
Overview
Background
Dr Sally Staton is a Senior Research Fellow in the Science of Learning Research Centre at the Queensland Brain Institute, UQ. Dr Staton has a strong commitment to research that can inform and ensure positive early life experience for all children. Her research focuses on the role of early education and care settings in supporting young children’s immediate and on-going social-emotional, cognitive and physical development. Dr Staton’s research spans a range of study designs and methodologies, including evaluation studies in educational settings (applying randomised control trial and quasi-experimental designs), longitudinal studies tracking large child cohorts (>2000 children), standard observation techniques (in vivo and video), survey and individualised standard child assessment (using educational and psychological measures), as well as studies employing physiological (cortisol, actigraphy, heart rate variability) and qualitative (child, educator and parent interviews, socio-metric) designs. She has a particular expertise in the development, application and interpretation of observational measurement for educational practices and teacher-child interactions in education contexts, including early childhood settings. Dr Staton has a strong track record in research translation and community engagement, including delivery of reports for government and non-government organisations, professional development packages for early childhood professionals and teachers, presentations, workshops, videos and articles for parents, government regulatory officers and the early childhood sector. In 2016, she was named among Queensland’s Young Tall Poppy Scientists for her contribution to science translation and engagement. In 2019 her succesful research partnerships with industry and government was acknowledged in a Partners in Research Excellence Award from UQ.
Availability
- Associate Professor Sally Staton is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology
- Postgraduate Diploma, Queensland University of Technology
- Bachelor (Honours), Queensland University of Technology
- Doctor of Philosophy, Queensland University of Technology
Research interests
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Human Development
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Children and families
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Early Childhood Education and Care policy/practices
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Measurement of early care environments
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Child health and well-being
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Children’s sleep patterns and development
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Digital Technology use
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In-situ observation methods
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Mealtime interactions
Research impacts
Key Examples of Research Impact include:
- Implementation of the Assisting Observations Toolkit by the Queensland Government, Department of Education to inform practices of Authorised Officers responsible for Assessment and Rating of all Early Education and Care services in Queensland, Australia.
- SLEEP Professional Development Program resources cited in childcare policy and procedure documents nationally, including government (e.g. Qld, SA education departments, ACECQA) and peak childcare organisations (e.g. C&K, Gowrie, Early Childhood Australia), and in doing so shaping legislative standards and practice expectations. See detailed description below.
- Research informed national legislative changes in October 2017 (ACECQA; NQS) requiring all early childhood education and care providers to have documented policy and procedures for sleep, rest and relaxation.
- News media coverage in over 200 media outlets nationally and internationally, including: Huffington Post, BBC, Fox News, Daily Mail, NBC, Reuters, ABC Radio, and Channel 9. I have also undertaken radio (ABC Local, and National), and television (Channel 9) interviews, with media seeking my opinion on topics including children’s sleep, napping in young children and sleep practices within the early childhood sector. In 2018 I was selected as a focus scientist for the Queensland Chief Scientist Science in Queensland Social Media Campaign.
- SLEEP Program delivered (2015-2019) to >170 peak ECEC organisation leaders and >100 DoE regulatory officers in Qld, including the first pilot RCT study of the impacts of this program on educator practices and interaction quality between educators and children in ECEC services.
- Research embedded within university Early Childhood training programs in Australia and internationally (UK).
- Invitations from the Director of Research Services Qld Govt. DoE (2017 and 2018) to present the sleep project as an example of successful partnership between research and government leading to impact on educational policy and practice.
- Delivery of the State of Early Learning in Australia Report, launched at Parliament House, Canberra, November 2019, including delivery of key indicators for Australia to inform policy and practice actions.
- Research translation into oral language resources for ECEC educators, distributed nationally through the Evidence for Learning Website, Social Ventures Australia, and presented directly to early childhood teachers working in Australian communities experiencing high developmental vulnerability.
- Featured scientist in state and national science engagement events and initiatives, including The Science of Sleep. ABC Radio National, Big Ideas Program (July 2019),
- Tall Poppy Science Award for recognition of my contribution to science communication and translation and Partners in Research Excellence Award for excellence in partnerships in research with government and industry.
Works
Search Professor Sally Staton’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Other Outputs
Link between participation in Early Childhood Education and Care and Australian Early Development Census domain indicators using The First Five Years Project data
Rankin, Peter, Staton, Sally and Thorpe, Karen (2025). Link between participation in Early Childhood Education and Care and Australian Early Development Census domain indicators using The First Five Years Project data.
