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
2019
Conference Publication
"Did my child sleep today?": communication between parents and educators in childcare settings
Oakes, Candice, Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy and Cooke, Emma (2019). "Did my child sleep today?": communication between parents and educators in childcare settings. World Sleep Conference, Vanouver, BC, Canada, 21-25 September 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Many naps, one nap, none: tracking the developmental significance of sleep transition in early childhood
Thorpe, K., Smith, S., Mamun, A., Staton, S., Beatton, T., Heussler, H., LeBourgeois, M., Blair, P., Coles, L., Oaks, C. and Sinclair, G. (2019). Many naps, one nap, none: tracking the developmental significance of sleep transition in early childhood. 15th World Sleep Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 20-25 September 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.1071
2019
Other Outputs
What exactly is rest-time in childcare?
Cooke, Emma, Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen and The Choosing Rest Research Team (2019, 01 01). What exactly is rest-time in childcare? Childmags.com.au
2019
Other Outputs
Early childhood data analysis report
Coles, L., Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Van Os, D., Westwood, E. and Menner, R. (2019). Early childhood data analysis report. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The Front Project.
2019
Conference Publication
Experiences of relaxation: the voices of early childhood education and care educators
Houen, Sandy, Cooke, Emma, Kraemer, E., Oakes, Candice, Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2019). Experiences of relaxation: the voices of early childhood education and care educators. Australian Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 2-5 December 2019.
2019
Conference Publication
Actigraphy based estimates of sleep duration in young children with and without a sleep log are comparable
Rankin, P., Staton, S., Thorpe, K. and Smith, S. (2019). Actigraphy based estimates of sleep duration in young children with and without a sleep log are comparable. 15th World Sleep Congress, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 20-25 September 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.998
2019
Conference Publication
Supporting pre-school educators to respond to challenging behaviours in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) - a systematic review
Panthi, N., Houen, S., Thorpe, K. and Staton, S. (2019). Supporting pre-school educators to respond to challenging behaviours in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) - a systematic review. Australian Association for Research In Education Conference 2019, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 1-5 December 2019.
2018
Conference Publication
Restful or stressful? Children's diurnal cortisol patterns associated with nap time practices in preschool
Thorpe, K., Pattinson, C., Smith, S. and Staton, S. (2018). Restful or stressful? Children's diurnal cortisol patterns associated with nap time practices in preschool. American Education Research Association 2018 Annual Meeting, New York, United States, 13 - 17 April 2018.
2018
Journal Article
Investigating the association between sleep parameters and the weight status of children: night sleep duration matters
Pattinson, Cassandra L., Smith, Simon S., Staton, Sally L., Trost, Stewart G. and Thorpe, Karen J. (2018). Investigating the association between sleep parameters and the weight status of children: night sleep duration matters. Sleep Health, 4 (2), 147-153. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2017.12.009
2018
Journal Article
Mandatory naptimes in childcare do not reduce children's cortisol levels
Thorpe, Karen J., Pattinson, Cassandra L., Smith, Simon S and Staton, Sally L. (2018). Mandatory naptimes in childcare do not reduce children's cortisol levels. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) 4545, 4545. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22555-8
2018
Journal Article
Insider perspectives: the ‘tricky business’ of providing for children’s sleep and rest needs in the context of early childhood education and care
Thorpe, Karen, Irvine, Susan, Pattinson, Cassandra and Staton, Sally (2018). Insider perspectives: the ‘tricky business’ of providing for children’s sleep and rest needs in the context of early childhood education and care. Early Years, 40 (2), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/09575146.2018.1443434
2018
Conference Publication
Implementation of a professional development program to improve sleep health within the childcare sector
Staton, S., Smith, S., Irvine, S., Pattinson, C. and Thorpe, K. (2018). Implementation of a professional development program to improve sleep health within the childcare sector. 30th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of Australasian Sleep Association and the Australasian Sleep Technologists Association (Sleep DownUnder), Brisbane, Australia, 17-20 October, 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/jsr.30_12765
2018
Conference Publication
Invited presentation and panel discussion on career development and post-doctoral pathways
Staton, S. (2018). Invited presentation and panel discussion on career development and post-doctoral pathways. IBHI Inspires Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Observed non-compliance with safe sleeping guidelines in licensed home- and centre-based childcare services
Staton, S., Pease, A., Smith, S., Pattinson, C., Blair, P., Young, J., Irvine, S. and Thorpe, K. (2018). Observed non-compliance with safe sleeping guidelines in licensed home- and centre-based childcare services. 30th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of Australasian Sleep Association and the Australasian Sleep Technologists Association (Sleep DownUnder), Brisbane, Australia, 17-20 October, 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/jsr.37_12765
2018
Conference Publication
Actigraphy-based estimates of sleep duration in young children with and without a sleep log are comparable
Rankin, P., Staton, S., Thorpe, K. and Smith, S. (2018). Actigraphy-based estimates of sleep duration in young children with and without a sleep log are comparable. Australasian Chronobiology Society 15th Annual Scientific Meeting, Brisbane, Australia, 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Regularity of infant and toddler sleep practices between home and childcare settings
Staton, S., Smith, S., Rankin, P. and Thorpe, K. (2018). Regularity of infant and toddler sleep practices between home and childcare settings. 30th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) of Australasian-Sleep-Association and the Australasian-Sleep-Technologists-Association (Sleep DownUnder), Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 17-20 October 2018. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/jsr.106_12766
2018
Other Outputs
Summary report for the sleep learning for early education professionals project
Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Pattinson, C., Smith, S. and Irvine, S. (2018). Summary report for the sleep learning for early education professionals project. Brisbane, Queensland: Department of Education, Queensland Government.
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.
2018
Other Outputs
Submission to Inquiry into Sleep Health Awareness in Australia
Staton, S. and Smith, S. (2018). Submission to Inquiry into Sleep Health Awareness in Australia. Australia: The Australian Parliament’s House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport.
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
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Associate Professor Sally Staton is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
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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
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 Signifiance 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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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
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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