Our people

Professor Susan Edwards

Research Director, Early Childhood Futures

Areas of expertise: early childhood education and care (ecec) curriculum; pedagogy; and theory; play and play-based learning; playgroups; digital play pedagogies; digital media and popular culture; educational technologies; philosophy of technology; online safety education; artificial intelligence (ai) for ecec; developmental work research; design intervention; participatory design; quasi-experimental research; case-study; child-centred research methods; survey implementation; randomised control trials

Phone: +613 9953 3531

Email: suzy.edwards@acu.edu.au

Location: ACU Melbourne Campus

HDR Supervisor accreditation status: HDR Supervisor (Full)

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5945-0597

ORCID link: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5945-0597

Professor Susan Edwards is Director of the Early Childhood Futures research program in the Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education at Australian Catholic University. Her research investigates the role of play-based learning in the early childhood and care (ECEC) curriculum for the 21st century and the everyday digital life-worlds of young children. Professor Edwards is also Head of Discipline in the Faculty of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University. She was lead Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project, Young children in digital society: An online tool for service provision (www.youngchildrendigitalsociety.com.au) and recently awarded an ARC Discovery Project, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Early Years (2025-2028), which aims to inform adult decision-making about supporting young children's use of age-appropriate AI technologies in ways that are safe, equitable, and trustworthy.

Curriculum vitae

Select publications

• Edwards, S., & Straker, L. (Eds.) (2025). Young children in digital society: Now and into the future. Routledge.

• Chu, C., McLean, K., & Edwards, S. (2024). Parents' practices of co-play in a community playgroup. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 22(2), 272-284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X231210645

• Chu, C., Paatsch, L., Kervin, L., & Edwards, S. (2024). Digital play: A systematic review of the literature. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 40, Article 100652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2024.100652

• Stavholm, E., Mackley, H., Caughey, J., Heard, A., & Edwards, S. (2024). Co-design with children, families, and educators for understanding children's digital life-worlds for play and learning. CoDesign. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2024.2427011

• Young, S., Edwards, S., & Nuttall, J. (2024). Teacher participation in young children's dramatic play. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 22(4), 598-611. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X241258604

• Zabatiero, J., Stone, L., McCormack, D., Zarb, D., Nolan, A., Highfield, K., Skouteris, H., Edwards, S., & Straker, L. (2024). "I use technologies strategically with my family now": Practices that parents value to promote physical activity in young children. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 21(11), 1121-1131. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2024-0317

• Zabatiero, J., McCormack, D., Stone, L., Zarb, D., Edwards, S., & Straker, L. (2024). "Yeah, no more tantrums, whoo!": Practices parents valued to help children transition away from screens. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 42, Article 100691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2024.100691

• Caughey, J., McLean, K., & Edwards, S. (2023). Imagination and sociodramatic play using Minecraft and FaceTime as a digitally-mediated environment. E-Learning and Digital Media, 21(3), 292-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/20427530231156183

• Edwards, S. (2023). Concepts for early childhood education and care in the postdigital. Postdigital Science and Education, 5(3), 777-798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-022-00356-7

• Sun, Y., Blewitt, C., Edwards, S., Fraser, A., Newman, S., Cornelius, J., & Skouteris, H. (2023). Methods and ethics in qualitative research exploring young children's voice: A systematic review. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231152449

• Edwards, S., McLean, K., Bartlett, J., Nolan, A., Evangelou, M., Henderson, M., Skouteris, H., & Tarasuik, J. (2022). School playgroups: Which features of provision matter? British Educational Research Journal, 48(3), 598-616. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3785

• Edwards, S., McLean, K., & Minson, V. (2022). From technology as tool to digitally mediated contexts for learning in early childhood education and care (ECEC). In Y. Friesem, U. Raman, I. Kanižaj, & G. Y. Choi (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of media education futures post-pandemic (pp. 236-243). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003283737

