Dr Jane Waters-Davies BSc (Hons), PGCE, MA [Ed], PhD.

• Strategic leadership of the education research strategy, and education researcher development within the Institute of Education and Humanities 
• Post-graduate research (PGR) supervisor
• Oversight of education-facing PGR provision
• Coordination and liaison with external education bodies (Welsh Government, regional consortia, Local authorities, schools, education research associations) in regard to education research
• Member of UWTSD research committee, and REF team for education

Following an undergraduate Science degree and a year of working overseas, I undertook a PGCE and taught in inner-city schools in London and the South East of England in communities of multi-faith/ multi-culture and socio-economic deprivation for a number of years. With a move to Wales, I undertook an MA [Education] and began working in the HE sector contributing to, and then leading, post-graduate Initial Teacher Education and undergraduate Early Childhood Studies programmes.

I completed my PhD in 2011 which focused on child-initiated interaction between early years children and their teachers indoors and outdoors, and the associated opportunities for sustained and shared thinking. This thesis attended, specifically, to the affordances for learning created by children exploring and engaging with a natural outdoor space. The findings illustrated the importance of the orientation of the adult towards children's curiosity, risk taking and learning to realising these affordances. The empirical work for the thesis took place in school settings working with children aged 4-6 years and I maintain a keen interest in young children's play and learning. I am working with Welsh Government as the Curriculum for Wales is realised to support the development of guidance and professional learning materials for those supporting young children's play and learning. 

My current research activity is related to educative interaction in the early years and the contribution of different spaces to such interaction; pedagogies that support children’s early concept development and their autonomy/ rights; outdoor learning in the early years. I am also working on research projects related to professional learning in early years and initial teacher education. As part of an ESRC-funded project I am working within a collaborative research group to explore pedagogies that may support young children's participative rights in Y1 and Y2 classes: Embedding Children's Participative Rights in Practice.

I enjoy working to support a wide range of doctoral students undertaking research across the broad realm of education policy, practice and philosophy.

• Early childhood education
• Young children's rights in schools
• Outdoor play and learning in the early years 
• Pedagogy and pedagogic spaces 
• Research methods: undergraduate, masters and postgraduate 
• Post-graduate research supervision 
• Doctoral programmes 

My current research activity is related to educative interaction in the early years and the contribution of different spaces to such interaction; pedagogies that support children's early concept development and their autonomy/ rights; outdoor learning in the early years. I am also working on research projects related to professional learning in early years and initial teacher education. As part of an ESRC-funded project I am working within a collaborative research group to explore pedagogies that may support young children's participative rights in Y1 and Y2 classes Embedding Children's Participative Rights in Practice.

• Early childhood education 
• Outdoor play and learning in the early years 
• Theoretical application of affordance theory 
• Teacher-learner interaction in the early years 
• Quality measures in early years provision   
• Use of outdoor space in children’s early education 
• Young children’s participation and well-being in the early years of schooling 
• Initial teacher education.

Currently involved with the project Embedding Children's Participative Rights in Practice.

As part of the ESRC-funded project as part of the Education Research programme.

Articles:  

Tyrie, J., Chicken, S., Knight, C., Mannay, D., Porres, G.T., Waters–Davies, J., Waites, T. & Westall, A. (2023) COVID–19, Education and Learning: Amplifying Young Children’s Voices. Welsh Government Research document no: 73/2023. Cardiff. Available at: https://hwb.gov.wales/api/storage/0b6492be-c863-4168-b301-6f3fef4eade5/cen-18-report-eng-final.pdf

Waters-Davies, J., Davies,P., Underwood, C., Lloyd-Williams, S., Jones, S., James, S., ThomasWalters, J., Morgan, C., Southern, A., Ward, A. & Evans A.R. (2022 research report) Exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on learners in Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available online: https://hwb.gov.wales/professional-development/the-national-strategy-for-educational-research-and-enquiry-nsere/research-studies-on-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-the-welsh-education-system/research-study-2

