Katharina is a research member of the Child Development and Learning research group and the Rees Centre. Katharina has expertise in child development and wellbeing in the early years, including zero to three. Her main areas of research are the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and parent support. She has a particular interest in supporting the development of children facing disadvantage, and has done research with families in poverty, children with refugee backgrounds, and culturally and linguistically diverse families.
Katharina’s work focuses on practice as well as policy. She has worked on a number of national and international research projects and has collaborated with partners in countries across Europe and in Malaysia. She has experience in in quantitative and qualitative research designs and methods (including RCT-, longitudinal-, case study-, survey-, and ethnographic research). Her work on previous projects addressed research questions related to ECEC access, quality-, and -curriculum, and the impact of ECEC environments and adult-child interactions on children’s movement play in ECEC as a context for advancing early self-regulation skills.
In May 2022, Katharina was awarded the Sylva-Chan Junior Research Fellowship. The fellowship has been named in honour of Professor Kathy Sylva OBE, whose work at Oxford since the 1980s has been a major contribution to the study of early childhood education and care, and has helped to inform policy and practice in the UK and beyond. Under her research fellowship Katharina focuses on expanding ECEC research within the department.
In addition to her fellowship, Katharina has a postdoc research position at the Rees centre, where she currently works on the research project ‘Data and Voice to Improve Children’s Lives’, led by Leon Feinstein and funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The project is an innovative collaboration between local authorities and universities to transform how information about and from children and families is gathered, interpreted, and used in child and family social policy at both local and national level.
Katharina is currently starting two research studies (both as the PI) – a small study on children’s movement play in ECEC as a context for advancing early self-regulation skills, and a study developing an assessment tool to measure self-efficacy and skill in early years practitioners, with a focus on language and communication support in early years classrooms and settings. She supervises DPhil and Masters students in the Child Development and Learning research group.
Research
Book chapters
Mathers, S., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2017). Quality of Early Childhood Education and Care for Children under Three: Sound Foundations. In L. Miller, C. Cameron, C. Dalli, & N. Barbour (Eds.), SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Policy. SAGE Publications.
Datler, W., Funder, A., Hover-Reisner, N., Fürstaller, M., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2012). Eingewöhnung von Krippenkindern: Forschungsmethoden zu Verhalten, Interaktion und Beziehung [Infants‘ and toddlers‘ adaptation to day care: Research tools to assess behaviour, interaction, and relationships]. In S. Viernickel, D. Edelmann, H. Hoffmann, & A. König (Eds.), Krippenforschung. Methoden,Konzepte, Beispiele. (pp. 59-73). Ernst Reinhardt Verlag.
Ereky-Stevens, K., Datler, W., & Fürstaller, M. (2011). Der Übergang in die außerfamiliäre Betreuung: Der Beitrag der Kleinkinder zum Verlauf von Eingewöhnungsprozessen. In R. Kißgen & N. Heinen (Eds.), Familiäre Belastungen in früher Kindheit: Früherkennung, Verlauf, Begleitung, Intervention. (pp. 205-228). Klett-Cotta.
Datler, W., Trunkenpolz, K., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2010). Vater, Mutter, Kind. Infant Observation als eine ethnographische Methode zur Erforschung von dyadischen und triadischen Beziehungserfahrungen im ersten Lebensjahr. In G. Schäfer & R. Staege (Eds.), Frühkindliche Lernprozesse verstehen. Ethnographische und phänomenologische Beiträge zur Bildungsforschung. (pp. 157-180). Beltz Juventa Verlag.
Datler, W., Steinhardt, K., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2002). Vater geht zur Arbeit ... Über triadische Beziehungserfahrungen und die Ausbildung triadischer Repräsentanzen im ersten Lebensjahr. In K. Steihardt, W. Datler, & J. Gstach (Eds.), Die Bedeutung des Vaters in der frühen Kindheit. (pp. 122-141). Psychosozial-Verlag.