2025
Journal Article
The challenges of challenging behaviour: early childhood educators’ understandings of child behaviour and impact on occupational wellbeing
Panthi, Narayan, Thorpe, Karen, Houen, Sandra, Casey, Charlotte and Staton, Sally (2025). The challenges of challenging behaviour: early childhood educators’ understandings of child behaviour and impact on occupational wellbeing. Teachers and Teaching, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/13540602.2025.2463018
2025
Journal Article
(Un-)Protocoling post-qualitative childhood research: a novice researcher
Zheng, Zhaoxi, Olson, Rebecca E., Staton, Sally and Setchell, Jenny (2025). (Un-)Protocoling post-qualitative childhood research: a novice researcher. Children's Geographies, 23 (1), 1-19. doi: 10.1080/14733285.2025.2454576
2025
Journal Article
Improvising end-of-life with young children: death/s and its absolute
Zheng, Zhaoxi, Olson, Rebecca E. and Staton, Sally (2025). Improvising end-of-life with young children: death/s and its absolute. Mortality, 1-21. doi: 10.1080/13576275.2025.2451078
2025
Journal Article
Meals, Mealtimes and moments for learning: Assessment of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care services
Searle, Bonnie, Houen, Sandy, Staton, Sally and Thorpe, Karen (2025). Meals, Mealtimes and moments for learning: Assessment of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care services. Public Health Nutrition, 28 (1) e50, 1-24. doi: 10.1017/s1368980025000011
2024
Journal Article
The brain in context: a scoping review and concept definition of neuro-informed policy and practice
Staton, Sally, Coles, Laetitia, Normore, George, Casey, Charlotte, Searle, Bonnie, Houen, Sandy, Potia, Azhar, Crompton, Rebecca, Long, Deborah, Hogan, Michael and Thorpe, Karen (2024). The brain in context: a scoping review and concept definition of neuro-informed policy and practice. Brain Sciences, 14 (12) 1243, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14121243
2024
Conference Publication
Serve, return, rally, learn: interactional strategies to support children’s brain development through play
Houen, Sandy and Staton, Sally (2024). Serve, return, rally, learn: interactional strategies to support children’s brain development through play. Realising the Vision: An Integrated Future for the Early Years., Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 17-20 September 2024.
2024
Journal Article
Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Mallawaarachchi, Sumudu, Burley, Jade, Mavilidi, Myrto, Howard, Steven J., Straker, Leon, Kervin, Lisa, Staton, Sally, Hayes, Nicole, Machell, Amanda, Torjinski, Marina, Brady, Brodie, Thomas, George, Horwood, Sharon, White, Sonia L. J., Zabatiero, Juliana, Rivera, Clara and Cliff, Dylan (2024). Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 178 (10) e20162591, 1017-1026. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2620
2024
Journal Article
Sleep deprivation and recovery: endurance racing as a novel model
Mann, Dwayne L., Pattinson, Cassandra L, Allan, Alicia, St Pierre, Liam, Staton, Sally, Thorpe, Karen, Rossa, Kalina and Smith, Simon S. (2024). Sleep deprivation and recovery: endurance racing as a novel model. European Journal of Sport Science, 24 (8), 1176-1185. doi: 10.1002/ejsc.12143
2024
Other Outputs
Linking quality and child development in early childhood education and care: technical report
Rankin, Peter, Staton, Sally, Jones, Alicia, Potia, Azhar Hussain, Houen, Sandy, Healey, Bridget and Thorpe, Karen (2024). Linking quality and child development in early childhood education and care: technical report. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Australian Education Research Organisation.
2024
Journal Article
Exploring the relationship between age at nap cessation and social-emotional functioning in children
Loeffler, Anna, Rankin, Peter, Smith, Simon S., Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2024). Exploring the relationship between age at nap cessation and social-emotional functioning in children. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 45 (2), e150-e158. doi: 10.1097/dbp.0000000000001259
2024
Journal Article
Access to high-quality early care and education: analysis of Australia's national integrated data
Tang, Angelina, Rankin, Peter, Staton, Sally and Thorpe, Karen (2024). Access to high-quality early care and education: analysis of Australia's national integrated data. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 67, 352-362. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.02.001
2023
Other Outputs
Clinicians’ experiences of explaining prenatal screening and delivering genetic syndrome diagnoses
Cooke, Emma, Anderson, Mark, Langdon, Grace, Feltham, Madeline, Staton, Sally, Coles, Laetitia, Thorpe, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2023). Clinicians’ experiences of explaining prenatal screening and delivering genetic syndrome diagnoses. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Down Syndrome Queensland; The University of Queensland.
