Miss Emma Cooke

PhD Candidate & Research Assistant

Institute for Social Science Research

e.cooke@uq.edu.au

Researcher Biography

Emma is a PhD Candidate (Sociology) and a Research Assistant in the Child Development, Education and Care Group (Thorpe) at the Institute for Social Science Research. Her Honours thesis investigated children’s experiences of well-being in childcare. Her PhD thesis examines the relaxation and spiritual well-being experiences of young children who attend Early Childhood Education and Care. As a research assistant in the Thorpe Group with expertise in qualitative research she has worked across a range of projects, assisting with study design, ethics applications, recruitment, data collection and analyses, research and writing publications.

PhD Topic:

Children’s experiences of spiritual wellbeing and relaxation in Early Childhood Education and Care

Advisors:

Dr Sally Staton (Principal)
Dr Andrew Clarke (Associate)
Professor Karen Thorpe (Associate)

Research interests:

Sociology of childhood
Sociology of health and illness
Childcare
Relaxation
Well-being
Qualitative and visual participatory methodologies

Publications

Book Chapter (1)

Journal Articles (6)

Conference Papers (6)

Video Document (1)

Newspaper Articles (2)

Research Reports (2)

Book Chapter

Cooke, Emma, Brady, Michelle, Alipio, Cheryll and Cook, Kay (2018). Researching the experiences of young children using graphic elicitation: A case study of the use of drawing diaries in semi-structured interviews. SAGE Research Methods Cases Part 2. London, United Kingdom: SAGE Publications. doi: 10.4135/9781526439208

Journal Articles

Cooke, Emma, Zheng, Zhaoxi, Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen, Clarke, Andrew, Oakes, Candice and Staton, Sally (2020). Discursive tensions: Outcomes and rights in educators’ accounts of children’s relaxation. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 146394912098348. doi: 10.1177/1463949120983480

Cooke, Emma, Thorpe, Karen, Clarke, Andrew, Houen, Sandy, Oakes, Candice and Staton, Sally (2020). “Lie in the grass, the soft grass”: Relaxation accounts of young children attending childcare. Children and Youth Services Review, 109 104722, 104722. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104722

Oakes, Candice, Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandra, Cooke, Emma, Pattinson, Cassandra, Teo, Sue-Lynn and Thorpe, Karen (2019). “Did my child sleep today?”: communication between parents and educators in early childhood education and care settings. Child & Youth Care Forum, 49 (2), 265-283. doi: 10.1007/s10566-019-09527-3

Marston, Greg, Zhang, Juan, Peterie, Michelle, Ramia, Gaby, Patulny, Roger and Cooke, Emma (2019). To move or not to move: mobility decision-making in the context of welfare conditionality and paid employment. Mobilities, 14 (5), 1-16. doi: 10.1080/17450101.2019.1611016

Gehret, Hannah, Cooke, Emma, Staton, Sally, Irvine, Susan and Thorpe, Karen (2019). Three things I learn at sleep-time: children’s accounts of sleep and rest in their early childhood education programs. Early Years, 1-18. doi: 10.1080/09575146.2019.1634010

Cooke, Emma, Brady, Michelle, Alipio, Cheryll and Cook, Kay (2019). Autonomy, fairness and active relationships: children’s experiences of well-being in childcare. Children and Society, 33 (1), 24-38. doi: 10.1111/chso.12294

Conference Papers

Oakes, C., Staton, S., Houen, S., Cooke, E., Pattinson, C., Teo, S.-L. and Thorpe, K. (2019). “Did my child sleep today?”: communication between parents and educators in childcare settings. 15th World Sleep Congress, Vancouver, Canada, 20-25 September, 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier . doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.11.1070

Cooke, Emma, Thorpe, Karen, Clarke, Andrew, Houen, Sandy, Oakes, Candice and Staton, Sally (2019). Experiences of relaxation: the voices of young children in early education and care. Australian Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 2-5 December 2019.

Houen, Sandy, Cooke, Emma, Kraemer, E., Oakes, Candice, Thorpe, Karen and Staton, Sally (2019). Experiences of relaxation: the voices of early childhood education and care educators. Australian Association for Research in Education, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 2-5 December 2019.

Cooke, Emma, Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen, Oakes, Candice and Staton, Sally (2019). Methodological observations on the secret life of children's play: children's subversive behaviour during mandated sleep times in prior to school classrooms. EECERA Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece, 20-23 August 2019.

Cooke, E., Thorpe, K., Clarke, A., Houen, S., Oakes, C. and Staton, S. (2019). Stress and relaxation in early childhood education and care: Experiences of relaxation - The voices of young children in early childhood education and care.

Oakes, Candice, Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy and Cooke, Emma (2019). "Did my child sleep today?": communication between parents and educators in childcare settings. World Sleep Conference, Vanouver, BC, Canada, 21-25 September 2019.

Video Document

Houen, S., Cooke, E. and Staton, S. (2019). Experiences of relaxation: the voices of educators and children.

Newspaper Articles

Cooke, Emma, Staton, Sally, Houen, Sandy, Thorpe, Karen and The Choosing Rest Research Team (2019, 01 01). What exactly is rest-time in childcare? Childmags.com.au

Cooke, Emma, Houen, Sandy, Staton, Sally, Thorpe, Karen and The Choosing Rest Research Team (2018, 01 01). “Get all cosy…. it’s like chill out”: children’s perspectives on relaxation in early childhood education and care Reflections Gowrie Australia Publication 1-2.

Research Reports

Staton, S., Thorpe, K., Smith, S.S., Irvine, S., Pattinson, C,, Rankin, P., Oakes, C., Teo, Y. and Cooke, E. (2017). Professional development package and resources for guiding sleep practices in early childhood education and care services in Queensland - Phase 2 Follow-up Final Report. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Department of Education, Queensland Government.

Brady, Michelle and Cooke, Emma (2016). Family day care coordinators’ views on delivering more flexible models of care (graphic report summary).