• Mackley, H., Edwards, S., McLean, K., & Cinelli, R. (2022). Building collaborative competencies through play with outdoor loose parts materials in primary school. Cambridge Journal of Education, 52(4), 431-451. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2022.2030300

• McLean, K., Edwards, S., Katiba, T., Bartlett, J., Herrington, M., Evangelou, M., Henderson, M., Nolan, A., & Skouteris, H. (2022). Beneficial outcomes and features of playgroup participation for children and adult caregivers: A systematic review of the literature. Educational Research Review, 37, Article 100493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100493

• Edwards, S. (2021). Cyber-safety and COVID-19 in the early years: A research agenda. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 19(3), 396-410. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X211014908

• Edwards, S. (2021). Digital play and technical code: What new knowledge formations are possible? Learning, Media and Technology, 46(3), 306-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2021.1890612

• Nolan, A., Edwards, S., Salamon, A., Straker, L., Grieshaber, S., Skouteris, H., Henderson, M., Highfield, K., & Bartlett, J. (2021). Young children's agency with digital technologies. Children and Society, 36(4), 541-563. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12512

• Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Edwards, S. (2021). Multimodal play: A threshold concept for early childhood curriculum? British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(6), 2118-2129. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13127

• Edwards, S., Mantilla, A., Grieshaber, S., Nuttall, J., & Wood, E. (2020). Converged play characteristics for early childhood education: Multi-modal, global-local, and traditional-digital. Oxford Review of Education, 46(5), 637-660. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1750358

• Edwards, S., Nolan, A., Henderson, M., Grieshaber, S., Highfield, K., Salamon, A., Skouteris, H., & Straker, L. (2020). Rationale, design and methods protocol for participatory design of an online tool to support industry service provision regarding digital technology use 'with, by and for' young children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), Article 8819. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17238819

• McLean, K., Edwards, S., & Mantilla, A. (2020). A review of community playgroup participation. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 45(2), 155-169

• https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939120918484

• Wood, E., Nuttall, J., Edwards, S., & Grieshaber, S. (2020). Young children's digital play in early childhood settings: Curriculum, pedagogy and teachers' knowledge. In O. Erstad, R. Flewitt, B. Kümmerling-Meibauer & Í. S. Periera (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of digital literacies in early childhood (pp. 214-226). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203730638

Projects

• 2025 - 2028 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. Edwards, S., Henderson, M., Minson, V., Page, J., & Third, A. Artificial intelligence for the Early Years (DP250100134). ARC Funding $929,000.

• 2024 - 2027 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. Blewitt, C., Skouteris, H., Edwards, S., Morris, H., & Kirk, H. Educator-child interactions and social emotional learning (DP240102540). ARC Funding $525,095.

• 2020 - 2024 Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project. Edwards, S, Straker, L., Nolan, A., Henderson, M., Grieshaber, S., Highfield, K., Salamon, A., & Skouteris, H. Young children in digital society: An online tool for service provision (LP190100387). ARC Funding $556,000. Partner Organisation Funding $650,976.

• 2017 - 2021 Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project. Edwards, S., McLean, K., Skouteris, H. Henderson, M., & Nolan, A. A best practice framework for playgroups-in-schools (LP160101759). ARC Funding $156,000; Partner Organisation Funding $150,000.

• 2015 - 2017 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. Edwards, S., Nuttall, J., Grieshaber, S., & Wood, E. New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years (DP5010204). ARC Funding $191,000.

• 2014 - 2016 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. Skouteris, H., Edwards, S., Cutter-Mackenzie, A., & Rutherford, L. Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula (DP1400938). ARC Funding $232,000.

• 2010 - 2012 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project. Edwards, S., & Cutter-Mackenzie, A. Examining play-based approaches to teaching and learning in early childhood education and care (DP1092606). ARC Funding $60,000.

Awards

• 2023 Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Research with Impact Award (Team).

