School of Education

Professor Lennie Barblett AM

Lennie is a Professor of Early Childhood Education for the School of Education.

Professional associations

• 2012 - WA Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority
• 2011 - DEEWR/ECA Professional Learning Program on the EYLF
• 2007 - Editorial Committee and Reviewer Australasian Journal of Early Childhood
• 1986 - Early Childhood Australia
• 2009 - 2010 - K/P/1 Review Panel Department of Education
• 2006 - 2008 - Early Childhood Code of Ethics national working group

Awards and recognition

• 2021 - Winner, Engagement Australia Excellence Awards in the category of Outstanding Engagement for Research Impact. Citation: ‘Better Beginnings’: The development and impact of a State library and University partnership on a family literacy program.

Research interests

• Play and pedagogy
• Quality curriculum
• Teaching standards
• Integrated service delivery
• Social and emotional development and learning
• Early childhood policy.

Qualifications

• PHD, Edith Cowan University.
• Bachelor of Education Upper Second Class Honours, Edith Cowan University, 1993.
• Bachelor of Arts, The University of Western Australia, 1990.

Research Outputs

Research Projects

• Amplify 2: The Story of Three Schools, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2017 ‑ 2026, $30,000.
• NAPLAN Narratives: Stakeholders’ perspectives surrounding student wellbeing (Studies 4 & 5), Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2017 ‑ 2026, $80,000.
• Amplify: The Story of Six Schools, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2016 ‑ 2026, $40,000.
• NAPLAN Narratives: Stakeholders’ perspectives surrounding student wellbeing 2016-2018 (NAPLAN Narratives: Studies 2 and 3), Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2016 ‑ 2026, $60,000.
• Goodstart Digital Baseline Project , Goodstart Early Learning, Grant, 2023 ‑ 2025, $86,648.
• ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child - Supporting children’s digital agency with a self-administered health literacy tool , Australian Research Council, Grant - Centres of Excellence (CEE126), 2022 ‑ 2025, $26,445.
• Transforming Transitions 2- Building for children’s engagement and success at school, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2022 ‑ 2025, $173,994.
• Co-designing Playful Health-Arts, Healthway (WA Health Promotion Foundation), Healthy Communities Grant, 2023 ‑ 2025, $259,923.
• Better Beginnings Research into Digital Literacy in the Early Years, State Library of WA, Grant, 2023 ‑ 2025, $45,323.
• Transforming Transitions - Using students' social capital to recast transitions, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2020 ‑ 2025, $124,910.
• 2021 Nationally Quality Framework Approved Learning Frameworks Update, Australian Children's Education Care and Quality Authority, Grant, 2021 ‑ 2024, $96,726.
• Improving parental engagement in children's learning and school readiness through a literacy-based text messaging program. , Ian Potter Foundation, Grant, 2019 ‑ 2023, $209,000.
• Longitudinal evaluation of the Better Beginnings Family Literacy Program, Department of Culture and the Arts, Dept of Culture and the Arts – Tender, 2016 ‑ 2022, $198,702.
• Student wellbeing in schools - Investigating the utility of realistic avatars for avatar-based counselling, and the student experience of NAPLAN testing, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2022, $20,000.
• Review and revision of the Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines (the Guidelines), development of a Kindergarten planning template, and an exemplar demonstrating how the Guidelines can be used to plan and program for the continuity of learning for a group of children, as they transition from preschool settings to Kindergarten and from Kindergarten to Pre-primary , Department of Education WA, Department of Education - Tender, 2021 ‑ 2022, $28,842.
• ACECQA Quality improvement Research Project, Australian Children's Education Care and Quality Authority, Grant, 2019, $14,955.
• Evaluation of the KindiLink Pilot for the Department of Education, Department of Education WA, Department of Education - Tender, 2016 ‑ 2018, $100,000.
• National Quality Standard in Western Australian Government Schools, Department of Education WA, Office of Early Childhood Development and Learning Grant, 2016 ‑ 2018, $37,316.
• Fostering inquiry-based science learning through play in early childhood education, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2016, 2016 ‑ 2017, $21,600.
• NAPLAN Narratives: Stakeholders perspectives surrounding student wellbeing, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2015 ‑ 2017, $45,000.
• Evaluation of the Integrated Service Model of Child Australia, Child Inclusive Learning and Development Australia Inc., Grant, 2015 ‑ 2016, $40,000.
• Evaluation of four family literacy projects developed as part of the Better Beginnings program Project 4 Adult Literacy/Research and Development of Literacy Moodle Modules, Department of Culture and the Arts, Dept of Culture and the Arts - Grant, 2012 ‑ 2016, $223,142.
• Evaluation of four family literacy projects developed as part of the Better Beginnings program Project 1 - 4-5 years remote indigenous communities, Department of Culture and the Arts, Dept of Culture and the Arts - Grant, 2012 ‑ 2016, $187,836.
• Development of child and parent centre initiative WA, Department of Education WA, Department of Education - Tender, 2012 ‑ 2014, $45,455.
• Evaluation of four family literacy projects developed as part of the Better Beginnings program - Project 2 - Cald Program, Department of Culture and the Arts, Dept of Culture and the Arts - Grant, 2012 ‑ 2014, $65,071.
• Evaluation of four family literacy projects developed as part of the Better Beginnings program Project 3 - Better Beginnings - 6-9 Years, Department of Culture and the Arts, Dept of Culture and the Arts - Grant, 2012 ‑ 2014, $57,884.
• An Investigation of Goodstart's Centre-Based Practice and Program Quality Using the National Quality Standards as the Benchmark, with a Focus on Building the Capacity of Early Learning Consultants, Charles Sturt University, Grant - Good Start Early Learning Centre Ltd, 2013, $7,000.
• Development of Kindergarten / Pre-Primary Guidelines for Western Australian Schools, School Curriculum and Standards Authority, Tender, 2012 ‑ 2013, $68,668.
• Evaluation of the Better Beginnings Plus Pilot 2010, State Library of WA, Grant, 2010 ‑ 2013, $134,306.
• Building Pedagogical Knowledge and Leadership Capacity in Long Day Care Centres, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Grant, 2011 ‑ 2012, $49,817.
• The Development and testing of an Early Literacy and Numeracy Program (ELNP) for 0-4 Year Old Indigenous Children and their Families, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher - Grant, 2008 ‑ 2010, $25,000.
• The Identification of Resources to Support Children Learning to Read in the Early Years of School, Department of Education and Training WA, Grant, 2007 ‑ 2008, $47,185.
• An evaluation of the uptake and use by schools of the Kindergarten and Pre-primary Profile Package and recommendations for future directions, Department of Education and Training WA, Grant, 2007 ‑ 2008, $44,000.
• The Identification of Resources to Support Children's Social and Emotional Development, Department of Education and Training WA, Grant, 2007, $47,185.
• Social emotional development in the early childhood phase of schooling, Department of Education and Training WA, Grant, 2004 ‑ 2006, $43,500.

Research Student Supervision