2023
Journal Article
A missed opportunity? Meal provision in early childhood education and care services in the context of socioeconomic disadvantage
Searle, Bonnie, Staton, Sally, Littlewood, Robyn, Bayliss, Olivia and Thorpe, Karen (2023). A missed opportunity? Meal provision in early childhood education and care services in the context of socioeconomic disadvantage. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 28 (2), 362-371. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03849-4
2023
Journal Article
Siblings’ experiences of sleep disruption in families with a child with Down syndrome
Cooke, Emma, Smith, Caitlin, Miguel, Maria Carmen, Staton, Sally, Thorpe, Karen and Chawla, Jasneek (2023). Siblings’ experiences of sleep disruption in families with a child with Down syndrome. Sleep Health, 10 (2), 198-204. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.10.002
2023
Journal Article
Longitudinal change in sleep, functional, and behavioural characteristics in a cohort of children with Down syndrome
Chawla, Jasneek K., Bernard, Anne, Staton, Sally, Burgess, Scott and Heussler, Helen (2023). Longitudinal change in sleep, functional, and behavioural characteristics in a cohort of children with Down syndrome. Journal of Sleep Research, 33 (4) e14093, 1-14. doi: 10.1111/jsr.14093
2023
Journal Article
Poverty for lunch: a case study of agency and food scarcity in mealtimes in disadvantaged ECE
Searle, Bonnie, Cooke, Emma, Staton, Sally and Thorpe, Karen (2023). Poverty for lunch: a case study of agency and food scarcity in mealtimes in disadvantaged ECE. Children & Society: the international journal of childhood and children's, 38 (4), 1076-1094. doi: 10.1111/chso.12782
2023
Journal Article
The effects of light in children: a systematic review
Westwood, Emily, Smith, Simon, Mann, Dwayne, Pattinson, Cassandra, Allan, Alicia and Staton, Sally (2023). The effects of light in children: a systematic review. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 89 102062, 102062. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102062
2023
Journal Article
Discursive tensions: Outcomes and rights in educators’ accounts of children’s relaxation
Cooke, Emma, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen, Clarke, Andrew, Oakes, Candice and Staton, Sally (2023). Discursive tensions: Outcomes and rights in educators’ accounts of children’s relaxation. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 24 (1), 70-81. doi: 10.1177/1463949120983480
2023
Journal Article
Mealtimes in the context of poverty: comparison of ECEC services providing food and those requiring food provided from home
Searle, Bonnie, Staton, Sally, Littlewood, Robyn and Thorpe, Karen (2023). Mealtimes in the context of poverty: comparison of ECEC services providing food and those requiring food provided from home. Child: Care, Health and Development, 49 (6), 995-1005. doi: 10.1111/cch.13109
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sally Staton is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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Sleep development in young children
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Sleep Development
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Physical Environments in Early Childhood Services
Supervision history
Current supervision
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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
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen Thorpe, Dr Sandy Houen
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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
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen Thorpe, Dr Sandy Houen
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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
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen Thorpe, Dr Sandy Houen
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Doctor Philosophy
Child sleep development in the context of family work lives
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Rankin
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Doctor Philosophy
The Developmental Significance of Sleep Transitions in Early Childhood
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dwayne Mann, Professor Simon Smith
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Doctor Philosophy
Towards a Critical Post-humanist Symphony of Children-Deaths
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rebecca Olson
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Doctor Philosophy
Towards a Critical Post-humanist Symphony of Children-Deaths
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rebecca Olson
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Doctor Philosophy
Same Educator, Different Day
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Professor Karen Thorpe
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Doctor Philosophy
An Ecological Case Study of Early Childhood Education and Care in Normanton
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen Thorpe, Dr Azhar Potia
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding children's constructions and experiences of death, dying and loss
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rebecca Olson
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Doctor Philosophy
The Signifiance of Nap Cessation for Children's Social-emotional Functioning
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Rankin, Professor Karen Thorpe, Professor Simon Smith
Completed supervision
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Relaxation and Unrest: A Crystallization of Children's Experiences in Early Childhood Education and Care
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Karen Thorpe
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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, Professor Karen Thorpe, Professor Simon Smith
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Why mealtimes matter: food provision and practices in childcare centres serving low-income communities.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Robyn Littlewood, Professor Karen Thorpe
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Sleep in Children with Down syndrome: Improving Outcomes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Honey Heussler
Media
Enquiries
Contact Associate Professor Sally Staton directly for media enquiries about:
- Child Development
- Childcare
- Children
- Children's Relaxation
- Children's Sleep
- Early Childhood Education and Care
- Naps
- Naptimes
- Preschool
- Sleep
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