Waters, J. & MacDonald, N. (2020) Exploring the use of a rating scale to support professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales. Early Years: an international research journal. 42 (3) 263-277 https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2020.1742666

Waters, J. & Sharpling, E. (2020) Changing the Lens: mapping the development of research dispositions in programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Wales Journal for Education 22 (1)

Tinney, G., MacDonald, N., Waters, J. & Gealy, A-M. (2020) A socio-constructivist approach to developing a professional learning intervention for early childhood education and care practitioners in Wales Professional Development in Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1742187

Waters, J. & MacDonald, N. (2020) Exploring the use of a rating scale to support professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales. Early Years: an international research journal. 42 (3) 263-277 https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2020.1742666

Waters, J. & Sharpling, E. (2020) Changing the Lens: mapping the development of research dispositions in programmes of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Wales Journal for Education 22 (1)

Tinney, G., MacDonald, N., Waters, J. & Gealy, A-M. (2020) A socio-constructivist approach to developing a professional learning intervention for early childhood education and care practitioners in Wales Professional Development in Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1742187

Waters, J. &  Rekers, A. (2019) Young Children’s Outdoor Play-Based Learning. In: Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Brussoni M, topic ed. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. Read online . Published May 2019. Accessed May 7, 2019. 

Bateman, A. & Waters J. (2018) Risk-Taking in the New Zealand Bush: Issues of Resilience and Wellbeing. Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education; Special issue. 12 (2) 7-29. https://www.pecerajournal.com/?page=3&vol=12&no=2  

Bilton, H. and Waters, J. (2017) Why take young children outside? A critical consideration of the professed aims for outdoor learning in the early years by teachers from England and Wales. Social Sciences: special issue: Equality and Social Inclusion: The Role of Education6(1) 1; doi:10.3390/socsci6010001 

Lewis, A., Sarwar, S., Tyrie, J., Waters, J. and Williams, J. (2017) Exploring the Extent of Enactment of Young Children's Rights in the Education System in Wales, Wales Journal of Education, 19(2), 27-50. 

Barnes, J., and Waters, J. (2016) Initial Teacher Education in Wales; Innovation Inspired Across Borders, in proceedings of Teacher Education Policy in Europe Network, Malta. 

Waters, J. (2016) The Foundation Phase in Wales – time to grow up? Wales Journal of Education, 18.1 179-198. 

Waters, J. (2016) A view from Wales. Early Education Journal. Spring 2016 edition, 2-5. 

Chicken, S., Egan, D. and Waters, J. (2015) Making Effective Use of the Early Years Pupil Deprivation Grant: A Resource for Leaders and Practitioners. Cardiff: Wales Centre for Equity in Education. 

Chicken, S., Egan, D., Parkins, A., Siraj, I. and Waters, J. (2015) What really works for the early years. Cardiff: Welsh Government. 

Waters, J. and Payler, J. (2015) Editorial: The professional development of Early Years Educators – achieving systematic, sustainable and transformative change Professional Development in Education 41 (2) 161-168 Early Years Special Issue: DOI: 10.1080/19415257.2014.1000503. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2014.1000503  

Bateman, A. & Waters, J. (2013) Asymmetries of knowledge between children and teachers on a New Zealand bush walk, Australian Journal of Communication (Special Issue on Asymmetries of Knowledge), 40(2). 

Waters, J. & Bateman, A. (2013) ‘Revealing the interactional features of learning and teaching moments in outdoor activity’ European Early Childhood Education Research Journal DOI:10.1080/1350293X.2013.798099  

Maynard, T., Waters, J. & Clement, J. (2013) Child-initiated learning, the outdoor environment and the 'underachieving' child. Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development 30 (1) DOI:10.1080/09575146.2013.771152  

Waters, J. (2011) A sociocultural consideration of child-initiated interaction with teachers in indoor and outdoor spaces PhD thesis: Swansea University. 

