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
2018
Other Outputs
Evaluation framework for the overarching evaluation of the national support for child and youth mental health program
Smith, Simon, Ferris, Jason, Edmed, Shannon, Puljevic, Cheneal, Salom, Caroline and Thorpe, Karen (2018). Evaluation framework for the overarching evaluation of the national support for child and youth mental health program. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research.
2018
Conference Publication
A Man in the Centre: Insider perspectives on the unique contribution of male educators to children, families and the ECEC workplace
Thorpe, K., Sullivan, V., Jansen, E., Irvine, S., Sumision, J. and McDonald, P. (2018). A Man in the Centre: Insider perspectives on the unique contribution of male educators to children, families and the ECEC workplace. European Early Education and Care Research Association Conference, Budapest, Hungary, 28-31 August 2018.
2018
Journal Article
Measurement invariance of the feeding practices and Structure Questionnaire-28 among a community of socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers and fathers
Jansen, Elena, Harris, Holly A., Mallan, Kimberley M., Daniels, Lynne and Thorpe, Karen (2018). Measurement invariance of the feeding practices and Structure Questionnaire-28 among a community of socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers and fathers. Appetite, 120, 115-122. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.08.030
2018
Book Chapter
Producing contexts for young children’s digital technology use: web searching during adult-child interactions at home and preschool
Davidson, Christina, Danby, Susan J., Given, Lisa M. and Thorpe, Karen (2018). Producing contexts for young children’s digital technology use: web searching during adult-child interactions at home and preschool. Digital childhoods: technologies and children’s everyday lives. (pp. 65-82) edited by Susan J. Danby, Marilyn Fleer , Christina Davidson and Maria Hatzigianni. Singapore, Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-10-6484-5_5
2018
Other Outputs
“Get all cosy…. it’s like chill out”: children’s perspectives on relaxation in early childhood education and care
Cooke, Emma, Houen, Sandy, Staton, Sally, Thorpe, Karen and The Choosing Rest Research Team (2018, 01 01). “Get all cosy…. it’s like chill out”: children’s perspectives on relaxation in early childhood education and care Reflections Gowrie Australia Publication 1-2.
2017
Other Outputs
Sleep and the restless preschooler: why policies need to change
Thorpe, Karen, Staton, Sally, Smith, Simon and Irvine, Susan (2017, 10 06). Sleep and the restless preschooler: why policies need to change The Conversation
2017
Journal Article
Soliciting and pursuing suggestions: Practices for contemporaneously managing student-centred and curriculum-focused activities
Ekberg, Stuart, Danby, Susan, Houen, Sandra, Davidson, Christina and Thorpe, Karen J. (2017). Soliciting and pursuing suggestions: Practices for contemporaneously managing student-centred and curriculum-focused activities. Linguistics and Education, 42, 65-73. doi: 10.1016/j.linged.2017.07.007
2017
Conference Publication
Supporting sleep development in early childhood: What role does childcare play?
Staton, S., Pattinson, C., Smith, S., Irvine, S. and Thorpe, K. (2017). Supporting sleep development in early childhood: What role does childcare play?. 18th European Conference of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Belonging, being or becoming: educators’ understandings of their professional status and work roles
Irvine, Sue , Lunn, Jo , Sumsion, Jennifer , Jansen, Elena , Sullivan, Victoria and Thorpe, Karen (2017). Belonging, being or becoming: educators’ understandings of their professional status and work roles. European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference, Bologna, Italy, 27 August-1 September 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Pretend play and technology: young children making sense of their everyday social worlds
Danby, S., Davidson, C., Theobald, M., Houen, Sandy and Thorpe, Karen (2017). Pretend play and technology: young children making sense of their everyday social worlds. Symposium on The Multidisciplinary Aspects of Play, Australia, 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Severe sleep restriction in expedition adventure race competitors
St Pierre, L., Allan, A., Staton, S., Pattinson, C., Thorpe, K. and Smith, S. (2017). Severe sleep restriction in expedition adventure race competitors. Joint Congress of World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) & World Sleep Federation (WSF), Prague, Czech Republic, 7-11 October 2017. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.023
2017
Conference Publication
Meeting in the middle – How can governments and researchers work together to achieve impact. A case study from Queensland. Featured Symposium: Impact of schooling education research on policy and practice in Australia (NSW, QLD and WA Departments of Education)
Fergusson, A., Staton, S., Thorpe, K. and Irvine, S. (2017). Meeting in the middle – How can governments and researchers work together to achieve impact. A case study from Queensland. Featured Symposium: Impact of schooling education research on policy and practice in Australia (NSW, QLD and WA Departments of Education). Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 26-30 November 2017.