Datler, W., Ereky-Stevens, K., & Strobel, K. (2001). Alleine unter Fremden. Zur Bedeutung des Trennungserlebens von Kleinkindern in Kinderkrippen. In W. Datler, A. Eggert-Schmid Noerr, & L. Winterhager-Schmid (Eds.), Das selbständige Kind (Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische Pädagogik 12) (pp. 53-77). Psychosozial-Verlag.
Ereky-Stevens, K. (2001). Präödipale Triangulierung. Zur psychoanalytischen Diskussion um die Frage des Entstehens der frühen familiären Dreiecksbeziehung. In W. Datler, A. Eggert-Schmid Noerr, & L. Winterhager-Schmid (Eds.), Das selbständige Kind (Jahrbuch für Psychoanalytische Pädagogik 12) (pp. 151-177). Psychosozial-Verlag.
Ereky-Stevens, K., & Richtarz, J. (2000). Über aktuelle Publikationen zu verschiedenen Fragestellungen Psychoanalytischer Pädagogik. In C. Büttner, H. Krebs, & L. und Winterhager-Schmid (Eds.), Gestalten der Familie - Beziehungen im Wandel. Psychosozial-Verlag.
Journal articles
Kanayama, A., Siraj, I., Moeyaert, M., Steiner, K., Yu, E., Ereky-Stevens, K., Iwasa, K., Ishikawa, M., Kahlon, M., Warnatsch, R., Dascalu, A., He, R., Mehta, P., Robinson, N., & Shi, Y. (2024). PROTOCOL: Key characteristics of effective preschool-based interventions to promote self-regulation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Campbell Syst Rev, 20(2), e1383.
Ereky-Stevens, K., Melhuish, E., Gardiner, J., & Barnes, J. (2023). Individual, family and neighbourhood factors related to life satisfaction and perceived discrimination among low-income, non-immigrant mothers in seven European countries. Journal of Family Studies.
Ereky-Stevens, K., Siraj, I., & Kong, K. (2023). A critical review of the research evidence on early childhood education and care in refugee contexts in low- and middle-income countries. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 17(1).
Ereky-Stevens, K., Pastori, G., Sidiropulu-Janku, K., Sarcinelli, A., Schuenke, J., Trauernicht, M., Pagani, V., & Mangiatordi, A. (2022). Implementation of ICT-facilitated parent- and family-focused interventions in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. Frühe Bildung, 11(1), 29-36.
Wolf, K., Broekhuizen, M., Moser, T., Ereky-Stevens, K., & Anders, Y. (2020). Determinants of early attendance of ECEC for families with a Turkish migration background in four European countries. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(1), 77-89.
Aguiar, C., Silva, C., Guerra, R., Rodrigues, R., Ribeiro, L., Pastori, G., Leseman, P., Obrovska, J., Lenhartova, Z., Ereky-Stevens, K., Omonigho, A., Thomson, B., Tracz, R., Hummel, T., Anders, Y., Wolf, K., Panagiotidou, C., Papageridou, D., Gkaintartzi, A., Tsokalidou, P., Tsioumis, K., Petrogiannis, K., Cescato, S., Be, M., Francot, R., Palczynska-Janiak, J., Wichrowska, K., Martins, D., Ferreira, I., & Camacho, A. (2020). Early interventions tackling inequalities experienced by immigrant, low-income, and Roma children in 8 European countries: a critical overview. EUROPEAN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION RESEARCH JOURNAL, 28(1), 58-76.
Ereky-Stevens, K., Funder, A., Katschnig, T., Malmberg, L.-E., & Datler, W. (2017). Relationship building between toddlers and new caregivers in out-of-home childcare: Attachment security and caregiver sensitivity. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 270-279.
Mathers, S., Sylva, K., Eisenstadt, N., Soukakou, E., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2014). Supporting early learning for children under three: Research and practice. Journal of Children’s Services, 9(2), 177-187.
Datler, W., Ereky-Stevens, K., Hover-Reisner, N., & Malmberg, L.-E. (2012). Toddlers’ transition to out-of-home day care: settling into a new care environment. Infant Behavior & Development, 35(3), 439-451.