• 2020 Australian Catholic University. Vice Chancellor's Awards for Staff Excellence - Excellence in Research and Research Partnerships (Team).

• 2018 Australian Catholic University, Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education. Research Award for Early Career Research Mentoring.

Appointments and Affiliations

• 2024 Education University of Hong Kong. Distinguished Visiting Professor.

• 2020 - 2027 Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Associate Investigator.

• 2020 - 2022 Playgroup Australia. Co-chair (with Dr Karen McLean), National Advisory Group Playgroup Statement.

• 2019 - 2020 Office of eSafety Commissioner. Expert Advisor, Early Years Online Safety program.

• 2019 University of Edinburgh, Institute of Education, Community and Society. Visiting Research Scholar.

• 2018 Institute of Education, Hong Kong (HKIED). Invited Visiting Scholar.

• 2016 - 2018 Early Childhood Australia (ECA). Co-chair (with Professor Leon Straker), Digital Policy Group Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies.

Editorial roles

• 2021 - 2023 Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. Editor-in-chief. Increased Impact Factor (IF) from 0.4 to 1.8 in first two years of Editorship. Achieved highest IF in the history of the journal.

• 2019 - 2020 Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. Deputy Editor.

• 2016 - 2019 Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. Editorial board.

• 2012 - 2015 Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. Co-editor. Increased IF from 0.667 to 0.964.

• 2011 - ongoing Journal of Early Childhood Research. Editorial board.

• 2011 - ongoing Early Years: International Journal of Research and Development. Editorial board.

International journal review panels

• Australian Journal of Early Childhood

• British Journal of Educational Technology

• Cambridge Journal of Education

• Computers and Education

• Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

• Early Years Journal of International Research and Development

• Educational Research Review

• European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

• International Journal of Early Childhood

• International Journal of Play

• Journal of Early Childhood Research

• Teaching and Teacher Educator

• Teaching and Teachers

• Technology, Pedagogy and Education

Grant agency review panels

• Australian Office for Learning and Teaching

• Australian Research Council [DECRA; Discovery; Linkage; Laureate]

• Canadian Social Science and Humanities Research Council

• Ontario Early Career Research awards

• Luxembourg National Research Fund

Public engagement

• Education Daily (2024)
  https://educationdaily.au/parents/groundbreaking-website-offers-a-one-stop-hub-to-help-educators-and-parents-keep-children-safer-online/

• Herald Sun (2024)
  https://transition.meltwater.com/paywall/redirect/OXl0ir4-uCUMdS5kmjUQIumzAFc?cid=e5fa8084-79ff-4186-a001-d2535bbc2426&productType=explore-dataservice

• The Educator Australia (2024)
  https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/new-tools-help-teachers-guide-students-safe-tech-habits/286029

• The Educator Australia (2023)
  https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/protecting-your-school-from-cyberthreats-in-2023/281880

• The Sector (2023)
  https://thesector.com.au/2023/02/07/professor-susan-edwards-speaks-out-on-20th-global-safer-internet-day/

• Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2022)
  https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/VCAAProfessionalLearning/ProfessionalLearningPrograms/earlyyears/Pages/DigitalTechnologies.aspx

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Kids
  https://www.abc.net.au/abckids/early-education/early-learning-little-talks-octopus/13565724

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News (2020)
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-12/pre-school-kids-digital-devices-internet-tech-safety/12338772

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National Future Tense (2020)
  https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/toddlers-and-teens-%E2%80%93-better-understanding-their-digital-needs/12266526

• Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) The 7.30 Report (2019)
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSPnUbJ17TM

• Australian Catholic Education News
  https://ncec.schoolzineplus.com/newsletter/article/301

• Sydney Morning Herald (2019)
  https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-happy-medium-why-screens-are-not-all-bad-20190301-p51197.html

• Early Childhood Australia Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies (2018)
  http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-work/submissions-statements/eca-statement-young-children-digital-technologies/