Artificial Intelligence in the Early Years
Early years practitioners: If you work will children aged 0-5, we want to hear your views on new toys that use AI.
Dr Emily Goodacre and Professor Jenny Gibson are researching how new toys that use AI might impact young children and want to learn about your concerns, as well as your views on any benefits.
No experience or knowledge of AI is required, and you will receive an online voucher as a thank you. Please sign up using the link below to join a 60-90 minute online discussion.
Autistic Language Development
Sarah Foster is an autistic early year’s teacher and MPhil student studying Psychology and Education and is looking for participants for her master’s research study.
Sarah is seeking autistic teachers, teaching assistants and early years educators (or similar), or individuals recently employed in one of these roles. You are eligible to take part if you have worked directly with an autistic child or overseen their support (e.g., as a SENCO) within the last three years. Participants can be diagnosed or self-diagnosed.
This study aims to use the insights of autistic educators to think about autistic pupils’ developing language skills and how best to support them. The study involves taking part in online forum discussions with other autistic educators.
Operationalising Neurodiversity in the Classroom
Dr Emma Pritchard-Rowe, Dr Will Farr and Professor Jenny Gibson are seeking SENCOs and other school staff directly involved in SEND, ALN, or ASN provision for primary-school-aged children in the UK to take part in a focus group for their project, Operationalising Neurodiversity in the Classroom.
Each online focus group will explore how educators can support primary-school-aged students facing barriers to learning. They will discuss practical strategies, explore some visual profiles, and hear your views on findings from a recent scoping review.
Focus groups will run during November-December 2025, usually from 5:30-7:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each participant will receive a £20 voucher as a thank-you for taking part.
Pretend Play and Thinking Skills in Young Children
Zijia Li is a second-year PhD student supervised by Professor Jenny Gibson and is conducting research to learn how play can help with children’s thinking abilities.
She is seeking participants aged 4, 5 and 6 to engage in interesting pretend play, pictures, and stories, then answer some questions about the stories, imagination, and play. This will be conducted in a child-friendly laboratory at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.
Please contact Zijia Li (zl593@cam.ac.uk) for more details or to take part.