Dr Steven Howard is a researcher at Early Start and School of Education at the University of Wollongong. After completing his undergraduate studies and PhD in Developmental Psychology at York University (Toronto, Canada), he took up an academic appointment in the School of Education at the University of Wollongong in 2012. He is also an Adjunct in the School of Psychology and active contributor to Early Start's research agenda.
Dr Howard's program of research investigates children’s developing self-regulation and related abilities (e.g., executive functions, school readiness), and the real-world implications of these changing abilities. This includes creating low-cost and accessible means for those who routinely work with young children to measure and positively influence children’s development and outcomes in these areas.
He has published more than 40 research articles and multiple academic texts, and has led or been part of teams that have attracted more than $5 million in research funding (e.g., ARC DECRA, NHMRC Project Grant, competitive Government tender). His current h-index (@ 01/01/2019) is:
His contributions to practice include co-creation of the internationally adopted Early Years Toolbox to assess children's cognitive, social, self-regulatory, numeracy and language development (currently in use in 5 continents, in research and educational contexts). He has also created 4 children's books with embedded cognitive activities as a low-cost, evidence-based means for parents and educators to engage and enhance young children's self-regulation (i.e., Quincey Quokka's Quest; I Don't Miss the Shopping List; Polly and her Lolly; The Pear that wasn't There).
As of 2018, he has 11 current PhD students and 6 PhD completions.
Fostering Effective Early Learning: Enhancing Quality in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care
The Fostering Effective Early Learning (FEEL) study involves partnerships with educators, early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres and government education departments to advance educational practice.<br /><br />FEEL is a cluster randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of an in-service, evidence-based professional development program for improving early childhood educators' practice, and developmental outcomes of children. It arose from a competitive tender process initiated by the NSW Department of Education and Training, awarded to UOW Early Start researchers in 2015.<br /><br />The research team recruited 90 ECEC services to be involved, half of which were randomly selected to receive the professional development program in the evaluation year, and half of which were assigned as the control group, to then receive the training following the evaluation year. Early results show children in the centres receiving the program are experiencing heightened curricular and interactional quality, with some positive effects for children's developmental progress as well (despite a relatively constrained intervention period).<br /><br />“In addition, our qualitative process analyses suggest that participants often saw the professional development program as ‘very high quality’, ‘transformative’ and ‘reaffirming’,” according to one of the research leaders, Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett.<br /><br />The ongoing potential of the FEEL study is significant for improving quality in Australian ECEC within the current workforce, by working to enhance educators' practices through intensive in-service professional development. Further longitudinal components to assess children’s school readiness have already been initiated and there is future potential to link the data through to NAPLAN years.<br /><br /><strong>UOW participants:</strong> Professor Iram Siraj, Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett, Dr Steven Howard, Professor Ted Melhuish, Professor Marc de Rosnay, Dr Elisabeth Duursma, Dr Xiaoqi Feng, Dr Betty Luu<br /><br /><strong>Partners:</strong> NSW Department of Education, Early Childhood Education Centres across NSW, Dr Denise Kingston (University of Sussex)
Amongst the 38 intervention centres that were evaluated for quality and child outcomes, before and after the professional development program, results indicate a substantial and statistically significant improvement in: (a) curricular and interactional quality; and (b) children's developmental progress. The professional development has been accredited for future deliveries and the report of the research evaluation is being released by the NSW Department of Education.
Beneficiary
Quantification
Description
Evidence
Description
Supervision
Available as Research Supervisor
Potential Supervision Topics
Available to supervise research topics related to self-regulation (and/or related abilities) in the early years or assessment in the early years.
Acute and Long-term effects of differing amounts of pre-service gifted education training on educators' attitudes and behaviours toward gifted and talented students
Fraser-Seeto, Kylie
Doctor of Philosophy
An investigation into the associations of physical activity and electronic media use with cognitive and psychosocial health in preschool children.
