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  • Mrs Fiona Boylan

    Mrs Fiona Boylan

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Dr Fiona Boylan

Senior Lecturer

Staff Member Details
Email: f.boylan@ecu.edu.au
Campus: Joondalup  
Room: JO8.230  
ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2531-3559

Fiona is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies and Course Coordinator for the Master of Teaching Early Childhood Studies in the School of Education.

Current teaching

  • LAN6120 Language and Literacy Birth to 5 Years
  • HSS6180 Humanities and Social Sciences Birth to 8 Years
  • ECE6150 Contemporary and Comparative Perspectives in Early Childhood Education
  • LAN1375 English 1: Language Learning and Development Birth-8 Years

Background

Fiona is a qualified early childhood educator and has taught across early childhood from kindergarten to year three in government schools for 25 years. Her PhD research focused on early childhood educator perceptions of mindset and devised a set of design principles to assist early childhood educators to foster the development of children's growth mindset for learning. Fiona is currently a lecturer in Early Childhood Studies in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Professional associations

  • 2023 Teachers Registration Board WA (Member No. 32007808)
  • 2023 Early Childhood Australia (Member)
  • 2023 Positive Education in Schools (PESA) WA committee chairperson
  • 2023 SCSA Curriculum Advicory Committee K-2 member

Awards and recognition

National and International Awards

  • 2019 - PESA (Positive Education in Schools Australia) state conference scholarship
  • 2011 - WA Premier Teacher of the Year Award semi-finalist

University and National Teaching awards

  • 2018 and 2019 - Dr Susan Holland Scholarship for PhD students

Research areas and interests

  • Mindset
  • Design based research
  • Metacognition
  • Play and pedagogy
  • Social emotional development and learning
  • Wellbeing of children and teachers
  • Digital technologies
  • Transitions in the early years

In the media

  1. 2020 Mindsets Matter: Early Childhood Australia Research in Practice Series  - http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/research-practice-series/research-practice-series-index/2020-issues/mindset-matters/
  2. 2020 Blog post for The Spoke - How can schools nurture children as they start formal schooling during a pandemic? http://thespoke.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/can-schools-nurture-children-start-formal-schooling-pandemic/

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Edith Cowan University, 2021.
  • Bachelor of Education Early Childhood, Curtin University of Technology, 1992.

Research Outputs

2024

Books

  • Boylan, F. (2024). Fostering Children's Growth Mindset in the Early Years. Teaching Solutions (Imprint of Essential Resources).

Journal Articles

  • Kirk, G., Adam, H., Boylan, F., Sanbrook, C. (2024). Supporting mid-career students’ psychological needs to improve motivation and retention in post-graduate courses. The Australian Educational Researcher, 2024(Article in press), 20 pages. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00745-w.

2023

Journal Articles

  • Boylan, F., Barblett, L., Knaus, M. (2023). I think I can, I think I can’t: design principles for fostering a growth mindset in the early years. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 2023(Article in press), 22 pages. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2023.2251924.
  • Boylan, F., Barblett, L., Lavina, L., Ruscoe, A. (2023). Transforming transitions to primary school: using children’s funds of knowledge and identity. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 2023(Article in Press), 15 pages. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2023.2291354.

Reports

  • Barblett, L., Ruscoe, A., Boylan, F. (2023). Transforming transitions to school: Project Report, January 2023. Edith Cowan University. Early Childhood Education Group.
  • Barblett, L., Ruscoe, A., Boylan, F. (2023). Transforming Transitions to School: Using Funds of Knowledge and Identity. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. Edith Cowan University. Early Childhood Research Group. https://doi.org/10.25958/n8qh-em74.
  • Barblett, L., Akifeva, R., Lavina, L., Boylan, F. (2023). Digital literacy: A review of literature. Perth, WA. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/wb7c-g264.

2021

Journal Articles

  • Roberts, P., Barblett, L., Boylan, F., Knaus, M. (2021). Revitalising reflective practice in pre-service teacher education: developing and practicing an effective framework. Reflective Practice, 22(3), 331-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2021.1881888.

2018

Journal Articles

  • Boylan, F., Barblett, L., Knaus, M. (2018). Early childhood teachers' perspectives of growth mindset: Developing agency in children. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 43(3), 16-24. https://doi.org/10.23965/AJEC.43.3.02.

Research Projects

  • Transforming Transitions - Using students' social capital to recast transitions, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2020 ‑ 2025, $124,910.
  • Transforming Transitions 2- Building for children’s engagement and success at school, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2022 ‑ 2025, $173,994.
  • Better Beginnings Research into Digital Literacy in the Early Years, State Library of WA, Grant, 2023 ‑ 2025, $45,323.
  • Critical Reflection through a growth mindset, Association of Independent Schools of WA, AISWA - Grant, 2023 ‑ 2024, $40,000.

Research Student Supervision

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