Students

ECHE8240 – Early Childhood Development Research and Practice

2025 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Shirley Wyver
Contact via via iLearn
Room 621 Bldg 25WW
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
[Admission to (MTeach(0-5) or GradCertEChild) and (ECED602 or ECHE6020)] or [admission to MEChild or MEd or MEdLead or MIndigenousEd or MSpecEd or GradCertEdS]
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is designed to extend students' knowledge of child development with a particular emphasis on approaches to understanding and measuring child development, considerations for quality in childcare, and evaluation of children's environments. Recent research studies of child development, especially in relation to prior-to-school settings, will be used as a major resource for examining contemporary theory and research in child development. Students will analyse research to develop their skills in using evidence-based approaches in teaching, to inform policy, and to evaluate programs within prior-to-school settings.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate critical analytical and integrative thinking in applying developmental theory and research in early childhood
  • ULO2: Have a good understanding of child development theory to enable the critical assessment of children’s learning environments
  • ULO3: Use sound analytical skills and evidence from child development research to address everyday problems concerned with children’s early development
  • ULO4: Utilise child development knowledge in actively contributing to policy discussions concerning early childhood practice
  • ULO5: Communicate child development research effectively to other professionals and parents

General Assessment Information

Please format assessments using 12-point font and 1.5 spacing.

All assessments must be submitted electronically.

Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments.

It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that their submitted work is in a format compatible with Turnitin software for plagiarism checking.

Submissions must meet the required file type and formatting specifications outlined in the assessment guidelines.

Failure to submit work in an acceptable format may result in delays in processing your submission and potential penalties for non-compliance with assessment requirements.

If you are unsure about the file format or have technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to seek assistance before the submission deadline.

Students should be careful to check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file. It is not the responsibility of unit staff to contact students who have failed to submit assessments. If you have any missing items of assessment, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor.

Students can use Turnitin’s Originality Report as a learning tool to improve their academic writing if this option is made available in the unit. Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic integrity (see: https://policies.mq.edu.au/document/view.php?id=3).

Unauthorised use of generative artificial intelligence occurs when a student uses material produced by a generative artificial intelligence in an academic exercise, without authorisation and submits it as their own work. Unauthorised use of generative artificial intelligence may include using generative artificial intelligence to: · produce or retrieve information and then using that information in an academic exercise;

· paraphrase text;

· increase or enhance the quality of an academic exercise, beyond the purposes permitted within the academic exercise;

· produce an answer for a task or quiz; and/or produce non-text-based work and then using that non-text-based work in an academic exercise.

Any student suspected of using unauthorised AI in an assignment will be referred to the Faculty of Arts Discipline Committee. Penalties can include reduced marks for an assessment, being awarded '0' for a task, failing an entire unit, being excluded from a course of study. Please see each assessment task description/rubric for expectations about AI.

Special Consideration / Late Penalties

Applications for extensions must be made via Service Connect.

Late submission penalty - Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day to late submissions, up until the 7th calendar day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. Important to note: · Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs) will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. 

Students should not request an informal arrangement from their tutor, lecturer or Unit Convenor (or equivalent). · Where an application for Special Consideration is approved and the outcome is an extension to the due date of a task, submissions that are received after the new due date will be subject to late penalties that are calculated from the new due date. This only applies where the outcome is an extension to the due date – see the Special Consideration Policy for a schedule of all possible outcomes. Marking All assessments are marked using a rubric. Marking of all assessments is moderated by the Unit Convenor.

University Policy on Grading Assignments will be awarded grades ranging from HD to F according to guidelines set out in the University's Grading System and University Assessment Policy.

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed because they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit Service Connect. Withdrawing from this unit If you are considering withdrawing from this unit, please seek academic advice via Service Connect before doing so as this unit may be a co-requisite or prerequisite for units in the following sessions and may impact your course progression.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Essay 50% No 29/08/2025
Reflective Journal 50% No 10/10/2025

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 29/08/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

2000wds critical review of a selected topic in child development.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical analytical and integrative thinking in applying developmental theory and research in early childhood
  • Have a good understanding of child development theory to enable the critical assessment of children’s learning environments
  • Use sound analytical skills and evidence from child development research to address everyday problems concerned with children’s early development
  • Utilise child development knowledge in actively contributing to policy discussions concerning early childhood practice

Reflective Journal

Assessment Type 1: Practice-based task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 10/10/2025
Weighting: 50%

 

2000wd reflective journal based on theory and research covered in ECHE8240.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate critical analytical and integrative thinking in applying developmental theory and research in early childhood
  • Use sound analytical skills and evidence from child development research to address everyday problems concerned with children’s early development
  • Communicate child development research effectively to other professionals and parents

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

This unit has a full web presence through iLearn. Information for students about access to the online component of this unit is available at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/index.php. You will need to enter your student username and password. Please do NOT contact the Unit Convenor regarding iLearn technical help. Assistance is available from IT Helpdesk: via email onehelp@mq.edu.au or Ph: 9850 4357 or 1800 67 4357. On Campus: Ground floor at 18 Wally’s Walk.

