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:
- Not 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
2022
Journal Article
Parents’ Experiences of Having a Child with Down Syndrome and Sleep Difficulties
Chawla, Jasneek K., Cooke, Emma, Miguel, Maria Carmen, Burgess, Scott and Staton, Sally (2022). Parents’ Experiences of Having a Child with Down Syndrome and Sleep Difficulties. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 21 (5), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2022.2143359
2022
Conference Publication
Nap cessation age does not predict social-emotional functioning in early childhood: Findings from the e4kids study
Loeffler, Anna, Rankin, Peter, Thorpe, Karen, Smith, Simon and Staton, Sally (2022). Nap cessation age does not predict social-emotional functioning in early childhood: Findings from the e4kids study. 26th Conference of the European Sleep Research Society, Athens, Greece, 27–30 September 2022. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
2022
Journal Article
Identifying factors for poorer educational outcomes that may be exacerbated by COVID ‐19: A systematic review focussing on at‐risk school children and adolescents
Coles, Laetitia, Johnstone, Melissa, Pattinson, Cassandra, Thorpe, Karen, Van Halen, Olivia, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Bayliss, Olivia, Lakeman, Nicole, Western, Mark, Povey, Jenny and Staton, Sally (2022). Identifying factors for poorer educational outcomes that may be exacerbated by COVID ‐19: A systematic review focussing on at‐risk school children and adolescents. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 58 (1), 13-40. doi: 10.1002/ajs4.236
2022
Other Outputs
Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report - Number 3 (Sep 2022)
Povey, Jenny, Kennedy, E., Hussain Potia, Azhar, Tomaszeski, W., Staton, S., Bellotti, M., Cook, S., San Martin Porter, M. and Austerberry, S. (2022). Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report - Number 3 (Sep 2022). Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland.
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
2022
Other Outputs
'Greatest transformation of early education in a generation'? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff
Thorpe, Karen, Potia, Azhar, Rankin, Peter, Staton, Sally and Houen, Sandy (2022, 06 21). 'Greatest transformation of early education in a generation'? Well, that depends on qualified, supported and thriving staff The Conversation
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
2022
Other Outputs
KindyLinQ Program Pilot: Pilot evaluation report and executive summary
Staton, Sally, Pattinson, Cassandra, Houen, Sandy, Coles, Laetitia, Westwood, Emily, Cooke, Emma, Searle, Bonnie-Ria and Thorpe, Karen (2022). KindyLinQ Program Pilot: Pilot evaluation report and executive summary. Online: Evidence for Learning.
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
2022
Other Outputs
Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report - Number 2 (Feb 2022)
Povey, Jenny, Kennedy, Lizzie, Potia, Azhar, Tomaszewski, Wojtek, Staton, Sally, Cook, Steffi, Bellotti, Melindy, Austerberry, Sophie and San Martin Porter, Macarena (2022). Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report - Number 2 (Feb 2022). Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland.
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
2022
Other Outputs
Responding to challenging behaviour with Children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings
Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy, Coles, Laetitia, Searle, Bonnie, Panthi, S. and Thorpe, Karen (2022). Responding to challenging behaviour with Children aged 2-5 years in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings. Melbourne, VIC, Australia: Evidence for Learning. Social Ventures Australia.
2021
Conference Publication
Reconceptualising Home and Ontological Security in COVID-19 Times
Zheng, Zhaoxi, Clarke, Andrew, Coles, Laetitia and Staton, Sally (2021). Reconceptualising Home and Ontological Security in COVID-19 Times. The Australian Sociological Association 2021 Annual Conference (TASA Thematic Week), Online, 22-26 November 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Children’s sleep and fathers’ health and wellbeing: a systematic review
Coles, L., Thorpe, K., Smith, S., Hewitt, B., Ruppanner, L., Bayliss, O., O’Flaherty, M. and Staton, S. (2021). Children’s sleep and fathers’ health and wellbeing: a systematic review. 32nd annual scientific meeting of Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) & Australian and New Zealand Sleep Science Association (ANZSSA), Online, 10 - 13 October 2021. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab014.072
2021
Conference Publication
P083 Age of Nap Cessation and Short-term Social-Emotional Functioning in Early Childhood
Loeffler, A., Rankin, P., Thorpe, K. and Staton, S. (2021). P083 Age of Nap Cessation and Short-term Social-Emotional Functioning in Early Childhood. 32nd annual scientific meeting of Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) & Australian and New Zealand Sleep Science Association Sleep DownUnder 2021, Online, 10-13 October 2021. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab014.127
2021
Conference Publication
Disentangling adultness in childhood research: death talk as an example
Zheng, Z., Olson, R., Setchell, J. and Staton, S. (2021). Disentangling adultness in childhood research: death talk as an example. International Society of Critical Health Psychology Biennial Conference 2021, Online; Pōneke (Wellington), New Zealand, 22-25 August 2021.
2021
Other Outputs
Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report June 2021
Povey, J., Kennedy, E. , Potia, A. H., Bellotti, M., Cook, S., Tomaszewski, W. and Staton, S. (2021). Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools: Queensland replication study progress report June 2021. Building capacity for quality teaching in Australian schools Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR): The University of Queensland.
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sally Staton is:
- Not available for supervision
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
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
Same Educator, Different Day
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sandy Houen, Professor Karen Thorpe
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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
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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