Enhancing young children's guided learning, health and nutrition, and wellbeing through creation of a school-based playful learning garden

Supervisors: Professor Catherine Best (opens in a new window), Rebekah Grace (opens in a new window) and Cathy Kaplun (opens in a new window)

Young children living in low socioeconomic areas are at greater-than-average risk for entering school with low language/communication, mathematics and spatial reasoning abilities and other skills necessary to do well in the school context, in addition to higher risk of health and nutrition difficulties including higher incidence of diabetes. This in turn increases their likelihood of persisting academic and life difficulties and poorer health and nutrition outcomes. These come at lifelong costs to the children, as well as to both their families and to society. Often there is a higher representation of children from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in these cohorts (including Aboriginal communities, and Australian migrant and refugee) directly related to a complex and interacting number of factors impacting on the lives of children growing up in such areas, their families and the communities they live in. Addressing the social determinants of health is a focus of many programs however it requires an integrated and complex approach to solve these multifactorial issues.

This project will use an innovative approach to support children's early learning and development (specifically in mathematics, spatial awareness, communication/reading and health-  and nutrition-related reasoning abilities) through the use of playful guided learning opportunities incorporated into a schoolyard-community garden. Adopting a translational approach to the research, this project will provide social innovation in an early childhood/primary school learning context. We have expanded an active ongoing collaboration, built on existing relationships between the school and local community, local council and researchers to include local and international colleagues to provide a trans-disciplinary team with experience in the early years and place-based learning development projects. This collaboration provides an opportunity for innovation in co-design to implement evidence-based educational practices and behaviours within a novel and interactive learning context. Community consultation process will be needed to ensure the co-design process is flexible and adapts to ensure the project meets local needs and has appropriate uptake of the facility by the local/school community.

An ecological approach will underpin the research project to provide a holistic view of the child. Using a mixed methodology with the support of the research team, (pre/post testing, surveys/questionnaires, interview/focus group data and observational records), the PhD student will assess whether gains are made in children’s health and learning in the targeted developmental areas through their engagement in the learning garden. This could include: children's health, nutrition and wellbeing; changes in parental interactions with children; satisfaction with a learning context; spillover of activities and learning into both the school and the home context and other goals identified by community.

We welcome applicants from a range of diverse backgrounds, who are keen to apply their skills to key issues in engaging with children and families in improving outcomes for vulnerable communities. In particular, the project is suitable for candidates with strong interests in participatory methods, education and/or transition to school, child health, development and wellbeing and community engagement/co-design. The successful applicant will have an interdisciplinary background or experience that combines two or more of the listed disciplines or other relevant disciplines. Ideally the applicant will also have an understanding of the importance of engaging children and young people and their families in addressing challenges within their community and be willing to learn and develop skills across all phases of the project and have a current Working with Children Check.