Biography and expertise

Biography

Stacey Campbell is an Associate Professor at Southern Cross University, based at the Brisbane and Gold Coast campuses. She is an early childhood researcher with expertise in early years English, literacy and oral language, children’s literature and teacher professional practice. Her research focuses on early reading and writing development, with particular attention to the interconnected roles of phonics, phonological and phonemic awareness, oral language and vocabulary.

Stacey’s work also examines literacy teaching during professional experience and the importance of family–teacher partnerships in the prior-to-school years. She has led the development of a wide range of research‑informed literacy professional learning resources for Australian Federal and State governments, including early literacy and English curriculum projects with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA). Her internationally recognised Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Teaching Phonics in Early Childhood, has engaged more than 82,000 educators worldwide.

As a registered Queensland primary teacher (QCT), with a primary education degree (BEd Primary) and an ACECQA‑recognised birth‑to‑eight early childhood education degree (BTeach Birth-8), she brings extensive professional experience across early childhood and primary settings. Her career spans roles as an early childhood birth-to-five teacher, centre director, early years primary teacher (K-3) and university lecturer in pre‑service teacher education. Stacey is an active collaborator at the national and international levels and has received multiple awards for excellence in literacy teaching and research dissemination, including keynote presentations.

Stacey's work contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals

Source: Scopus

Research

Stacey’s research applies both qualitative and quantitative methods to the study of early childhood literacy education. Her work has gained strong national and international recognition, contributing to increased visibility in the field of early childhood literacy development. Stacey’s scholarly outputs include peer‑reviewed articles with 100% published in Q1 and Q2 ranked journals, as well as practitioner‑focused journals that support teachers’ professional practice.

Stacey has held several high‑profile leadership and service roles in literacy and English curriculum education. Stacey currently serves as a Publications and Dissemination Officer for the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR). Her previous roles include Co‑Editor of Practical Literacy: The Early and Primary Years (PLEPY), Editorial Board Member for the Literacy Research Association’s publication Literacy Research: Theory, Methods and Practice (LR: TMP) and Editorial Review Board Member for The Reading Teacher (RT). Stacey currently supervises higher degree research (HDR) students and has received multiple awards recognising excellence in academic teaching and literacy‑focused industry engagement.

Research interests:

  • Early years literacy
  • Phonics and phonological awareness
  • Oral language and vocabulary in early childhood
  • English curriculum
  • Early childhood education
  • Children's literature
  • Teacher beliefs and practices
  • Literacy education in pre‑service teacher professional experience
  • Family–teacher partnerships

Organisational affiliations

Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Southern Cross University

Education

PhD in Early Childhood Research
Macquarie University (Australia, Sydney)
Master of Arts (Children's Literature)
Macquarie University (Australia, Sydney)
Graduate Certificate (Business)
Queensland University of Technology (Australia, Brisbane) - QUT
Graduate Certificate (Academic Practice)
Queensland University of Technology (Australia, Brisbane) - QUT
Bachelor of Education (Primary)
Charles Sturt University
Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood 0-8)
Macquarie University (Australia, Sydney)