Glenda Walsh Stranmillis University College

Glenda Walsh is Head of Early Years Education and principal lecturer at Stranmillis University College, a College of Queen’s University Belfast. Her research interests centre on quality issues in Early Childhood Education, particularly in the field of pedagogy and curriculum. Her PhD thesis focused on an evaluation of play versus formal experiences for 4-5 year old children in Denmark and Northern Ireland and for the purposes of her doctoral study, she designed an observation tool, known as the Quality Learning Instrument. Subsequently she has been involved in many major research projects such as the longitudinal evaluation of the Early Years Enriched Curriculum Project in Northern Ireland and she also headed a major project on examining pedagogy in Early Childhood Education for the Department of Education in the Republic of Ireland. Her publications reflect her interest in curriculum and pedagogy, focusing in particular on resolving the dilemmas associated with play as learning and teaching in practice.