McNeill, Jade
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Rethinking Block Play: The Development of the Numeracy and Mathematics Assessment (NUMBBA) for preschool aged children
Grimmond, Joanne
Doctor of Philosophy
An Early Start to Self-Reguation
Vasseleu, Elena
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Formative Assessment for Language and Communication in the Early Years
Webster, Lisa
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Perceptions and Experiences of Educational Leadership in Early Childhood Contexts
Stouse-Lee, Kim
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
Early childhood social and emotional foundations of self-regulation in two cultures
Gan, heather
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
Early Cognitive Control in the Context of Atypical Development
Varcoe, Stephanie
Doctor of Philosophy
Marking in a Standard-Referenced Framework
Radford, Olivia
Doctor of Philosophy
when are we guessing? An investigation of the impact on the validity of results associated with the presence of guessing in the assessment of students in large scale assessments programs
Led conceptualisation and development of the Early Years Toolbox. These tools have been downloaded more than 9,500 times from the iTunes App Store, across five continents.
Developed the PRSIST Program as a low- to no-cost way for parents and educators to support development of children's self-regulation (in contrast to popular brain-training approaches).
Developed four children's books that, in addition to a rhyming picture book, also integrate activities to promote children's self-regulation and related abilities.
Professional:
Reviewer for Australian Research Council since 2017, providing assessment of submitted DECRA grant proposals.
Regularly review research articles for leading international journals in my area: e.g. Child Development; Cognition & Development; Early Childhood Research Quarterly; Educational Psychology Review; Acta Psychologica; British Journal of Educational Technology; Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Invited Participant and Invited Chair of symposia at international conferences.
I have been teaching (subject coordinator, lecturer and tutor) in the areas of Educational Psychology and Research Methods since 2011, and lecturer and tutor in Psychology Foundations and Statistical/Research Methods since 2009.
Keywords
Self-regulation, executive function, school readiness, preschool, early years, early assessment, cognitive development
Contact
Full Name
Steven
J
Howard
Mailing Address
Building 21, Room 110E, Early Start, University of Wollongong
Dr Steven Howard is a researcher at Early Start and School of Education at the University of Wollongong. After completing his undergraduate studies and PhD in Developmental Psychology at York University (Toronto, Canada), he took up an academic appointment in the School of Education at the University of Wollongong in 2012. He is also an Adjunct in the School of Psychology and active contributor to Early Start's research agenda.
Dr Howard's program of research investigates children’s developing self-regulation and related abilities (e.g., executive functions, school readiness), and the real-world implications of these changing abilities. This includes creating low-cost and accessible means for those who routinely work with young children to measure and positively influence children’s development and outcomes in these areas.
He has published more than 40 research articles and multiple academic texts, and has led or been part of teams that have attracted more than $5 million in research funding (e.g., ARC DECRA, NHMRC Project Grant, competitive Government tender). His current h-index (@ 01/01/2019) is:
His contributions to practice include co-creation of the internationally adopted Early Years Toolbox to assess children's cognitive, social, self-regulatory, numeracy and language development (currently in use in 5 continents, in research and educational contexts). He has also created 4 children's books with embedded cognitive activities as a low-cost, evidence-based means for parents and educators to engage and enhance young children's self-regulation (i.e., Quincey Quokka's Quest; I Don't Miss the Shopping List; Polly and her Lolly; The Pear that wasn't There).
As of 2018, he has 11 current PhD students and 6 PhD completions.
