Laura K. Doan

Laura K. Doan is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

Research Interests
Laura is the lead researcher in the Peer Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Educators in British Columbia. This program of support for early childhood educators, involves peer mentoring through communities of practice (CoP) and is a partnership with the Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC), the professional association representing early childhood educators. Currently, there are 25 Peer Mentoring CoPs across the province of BC, with close to 200 early childhood educators. The purpose of this program is to support the ongoing professional development needs of beginning and experienced early childhood educators (ECEs). Through this program we also aim to expand the current infrastructure of support for new and experienced educators, with an aim to slow the number of ECEs who leave the field (http://ecepeermentoring.trubox.ca ) Laura is also part of a transnational study called 'Educators work in a highly regulated environment' with colleagues from Australia (Dr. Marg Rogers, Lead Researcher) and Denmark (Professor Fabio Dovigo).

Qualifications
Doctor of Education in Leadership in the Post-Secondary Setting, University of Calgary, November 2014. Dissertation title: The Early Years: Beginning Early Childhood Educators' Induction Experiences and Needs in British Columbia.

Master of Education in Early Childhood Education, University of Victoria, April 2003. Thesis title: Hope in the Midst of Adversity: Understanding the Factors that Encourage Resilience.

Bachelor of Arts in Human and Social Development Majoring in Child and Youth Care, Minoring in Early Childhood Education, University of Victoria, May 1994.

Teaching Areas
Interpersonal Relations, Working with Families, Learning through Exploration and Play, Program Development for Infants and Toddlers, Advanced Program Development, Practica, Development and Care of Infants and Toddlers.

Experience
July 2019: Associate Professor (Tripartite Appointment), Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Early Childhood Education Program.

2015-June 2019: Assistant Professor (Tripartite Appointment), Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Early Childhood Education Program.

2014-2015: Senior Lecturer (Bipartite Appointment), Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Early Childhood Education Program.

2000-2014: Lecturer (Bipartite Appointment), Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Education and Social Work, Early Childhood Education Program.

Select Publications
2022
Rothe, A., Moloney, M. Sims, M., Calder, P., Blyth, Boyd, W., Doan, L., Dovigo, F., Girlich, S., Georgiadou, S., Kakana, D., Mellon, C., Opazo, M., O’Siorain, C., Quinn, M., Rogers, M., Silberfeld, C., & Tadeu, B. (2022). Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: reimagining and repositioning children and early childhood professionals within the educational landscape. In J. Pattnaik, & M. Renck Jalongo (Eds.), The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: International Perspectives, Challenges, and Responses. Switzerland: Springer. Available: https://link.springer.com/book/9783030969769

Sims, M., Calder, P. Maloney, M., Rothe, A., Rogers, M. Doan, L., Georgiadou, S., & Kakana, D. (2022). Neoliberalism and government responses to Covid-19-Ramifications for early childhood education and care. Issues in Educational Research. 32. 1174. http://www.iier.org.au/iier32/sims.pdf

2021
Doan L.K. (2021) Early Childhood Teacher Education in Canada: Challenges and Opportunities. In: Boyd W., Garvis S. (eds) International Perspectives on Early Childhood Teacher Education in the 21st Century. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5739-9_2

Doan, L.K. & Gray, C. (2021). Mentorship as a strategy to address recruitment and retention in the early years sector. The Early Childhood Educator, 36(2), 20-25.

Doan, L.K., Rawling, C., Mejia, N., Bailey, F., Lanphear, R., Kopetski, A., Robertson, A., and Schwartzentruber, H. (2021). Reflections on the province-wide peer-mentoring project. The Early Childhood Educator, 36(1), 14-19.

2020
Rogers, M., Dovigo, F., & Doan, L.K. (2020). Educator identity in a neoliberal context: recognising and supporting early childhood education and care educators, European early childhood education research journal, 28(6), 806-822. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1836583

Doan, L.K. (2020). Finding Community through an Induction Support Project. In R. Walker & M. Gasper (Eds.), Mentoring and Coaching in Early Childhood Education. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing. Available: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/mentoring-and-coaching-in-early-childhood-education-9781350100732/