Maynard, T., Waters, J. & Clement, J. (2011) Moving outdoors: further explorations of ‘child-initiated’ learning in the outdoor environment Education 3-13 International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education DOI:10.1080/03004279.2011.578750 iFirst article 1-18 

Waters, J. & Maynard, T. (2010) What’s so interesting outside? A study of child-initiated interaction with teachers in the natural outdoor environment. European Early Childhood Education Research Association Journal: Special Edition 18 (4) 473-83 

Books:  

Waters-Davies, J. (2022) [ed] An introduction to play. London: SAGE

Waters-Davies, J. (2022) Children’s right to play. In Waters-Davies, J. [ed] An introduction to play. London: SAGE 

Rekers, A. & Waters-Davies, J. (2022) Cultural framing of expectations for play. In Waters-Davies, J. [ed] An introduction to play. London: SAGE 

Murphy, A., Tyrie, J., Waters-Davies, J., Chicken, S. & Clement, J. (2022) Foundation Phase teachers’ understandings and enactment of participation in school settings in Wales. In Conn, C. & Murphy, A. [Eds] Inclusive Pedagogies for Early Childhood Education: Respecting and Responding to Differences in Learning. London: Taylor and Francis

Waters-Davies, J. & MacDonald, N. (2022) The capable child as a threshold concept for inclusive early childhood education and care. In Conn, C. & Murphy, A. [Eds] Inclusive Pedagogies for Early Childhood Education: Respecting and Responding to Differences in Learning. London: Taylor and Francis

Murphy, A. & Waters-Davies, J. (2022) The Children’s Rights Approach to Early Childhood Education: Policy and Context in Wales. In Conn, C. & Murphy, A. [Eds] Inclusive Pedagogies for Early Childhood Education: Respecting and Responding to Differences in Learning. London: Taylor and Francis

Rekers, A. & Waters-Davies, J. (2021) Chapter 9: ‘All of the Wild’: Cultural Formation in Wales Through Outdoor Play at Forest School. pp.145-160 open access: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-72595-2_9 In: Grindheim, L.T., Hanne Værum Sørensen, H.V. & Angela Rekers, A. [Eds] Outdoor Learning and Play: Pedagogical Practices and Children's Cultural Formation. Switzerland: Springer. Open access publication: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-72595-2

Barnes, J., and Waters, J. (2018) Reform of Initial Teacher Education in Wales: taking an analytical approach to the issues using activity theory, Attard Tonna, M. and Madalińska-Michalak, J. (Eds) Teacher Education Policy and Practice: International Perspectives and Inspirations TEPE 2018 Monograph https://tepe.wordpress.com/publications/tepe-2018-monograph/  

Waters, J., Payler, J. and Jones, K. (2018) The Professional Development of Early Years Educators [Eds] Routledge: Abingdon 

Waters, J. (2017) ‘Affordance Theory’, in The SAGE Handbook of Outdoor Play and Learning, eds Tim Waller, Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér, Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Libby Lee-Hammond, Kristi Lekies and Shirley Wyver. London: SAGE. 

Waters, J. and Maynard, T. (2017) Organising the environment indoors and out in Moyles, J. Beginning Teaching: Beginning Learning. [5th ed] OUP.  

Maynard, T. and Waters, J. [Eds](2014) Exploring outdoor play in the early years McGraw-Hill: Open University Press 

Waters, J. (2014) Physical development and outdoor play; in Moyles, J., Payler, J. & Georgeson, J. [Eds] Early Years Foundations: Meeting the Challenge, Open University Press second edition 

Waters J. (2014) Well being in Waller T. and Davies, G. [Eds.] An introduction to early childhood (3rd edition). London: Sage 

Waters, J. (2013) ‘Children Telling Adults of Their Interest in Wild Spaces in Wales’ in Knight, S. International Perspectives on Forest School: Natural Spaces to Play and Learn. London: SAGE.  

Palaiologou, I., Walsh, G., MacQuarrie, S., Waters, J. & Dunpby, E (2013) The National Picture. In I. Palaiologou [Ed.] The Early Years Foundation Stage: theory and practice London: Sage  

Waters, J. and Maynard, T. (2011) Organising the environment indoors and out in Moyles, J. Beginning Teaching: Beginning Learning. [4th ed] OUP.