Dr Paulette Luff

Paulette is a teacher, researcher and writer in the field of early childhood education and care. Her specialist areas of work are: observation for learning and research, home-based educare, grandparenting and intergenerational education.

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Background

Paulette has worked in the field of early childhood throughout her career as a teacher, foster carer, school-home liaison worker, nursery practitioner and advisor, and as a childcare and education lecturer in further education. These areas of work experience have inspired a deep interest in the different ways that children and adults develop understandings of the world and the pedagogies that promote learning. Paulette joined Anglia Ruskin University in 2003.

Working with colleagues from ARU, Paulette was proud to lead the Creative Writing through the Arts research project (2016–2019) funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Royal Opera House Bridge. She was previously involved in the pilot work for this project in 2014-15 and 2015-16, as academic lead for teacher action research, and won the BERA/BCF/Routledge Taylor-Francis Curriculum Journal Award for collaborative research. You can find more information on their legacy website.

Research interests

• Observation for learning and research
• Collaborative action research
• Early childhood education for sustainability
• Creativity and cultural learning
• Grandparenting and intergenerational education and care

Paulette's doctoral research focussed upon understandings and uses of child observation in early years settings, revealing the significance of practitioners' seeing and knowing of young children. This has led to two related areas of research and publication: firstly, about childhood observation and ethics of care; and secondly, educators' learning and pedagogical approaches. Paulette is currently involved in a participatory project exploring the roles of grandparents in the 21st century.

Areas of research supervision

Paulette is not currently taking new doctoral students.

Recent and current doctoral supervision as first supervisor:

• Where is the pink tower? Exploring Montessori’s prepared favourable environment
• Parents’ and teachers’ views of multilingualism at Korean School
• Professional identities of nannies in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
• Constructing a multilingual identity through early MFL learning in families
• Dental students learning oral presentation skills

Current second supervision:

• Prosodic reading skills and synthetic phonics in early reading
• Practitioners supporting the sensory processing needs of preschool children

Recent successful completions

• Promoting fine motor skills in early education in England and Lebanon
• Early years teachers’ experiences of datafication in primary schools
• Ethnography of faith-based environmental and sustainability education in England
• Indoor and outdoor play in Jordanian kindergartens

Teaching

Paulette works part-time and teaches a specialist module at MA level, 'Early Childhood: Principles, Practice and Professionalism'. She also enjoys supervising a range of undergraduate and postgraduate major projects. 

Qualifications

• PhD Education, Anglia Ruskin University
• PG Cert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Anglia Ruskin University
• PG Dip Child Development, Institute of Education, London
• MA Education, Open University
• BEd (Hons) Education, Westminster College, Oxford

Memberships, editorial boards

• Senior Fellow/Higher Education Academy
• Committee member and Trustee/OMEP (World Organisation for Early Childhood) UK
• Editor, Norland Educare Research Journal

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• Principal Investigator, Evaluation of the Creative Writing through the Arts, led by Royal Opera House Bridge, Paul Hamlyn Foundation ‘More and Better’ Project, £103,903.00

Selected recent publications

See Paulette's publications on Orcid

Papatheodorou, T., Luff, P., and Boulter, O. (2026). Child Observation for Learning and Research. (2nd edn.). Routledge.

Luff, P., Mangione, D. and Kanyal, M. (2025) Grandparents, grandchildren and digital media: Exploring intergenerational play and communication. Paper presented at the TACTYC Conference, Children and Adults: Playing Together in the Digital World. Available from Google Drive.

Luff, P. & McAllister, C. (2024) Observations: recording and analysis in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In I. Palaiologou (Ed.) The Early Years Foundation Stage. Theory and Practice. (5th edn.) Sage.

Kanyal, M., Mangione, D. and Luff, P. (2024) The role of grandparents in early education and care in the 21st century: a thematic literature review of the UK research landscape, Norland Educare Research Journal, 2(1), article number 5. Available from Norland.

Luff, P. (2023) “Relationships are what matter most to infants and young children” - An interview with Dr Penelope Leach. Norland Educare Research Journal, 1(1) article 2. Available from Norland.

Mangione, D., Luff, P. and Kanyal, M. (2023) Towards a new pedagogy of grandparenting: proposing a participatory project. Rivista Italiana di Educazione Familiare, 1 -2023: 17-28. Available from OJS site.

Papatheodorou, T. & Luff, P. (2023) Characteristics and qualities of home-based childcare: exploring the views of trained childminders and nannies. Norland Educare Research Journal, 1(1) article 8. Available from Norland.

Wright, H. R., Luff, P., & Osadiya, O. (2023) Thoughts on Why and How to Promote Sustainable Practices in Early Years Education. Research Anthology on Early Childhood Development and School Transition in the Digital Era (pp. 551-572). IGI Global. Available from IGI Global.

Hryniewicz, L. and Luff, P. (Eds.) (2020) Partnership with Parents in Early Childhood Settings. Insights from Five European Countries. Routledge.

Recent presentations and conferences

Luff, P., Mangione, D. and Kanyal, M. (2025) Grandparents, grandchildren and digital media: Exploring intergenerational play and communication. Paper presented at the TACTYC Conference, Children and Adults: Playing Together in the Digital World, Aston University, Birmingham, UK, 15 November.

Luff, P. and Hryniewicz, L. (2025) Shared cultural learning between grandmothers and grandchildren. Paper presented at the 77th OMEP World Assembly and Conference, Arts and Culture in Early Childhood Education: Play, Expression, Participation, Bologna, Italy, 14-18 July.

Luff, P. (2024) Neurodiversity affirming grandparenting and family wellbeing. Paper presented at the 6th Children and Childhoods Conference, University of Suffolk, Ipswich, UK, 10-11 July.

Luff, P., Mangione, D. & Kanyal, M. (2023) The Role of Grandparents: Insights from a Review of Educational Research. Paper presented at the European OMEP Conference, Quality and Equality in Early Childhood Education and Care, Frederick University and the Technological University, Limassol, Cyprus, 4-6 May.

Luff, P., Mangione, D. & Kanyal, M. (2022) Towards a new pedagogy of grandparenting: proposing a participatory project. Paper presented at the XIX International Congress of AIFREF (International Association for Training and Research in Family Education) Inclusion in the Cities of Education: Challenges, Cultures and Resources, IUSVE, Venice, Italy, 30 June - 2 July.

Papatheodorou, T. & Luff, P. (2022) Relational Foundations of Home-based Childcare. Paper presented at the Relation-Centered Education Network (RCEN) conference. Online. 11-13 June.

Papatheodorou, T. & Luff, P. (2021). Relational ways of being and knowing: Ethical encounters with self and others. Paper and synchronous discussion presented at the Relation-Centered Education Network (RCEN) conference. Online. 6-8 June.