2017
Book Chapter
Friendships
Theobald, M., Danby, S., Thorpe, K. and Thompson, C. (2017). Friendships. Health and wellbeing in the early years. (pp. 141-160) edited by Susanne Garvis and Donna Pendergast. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781316780107.011
2017
Journal Article
Psychometric properties of the classroom assessment scoring system (Pre-K): implications for measuring interaction quality in diverse early childhood settings
Cloney, Dan, Nguyen, Cuc, Adams, Raymond J., Tayler, Collette, Cleveland, Gordon and Thorpe, Karen (2017). Psychometric properties of the classroom assessment scoring system (Pre-K): implications for measuring interaction quality in diverse early childhood settings. Journal of Applied Measurement, 18 (3), 299-318.
2017
Other Outputs
Professional development package and resources for guiding sleep practices in early childhood education and care services in Queensland - Phase 1
Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Smith, S., Irvine, S., Pattinson, C,, Sinclair, D., Hassell, S., Fuller, T. and Wihardjo, K. (2017). Professional development package and resources for guiding sleep practices in early childhood education and care services in Queensland - Phase 1. Queensland: Department of Education and Training, Queensland Government.
2017
Conference Publication
What about the childcare educator? Sustaining positive ECEC experiences.
Thorpe, Karen , Jansen, Elena , Irvine, Sue , McDonald, Paula , Sullivan, Victoria , Lunn, Jo and Sumsion, Jennifer (2017). What about the childcare educator? Sustaining positive ECEC experiences. . European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Utrecht, Netherlands, 29 August-1 September 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
SLEEP: Sleep learning for Early Education Professionals for Babies and Toddlers Workshop
Thorpe, K. and Staton, S. (2017). SLEEP: Sleep learning for Early Education Professionals for Babies and Toddlers Workshop. Early Start Conference, Wollongong, NSW, Australia, 27-29 September 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Choosing Rest: Finding Effective Alternatives to Mandated Rest-times in ECEC
Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Irvine, S., Smith, S., Pattinson, C., McArdle, F., McNellie, P., Oakes, C. and Houen, S. (2017). Choosing Rest: Finding Effective Alternatives to Mandated Rest-times in ECEC. Queensland Government Department of Education and Training Research Forum, Brisbane, 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Providing safe and supportive sleep environments in early childhood education and care
Staton, S., Pattison, C., Irvine, S., Smith, S. and Thorpe, K. (2017). Providing safe and supportive sleep environments in early childhood education and care. Early Start Conference, Wollongong, Australia, 2017.
2017
Other Outputs
Informing Queensland’s Workforce Action Plan for ECEC: Group and service level variation in educator engagement, satisfaction, training and retention.
Jensen, Elena, Sullivan, Victoria, Irvine, Sue and Thorpe, Karen (2017). Informing Queensland’s Workforce Action Plan for ECEC: Group and service level variation in educator engagement, satisfaction, training and retention. . Brisbane, Australia: Queensland University of Technology.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Karen Thorpe is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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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
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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
Early Sleep Interventions to Improve Outcomes in Children with Neurodisability
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laetitia Coles, Associate Professor Jasneek Chawla
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Doctor Philosophy
Innovation in measurement of child attachment behaviour in Early Childhood Education and Care: A focus on separations and reunions at drop-off and pick-up
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Associate Professor Sally Staton
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Doctor Philosophy
Career trajectories of international early childhood teachers in Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Laetitia Coles
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Doctor Philosophy
Barriers and facilitators to responsive, reciprocal and sensitive interactions between educators and children in early childhood education and care settings.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Dr Aisling Mulvihill
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Doctor Philosophy
Developmental effects of talk about mental states in early childhood education and care
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Dr Aisling Mulvihill
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterizing the relationship between sleep and developmental outcomes in childhood
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sally Staton, Associate Professor Jasneek Chawla
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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