Dr. Laura K. DoanProfessor | Faculty of Education and Social Work

Links

Homepage URL: www.laurakdoan.com

Research Interests

• How beginning early childhood educators are inducted into the field of early childhood education;
• The mentoring relationship between educators and early childhood education students;
• The intersection of Alzheimer's disease and early childhood education;
• Leadership in the early childhood education field;
• Team development in early childhood education;
• Fostering relationships between educators and families;
• Documentation of children's learning; and
• Resilience.

RESEARCH GRANTS

• 2021-2024 Peer Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Educators in British Columbia. Ministry for Children and Family Development, Government of BC ($500,000). Co-Investigator with ECEBC.
• 2021-2024 Peer Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Educators in British Columbia. Anonymous Donor ($1.4 million). Principal Investigator
• 2019-2020 Peer-Mentoring Project for Early Childhood Educators in British Columbia. Ministry for Children and Family Development through Westcoast Child Care Resource Center ($650,000). Principal Investigator. (ecepeermentoring.trubox.ca)
• 2018-2019 Peer-Mentoring Project. Make Children First Kamloops ($10,000). Principal Investigator.
• 2017-2018 Peer-Mentoring Project. Make Children First Kamloops ($10,000). Principal Investigator.
• 2016 Induction Support Pilot Project. Thompson Rivers University, Internal Research Fund ($4,685). Principal Investigator (PI).
• 2016 Induction Support Pilot Project. Make Children First Kamloops ($3,000). Principal Investigator.
• 2005 Mentoring in Early Childhood Education Pilot Project.
  Provincial Child Care Provider Professional Development and Training Fund ($16,500). Co-Applicant with Margaret Patten.

Publications

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Doan, L.K. (2025). She's Still My Mom: Navigating Your Loved One's Journey with Alzheimer's. Friesen Press: Canada.
• Doan, L.K. (2024). The Induction of Early Childhood Educators: Retention, Needs, and Aspirations. Bloomsbury Academic: Great Britain.
• Sims, M., Calder, P., Maloney, M., Rothe, A., Rogers, M., Doan, L., Kakana, D. & Georgiadou, S. (2022). Neoliberalism and government responses to Covid-19: Ramifications for early childhood education and care. Issues in Educational Research, 32(3), 1174-1195.
• Rogers, M., Dovigo, F. & Doan, L. (2020). Educator identity in a neoliberal context: Recognising and supporting early childhood education and care educators. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. DOI: 10.1080/1350293X.2020.1836583
• Doan, L. (2019). Finding community: An exploration into an induction support pilot project. Journal of Childhood Studies, 44(1), 68-79. Available: https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/18778
• Doan, L. (2016). The early years: Beginning early childhood educators' induction experiences and needs in British Columbia. Journal of Childhood Studies, 41(2), 43-54. Available: https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/16098
• Doan, L. (2013). Mentoring needs of novice early childhood educators. Journal of Childhood Studies, 38(2), 21-24. Available: https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/jcs/article/view/15447

Selected Practitioner-Based Publications

• Doan, L. (2018). Building a community of support: Sustaining the ongoing professional development of early childhood educators through a peer-mentoring project. The Early Childhood Educator, 33(2), 15-17.
• Doan, L. (2018). The British Columbia Government???s Investment in Early Learning and Care: Reasons for Optimism? The Early Childhood Educator, 33(1), 8-9.
• Doan, L. (2018). The power of connections: The experiences of early childhood educators in a pilot induction support project. The Early Childhood Educator, 32(4), 14-18.

Selected Peer-Reviewed International Presentations

• Doan, L. (2018). Communities of practice in early childhood education: Obstacles, opportunities and reasons for optimism. European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference. Budapest, Hungary, 2018.
• Doan, L. (2017). An alternative to the sink or swim experience: An exploration of an induction program in British Columbia, Canada. European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference. Bologna, Italy, 2017.
• Doan, L. (2016). Supporting the professional identity development of early childhood educators: An induction support pilot project." European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference. Dublin, Ireland, 2016.
• Doan, L. (2015). An investigation into the needs and experiences of beginning early childhood educators' in British Columbia: Is induction necessary? European Early Childhood Education Research Association Conference. Barcelona, Spain, 2015.

Selected Peer-Reviewed National Presentations

• Doan, L. (2019). Leading: Improving the workplace through mentoring. Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia National Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia, 2018.
• Doan, L. (2018). Building a community of support: Sustaining the ongoing professional identity development of early childhood educators through a peer-mentoring Project in the interior of British Columbia. Canadian Society for Studies in Education Conference. Regina, Saskatchewan, 2018.
• Doan, L. & Mughal, A. (2017). Mutual benefits: Can an induction support program benefit both new and experienced early childhood educators? Canadian Association for Research in Early Childhood Post-Conference. Toronto, Ontario, 2017.

Courses Taught

• EDUC 5990_04 Learning through Exploration, and Play
• EDUC 5030 Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning
• ECED 1200 Developing Relationships with Children
• ECED 1300 Program Planning for Young Children
• ECED 2200 Demonstration Practicum
• ECED 1340 Interpersonal Relations: Communication
• ECED 1440 Interpersonal Relations: Helping Relationships
• ECED 2440 Interpersonal Relations: Working with Families
• ECED 1350 Introduction to Program Planning
• ECED 1360 Curriculum Development
• ECED 2350 Advanced Program Development
• ECED 3450 Program Development for Infants and Toddlers
• ECED 3550 Programming for Individual Children
• ECED 3400 Infant and Toddler Field Experience
• ECED 3410 Development and Care of Infants and Toddlers
• ECED 3300 Practicum Individual Children