Natalie is an early career post doctoral researcher in the MQ School of Education and a member of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education. 

Natalie's research is devoted to infants' and toddler's social interactions in Early Childhood centres. Natalie continues to explore infant-toddler pedagogies based on interactions between young children and their peers and educators. Natalie's research interests include toddlers’ use of learning-oriented language, infant-toddler curriculum, young children’s developmental trajectories, language development, and ways of implementing early childhood research into educators’ everyday practice. Natalie’s knowledge has been also enriched by her extensive experience as an early childhood teacher in both non-for-profit and for-profit EC centres.

Natalie successfully completed her PhD at the MQ School of Education under supervision of Professor Sheila Degotardi and Dr Emilia Djonov. Her doctoral thesis has contributed to practical and theoretical knowledge about the learning potential of everyday conversations occurring in EC centres between toddlers and their educators. Natalie employed various techniques of data collection including observations and in-depth interviews, and qualitive methods of analysis using NVivo. To conduct meaningful early childhood research Natalie collaborated closely with EC centres management and educators. 

Currently, Natalie is taking a leading role in the MQ Toddler TaLK project aiming to track the developmental trajectories of learning-oriented talk produced by toddlers aged 2.5 to 3.5 years. The project is designed to significantly increase our knowledge about the interaction features that promote toddlers' language development and learning in EC centres.  

EDST2120 Language and Literacy Learning in Early Childhood