Sylva, K., Scott, S., Totsika, V., Ereky-Stevens, K., & Crook, C. (2008). Training parents to help their children read: a randomized control trial. The British Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(Pt 3), 435-455.
Sylva, K., Taggart, B., Siraj-Blatchford, I., Totsika, V., Ereky-Stevens, K., Gilden, R., & Bell, D. (2007). Curricular quality and day-to-day learning activities in pre-school. International Journal of Early Years Education, 15(1), 49-65.
Kong, K., Siraj, I., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (n.d.). Digital learning in pandemic times: assessing academic readiness among refugee children in Malaysia. Early Child Development and Care, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-17.
Reports
SIRAJ, I., Kong, K., & EREKY-STEVENS, K. (2023). Building an inclusive and equitable early childhood education for refugee children: Framework for action (Final Report).
EREKY-STEVENS, K., SIRAJ, I., & Kong, K. (2022). Review of the Research Evidence on Early Childhood Education and Care in Refugee Contexts in Low-and Middle-Income Countries.
Lindorff, A., Sylva, K., Ereky-Stevens, K., & Joseph, A. (2022). Coaching Early Conversation, Interaction and Language (CECIL) Impact evaluation. Sutton Trust.
Anders, Y., Cadima, J., EREKY-STEVENS, K., Cohen, F., Trauernicht, M., & Schünke, J. (2019). Integrative Report on parent and family-focused support to increase educational equality. Report for the European Commission.
Resa, E., Ereky-Stevens, K., Wieduwilt, N., Penderi, E., Anders, Y., Petrogiannis, K., & Melhuish, E. (2016). Overview of quality monitoring systems and results of moderator analysis. In Curriculum Quality Analysis and Impact Review of European Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) (pp. 1-148). ECEC.
Sylva, K., Pastori, G., Lerkkanen, M., Slot, P., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2016). Integrative report on a culture-sensitive quality & curriculum framework. CARE Curriculum Quality Analysis and Impact Review of European ECEC, WP2, D2.4.
Melhuish, E., Ereky-Stevens, K., Petrogiannis, K., Ariescu, A., Penderi, E., Rentzou, K., Tawell, A., Slot, P., Broekhuizen, M., & Leserman, P. (2015). A review of research on the effects of early childhood education and care (ECEC) on child development. In Curriculum Quality Analysis and Impact Review of European Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). CARE - European Early Childhood Education and Care.
Sylva, K., Ereky-Stevens, K., & Aricescu, A. (2014). Overview of European ECEC curricula and curriculum template. CARE Curriculum quality analysis and impact review of European ECEC, WP2, D2.1.
Mathers, S., Eisenstadt, N., Sylva, K., Soukakou, E., & Ereky-Stevens, K. (2014). Sound Foundations: A review of the research evidence on quality for early childhood education and care for children under three. Implications for policy and practice.
Cohen, F., Cadima, J., Nata, G., EREKY-STEVENS, K., Broekhuizen, M., Francot, R., & Anders, Y. (n.d.). Case studies of promising parent- and family focused support programmes. ISOTIS Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequality in Society, WP3, D3.3. Report for the European Commission.
Broekhuizen, M., EREKY-STEVENS, K., Wolf, K., & Moser, T. (n.d.). Technical report parent structured interview study. Procedures, instrument development, samples, and showcases. ISOTIS Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequality in Society, WP2, D2.1. Report for the European Commission.
EREKY-STEVENS, K., Trauernicht, M., Schünke, J., Sarcinelli, A., & Janků, K. (n.d.). ICT-facilitated parent interventions to support families with young children in linguistically diverse contexts. Design and implementation, using the ISOTIS virtual learning environment. ISOTIS Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequality in Society, WP3, D3.4. Report for the European Commission.
SIRAJ, I., Kong, K., & EREKY-STEVENS, K. (n.d.). Building an Inclusive and Equitable Early Childhood Education for Refugee Children: Framework for Action (Final Report).