Fostering Effective Early Learning: Enhancing Quality in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care
The Fostering Effective Early Learning (FEEL) study involves partnerships with educators, early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres and government education departments to advance educational practice.<br /><br />FEEL is a cluster randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of an in-service, evidence-based professional development program for improving early childhood educators' practice, and developmental outcomes of children. It arose from a competitive tender process initiated by the NSW Department of Education and Training, awarded to UOW Early Start researchers in 2015.<br /><br />The research team recruited 90 ECEC services to be involved, half of which were randomly selected to receive the professional development program in the evaluation year, and half of which were assigned as the control group, to then receive the training following the evaluation year. Early results show children in the centres receiving the program are experiencing heightened curricular and interactional quality, with some positive effects for children's developmental progress as well (despite a relatively constrained intervention period).<br /><br />“In addition, our qualitative process analyses suggest that participants often saw the professional development program as ‘very high quality’, ‘transformative’ and ‘reaffirming’,” according to one of the research leaders, Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett.<br /><br />The ongoing potential of the FEEL study is significant for improving quality in Australian ECEC within the current workforce, by working to enhance educators' practices through intensive in-service professional development. Further longitudinal components to assess children’s school readiness have already been initiated and there is future potential to link the data through to NAPLAN years.<br /><br /><strong>UOW participants:</strong> Professor Iram Siraj, Dr Cathrine Neilsen-Hewett, Dr Steven Howard, Professor Ted Melhuish, Professor Marc de Rosnay, Dr Elisabeth Duursma, Dr Xiaoqi Feng, Dr Betty Luu<br /><br /><strong>Partners:</strong> NSW Department of Education, Early Childhood Education Centres across NSW, Dr Denise Kingston (University of Sussex)
Amongst the 38 intervention centres that were evaluated for quality and child outcomes, before and after the professional development program, results indicate a substantial and statistically significant improvement in: (a) curricular and interactional quality; and (b) children's developmental progress. The professional development has been accredited for future deliveries and the report of the research evaluation is being released by the NSW Department of Education.
Beneficiary
Quantification
Description
Evidence
Description
Supervision
Potential Supervision Topics
Available to supervise research topics related to self-regulation (and/or related abilities) in the early years or assessment in the early years.
Acute and Long-term effects of differing amounts of pre-service gifted education training on educators' attitudes and behaviours toward gifted and talented students
Fraser-Seeto, Kylie
Doctor of Philosophy
An investigation into the associations of physical activity and electronic media use with cognitive and psychosocial health in preschool children.
McNeill, Jade
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Rethinking Block Play: The Development of the Numeracy and Mathematics Assessment (NUMBBA) for preschool aged children
Grimmond, Joanne
Doctor of Philosophy
An Early Start to Self-Reguation
Vasseleu, Elena
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Formative Assessment for Language and Communication in the Early Years
Webster, Lisa
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
Perceptions and Experiences of Educational Leadership in Early Childhood Contexts
Stouse-Lee, Kim
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
Early childhood social and emotional foundations of self-regulation in two cultures
Gan, heather
Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)
Early Cognitive Control in the Context of Atypical Development
Varcoe, Stephanie
Doctor of Philosophy
Marking in a Standard-Referenced Framework
Radford, Olivia
Doctor of Philosophy
when are we guessing? An investigation of the impact on the validity of results associated with the presence of guessing in the assessment of students in large scale assessments programs
Led conceptualisation and development of the Early Years Toolbox. These tools have been downloaded more than 9,500 times from the iTunes App Store, across five continents.
Developed the PRSIST Program as a low- to no-cost way for parents and educators to support development of children's self-regulation (in contrast to popular brain-training approaches).
Developed four children's books that, in addition to a rhyming picture book, also integrate activities to promote children's self-regulation and related abilities.
Professional:
Reviewer for Australian Research Council since 2017, providing assessment of submitted DECRA grant proposals.
Regularly review research articles for leading international journals in my area: e.g. Child Development; Cognition & Development; Early Childhood Research Quarterly; Educational Psychology Review; Acta Psychologica; British Journal of Educational Technology; Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Invited Participant and Invited Chair of symposia at international conferences.
I have been teaching (subject coordinator, lecturer and tutor) in the areas of Educational Psychology and Research Methods since 2011, and lecturer and tutor in Psychology Foundations and Statistical/Research Methods since 2009.
Keywords
Self-regulation, executive function, school readiness, preschool, early years, early assessment, cognitive development
Contact
Full Name
Steven
J
Howard
Mailing Address
Building 21, Room 110E, Early Start, University of Wollongong
