Adjunct Professor
Donna Berthelsen
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education
Biography
Donna Berthelsen is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education. The outcomes of her research inform social and educational policy and practice. She is a developmental psychologist engaged in research that focuses on child and adolescent outcomes in relation to:- family environments
- education programs
- early intervention
- transition to school
- program evaluation
Research experience and evaluation experience have included:
- Chief investigator on five ARC Discovery / Linkage projects and two NHMRC projects. These competitively funded grants focused primarily on research and evaluation in children's development in educational contexts.
- Educational measurement design team leader for Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) (2002-2022).
- Principal investigator on The Early Home Learning Study (EHLS; 2010 - 2013) and EHLS at School (2016 - 2022), supported by the Victorian Government.
- Principal Investigator (2014 - 2018) on a research consultancy on the Evaluation of Supported Playgroups. Dept. of Education, Training, and Employment. Brisbane Queensland.
- National evaluator of the Sing & Grow Early Parenting Intervention Program(2005-2009).
- Member of Research Consortium that informed development of the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in Australia (2009).
Personal details
Positions
- Adjunct Professor
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Early Childhood & Inclusive Education
Keywords
Child Development, Developmental Disabilities, Early Childhood Education, Family Learning Environments, Parenting, Transition To School, Supported playgroups, CCC - Childhoods in Changing Contexts Research Group, Evaluation in education
Research field
Education Systems, Psychology
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2008
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
- MAppPsych (University of Queensland)
- BA(Hons) (University of Queensland)
- DipT (Kedron Park T.C.)
- CertSpecEd (Mt. Gravatt C.A.E)
Professional memberships and associations
- member - SRCD (Society for Research in Child Development)
- member - ISSBD (International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development)
- member - SREE (Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness)
- member - AEA (American Evaluation Association)
- 1981 – 2024: Registered Psychologist (QLD)
- 1978 – 2024: Registered Teacher (QLD)
Experience
Professional contributions in support for quality research and publication
- Editorial Board Member: Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 2011 - 2022
- Editor-in-Chief: International Journal of Early Childhood, 2014 -2021
Research experience
- 2002 – 2024 Education Design Team Leader for Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and member of the LSAC Consortium Advisory Group [J. Ainley, D. Berthelsen, M. Bittman, L. Harrison, J. Nicholson, A. Sanson, M. Sawyer, S. Silburn, L. Strazdin, J. Ungerer, G. Vimpani, M. Wake, & S. Zubrick]. Funded by the Australian Government (Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs).
- NHMRC Partnership Grant (2015 -2023): Reducing the impact of early life disadvantage via the home learning environment. [CIs: Jan Nicholson, Elizabeth Westrupp, Sheena Reilly, Naomi Hackworth, Donna Berthelsen, Fiona Mensah, Lisa Gold - from: Parenting Research Centre; Latrobe, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, and QUT; in partnership, with Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD).
- NHMRC Project Grant (2014 - 2018): T. Okely (University of Wollongong); S. Trost (University of Queensland); D. Berthelsen (Queensland University of Technology); J. Reilly (University of Strathclyde); J. Salmon (Deakin University); and D. Cliff, R. Jones, M. Batterham, N. Brown, S. Ackermann (University of Wollongong. Promoting physical activity among young children from disadvantaged communities
- ARC Discovery Grant (2013 – 2015): J. Brownlee, S. Walker, D. Berthelsen, & E. Johansson. Relationships between epistemic beliefs and children’s reasoning about moral values in early years primary school classrooms.
- ARC Discovery Grant (2010 – 2012): K. Walsh, D. Berthelsen, & J. M. Nicholson. Making prevention matter: Establishing characteristics of effective child sexual abuse prevention programs.
- ARC Linkage Grant (2010 -2011): D. Berthelsen, J. Nicholson, K., Williams, & V. Abad Parents at playgroup: Parent engagement in supported playgroups.
- ARC Discovery Grant (2008 – 2011): D. Berthelsen, J. Nicholson, S. Walker, & S. Carrington. The transition to school for young children with developmental disabilities: The impact of interpersonal relationships on successful school adjustment.
- ARC Discovery Grant (2006 – 2008): Brownlee, J., Berthelsen, D., & Boulton-Lewis, G. Enhancing quality in long day care: Investigating professional beliefs and practices of child care workers.
- Early Home Learning Study (2010 – 2013): Principal Investigators – N. Hackworth, W. Cann, J. Matthews, J. M. Nicholson, & D. Berthelsen: funded by the Victorian Government (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development).
- Sing and Grow National Evaluation of Early Parenting Program (2005 – 2009): D. Berthelsen & J. M. Nicholson. Under the auspices of Playgroup Association Qld through Investment to Grow (Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services).
