental health indices and mother–infant relationship quality 6 to 18 months’ postpartum: a systematic review
Hazell Raine, Karen, Nath, Selina, Howard, Louise M., Cockshaw, Wendell, Boyce, Philip, Sawyer, Emily and Thorpe, Karen (2020). Associations between prenatal maternal mental health indices and mother–infant relationship quality 6 to 18 months’ postpartum: a systematic review. Infant Mental Health Journal, 41 (1) imhj.21825, 24-39. doi: 10.1002/imhj.21825
Featured
2019
Journal Article
Antenatal interpersonal sensitivity as an early predictor of vulnerable mother–infant relationship quality
Raine, Karen Hazell, Boyce, Philip and Thorpe, Karen (2019). Antenatal interpersonal sensitivity as an early predictor of vulnerable mother–infant relationship quality. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24 (4), 860-875. doi: 10.1177/1359104519857217
Featured
2019
Journal Article
A comparison of maternal feeding responses to child fussy eating in low-income food secure and food insecure households
Harris, Holly A., Staton, Sally, Morawska, Alina, Gallegos, Danielle, Oakes, Candice and Thorpe, Karen (2019). A comparison of maternal feeding responses to child fussy eating in low-income food secure and food insecure households. Appetite, 137, 259-266. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.005
Featured
2019
Journal Article
Correlates of naptime behaviors in preschool aged children
Smith, Simon S., Edmed, Shannon L., Staton, Sally L., Pattinson, Cassandra L. and Thorpe, Karen J. (2019). Correlates of naptime behaviors in preschool aged children. Nature and Science of Sleep, 11, 27-34. doi: 10.2147/nss.s193115
Featured
2019
Journal Article
Reply: Advocating for a cautious, conservative approach to screen time guidelines in young children
Straker, Leon, Zabatiero, Juliana, Danby, Susan, Thorpe, Karen and Edwards, Susan (2019). Reply: Advocating for a cautious, conservative approach to screen time guidelines in young children. Journal of Pediatrics, 207, 262-263. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.11.061
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Karen Thorpe is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Same Educator, Different Day
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton, Dr Sandy Houen
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Doctor Philosophy
An Ecological Case Study of Early Childhood Education and Care in Normanton
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton, Dr Azhar Potia
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Doctor Philosophy
Transition to secondary school: Supporting successful educational pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kai Wheeler, Dr Azhar Potia
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Master Philosophy
The dilemma in the career development of international early childhood teachers in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laetitia Coles
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Doctor Philosophy
The Signifiance of Nap Cessation for Children's Social-emotional Functioning
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Rankin, Associate Professor Sally Staton, Professor Simon Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
Can attachment theory be applied in early education and care environments? Theorising and measuring qualities of child-educator relationships
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Associate Professor Sally Staton
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Doctor Philosophy
Early Sleep Interventions to Improve Outcomes in Children with Neurodisability
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laetitia Coles, Dr Jasneek Chawla
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Doctor Philosophy
Can attachment theory be applied in early education and care environments? Theorising and measuring qualities of child-educator relationships
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Associate Professor Sally Staton
Completed supervision
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Why mealtimes matter: food provision and practices in childcare centres serving low-income communities.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Robyn Littlewood, Associate Professor Sally Staton
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Pride and Prejudice: The claiming and contesting of male participation in Early Childhood Education and Care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laetitia Coles
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Bridging the theory to evidence gap: a systematic review and analysis of individual × environment models of child development
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mark Western
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
The Significance of Nap Cessation for Children's Social-emotional Functioning
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Rankin, Associate Professor Sally Staton, Professor Simon Smith
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Relaxation and Unrest: A Crystallization of Children's Experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Karen Thorpe directly for media enquiries about:
- child development
- childcare
- childcare educators work conditions
- children
- children's sleep
- early education and care
- early years workforce
- ecec
- educational policy
- longitudinal studies
- parenting
- preschool
- school readiness
- twins
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