No textbook required.

Journal articles will form the basis of the weekly readings and tutorial discussions.

Echo recordings are available each week's content.

Unit Schedule

Minor changes may be made during Session.

Classes are linked to the reading topic.

 

Week

Reading

1

Bailey, N., & Clark, Y. (2024). Exploring bonding and attachment in Aboriginal families. Australian Journal of Psychology, 76(1), 2356117. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2024.2356117

2

Phillips, D. A., Hutchison, J., Martin, A., Castle, S., Johnson, A. D., & Tulsa SEED Study Team. (2022). First do no harm: How teachers support or undermine children's self-regulation. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 172-185.

3

Martinčeková, L., Jiang, M. J., Adams, J. D., Menendez, D., Hernandez, I. G., Barber, G., & Rosengren, K. S. (2018). Do you remember being told what happened to grandma? The role of early socialization on later coping with death. Death Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1522386

4

Sobko, T., Liang, S., Cheng, W. H., & Tun, H. M. (2020). Impact of outdoor nature-related activities on gut microbiota, fecal serotonin, and perceived stress in preschool children: the Play&Grow randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 21993. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-78642-2

5

Pinquart, M. (2021). Cultural differences in the association of harsh parenting with internalizing and externalizing symptoms: A meta-analysis. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-14. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-021-02113-z

6

Li, Z., Sturge-Apple, M. L., Jones-Gordils, H. R., & Davies, P. T. (2022). Sensory processing sensitivity behavior moderates the association between environmental harshness, unpredictability, and child socioemotional functioning. Development and Psychopathology, 34(2), 675-688.

7

Senzaki, S., & Shimizu, Y. (2022). Different types of focus: Caregiver–child interaction and changes in preschool children’s attention in two cultures. Child Development. 93(3), e348-e356 https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cdev.13731

8

Vasconcellos, R. P., Sanders, T., Lonsdale, C., Parker, P., Conigrave, J., Tang, S., ... & Noetel, M. (2025). Electronic screen use and children’s socioemotional problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 151(5), 513.

https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-24348-001.pdf

9

Bernhardt, K., Le Beherec, S., Uppendahl, J. R., Fleischmann, M., Klosinski, M., Rivera, L. M., ... & Hahnefeld, A. (2024). Young children’s development after forced displacement: A systematic review. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 18(1), 20. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13034-024-00711-5

10

Salinas-Quiroz, F., & Sweder, N. (2023). Authentic gender development in non-binary children. Frontiers in Sociology, 8, 1177766. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1177766/full

11-13

No classes as most students will be completing ECHE6030PeX

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

School of Education Procedures

In addition, the following policies and procedures for the Macquarie School of Education apply to this unit.

Academic Progression Policy

This unit is a part of a professional course listed on Schedules 2 and 3 of the Academic Progression Policy. This course has additional requirements that are applicable for the full duration of the course, including course-specific Inherent Requirements, Fitness to Practice requirements and other compulsory course requirements. It also has rigorous academic progression standards. Inability to meet these requirements may result in a withdrawal of offer of admission and/or permanent exclusion from the course in accordance with the General Coursework Rules.

Communication

It is the student’s responsibility to check all electronic communication on a weekly basis. Communication may occur via:

● Official MQ Student Email Address

● The Dialogue function on iLearn

● Other iLearn communication functions

Attendance and Participation

See the University timetable for information about when classes begin in this unit. Creating your timetable - Enrolling | Macquarie University, Sydney (mq.edu.au) Attendance at all synchronous activities, completion of non-synchronous formative/diagnostic class tasks and involvement in professional forums is expected as the [[insert ITE degree title here]] is a professional qualification. Activities completed during weekly tutorials are essential for building the core knowledge and/or skills required to demonstrate the learning outcomes of this unit and to meet the AITSL Graduate Teacher Standards and/or ACECQA requirements. Attendance at all tutorials and/or on campus days is expected and will be recorded. Make up tasks may be given if attendance is missed to ensure all content is covered to meet accreditation requirements. Students are required to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled. Any changes to tutorial enrolments must be completed officially through e-Student. Please do not contact the unit convenor to request a change.

 


Unit information based on version 2025.02 of the Handbook