Publications
- Bennetts, S., Love, J., Hackworth, N., Mensah, F., Westrupp, E., Berthelsen, D., Levickis, P., Bennett, C. & Nicholson, J. (2021). Selective attrition in longitudinal studies: Effective processes for Facebook tracing. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 24(2), 135–147. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202720
- Okely, A., Stanley, R., Jones, R., Cliff, D., Trost, S., Berthelsen, D., Salmon, J., Batterham, M., Eckermann, S., Reilly, J., Brown, N., Mickle, K., Howard, S., Hinkley, T., Janssen, X., Chandler, P., Cross, P. & Gowers, F. (2020). 'Jump start' childcare-based intervention to promote physical activity in pre-schoolers: Six-month findings from a cluster randomised trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 17(1). https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202725
- Hayes, N. & Berthelsen, D. (2020). Longitudinal profiles of shared book reading in early childhood and children’s academic achievement in Year 3 of school. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(1), 31–49. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202724
- Love, J., Bennetts, S., Berthelsen, D., Hackworth, N., Westrupp, E., Mensah, F. & Nicholson, J. (2022). Measuring educational attainment in longitudinal research: challenges and recommendations. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 25(1), 119–126. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/207202
- Williams, K. & Berthelsen, D. (2019). Implementation of a rhythm and movement intervention to support self-regulation skills of preschool-aged children in disadvantaged communities. Psychology of Music, 47(6), 800–820. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/131367
- Westrupp, E., Bennett, C., Cullinane, M., Hackworth, N., Berthelsen, D., Reilly, S., Mensah, F., Gold, L., Bennetts, S., Levickis, P. & Nicholson, J. (2018). EHLS at School: school-age follow-up of the Early Home Learning Study cluster randomized controlled trial. BMC Pediatrics, 18. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/120035
- Berthelsen, D., Hayes, N., White, S. & Williams, K. (2017). Executive function in adolescence: Associations with child and family risk factors and self-regulation in early childhood. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1–14. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/107562
- Hackworth, N., Berthelsen, D., Matthews, J., Westrupp, E., Cann, W., Ukoumunne, O., Bennetts, S., Phan, T., Scicluna, A., Trajanovska, M., Yu, M. & Nicholson, J. (2017). Impact of a brief group intervention to enhance parenting and the home learning environment for children aged 6-36 months: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Prevention Science, 18(3), 337–349. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118306
- Williams, K., Berthelsen, D., Viviani, M. & Nicholson, J. (2017). Participation of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in a parent support programme: longitudinal associations between playgroup attendance and child, parent and community outcomes. Child: Care, Health and Development, 43(3), 441–450. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/99685
- Daniel, G., Wang, C. & Berthelsen, D. (2016). Early school-based parent involvement, children's self-regulated learning and academic achievement: An Australian longitudinal study. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 168–177. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/94226
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Donna, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Selected research projects
- Title
- Reducing the Impact of Early Life Disadvantage Via the Home Learning Environment
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1076857
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Title
- Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Behaviour in Early Childhood: A Group Randomised Controlled Effectiveness Trial
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- 1062433
- Start year
- 2014
- Keywords
- Physical Activity; Early Childhood; Intervention; Child Care Centres; Child Behaviour; Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT); Overweight/Obesity; Prevention; Sedentary Behaviour; School Health Promotion
- Title
- Changing relationships between children's moral reasoning for inclusion and epistemic beliefs in early years primary school classrooms
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP130102136
- Start year
- 2013
- Keywords
- epistemic beliefs; values education; children's reasoning
- Title
- Making Prevention Matter: Establishing Characteristics of Effective Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP1093717
- Start year
- 2010
- Keywords
- Child sexual abuse; Health Promotion; Health Education; Child health; Child Abuse Prevention; Program Development
- Title
- Parental Engagement in Supported Playgroups
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP100200723
- Start year
- 2010
- Keywords
- Family Support; Child Wellbeing; Playgroups
- Title
- The Transition to School for Young Children with Developmental Disabilities: The Impact of Interpersonal Relationships on Successful School Adjustment
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP0877587
- Start year
- 2008
- Keywords
- Transition to School; Disability; Early Childhood; Inclusion; School Adjustment; School Engagement
- Title
- Enhancing quality in long day care: Investigating professional beliefs and practices of child care workers
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP0664191
- Start year
- 2006
- Keywords
- Child care practice; Epistemological beliefs; Competency based training; Child care workers; Early childhood education
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Continuity and Change in Family Engagement in Home Learning Activities across the Early Years (2015)
- Early child care in Australia: Quality of care, experiences of care and developmental outcomes for Australian children (2015)
- Family Structure and Change Through Middle Childhood: The Impact on Children's Adjustment and Achievement (2014)
- Self-regulation from Birth to Age Seven: Associations with Maternal Mental Health, Parenting, and Social, Emotional and Behavioural Outcomes for Children (2014)
- The Professional Identity of Child Care Practitioners: Self-authorship as a Theoretical Framework (2014)
- Weaving the past into the present: Indigenous stories of education across generations (2013)
- Mothers of Young Children with Special Health Care Needs: Maternal Well-being and Engagement in Work (2012)
- Supporting Children's Language and Literacy Skills: The Effectiveness of Shared Book Reading Intervention Strategies with Parents (2012)