Personal statement

Before entering the Higher Education sector, Aline-Wendy held various teaching positions from 1970-1993 in pre-school, residential care, nursery assistant training, special education, home visiting teaching and as a head teacher (1988-1993). Her University career has included being Lecturer in Early Primary Education, Moray House Institute of Education, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh (1993-1996), Lecturer then Senior Lecturer in the Department of Primary Education, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow (1996-2005) and Professor, Chair of Childhood and Primary Studies, University of Strathclyde, from May 2005 to September 2010, when she became Emeritus Professor.

 As Emeritus Professor in the School of Education, Aline-Wendy aims to collaborate with colleagues, particularly in early childhood, early primary school and autism. To date the role has included involving colleagues in a research exchange project, funding applications and leading writing opportunities towards publication. Recent keynote presentations include OECD Early Years Administrators on Transitions at their Conference in Lisbon, an address to the Nordic Council of Ministers Preschool section in Reykjavik, Iceland, a Professorial Lecture on Transitions at University of Strathclyde, and a keynote on ‘Celebrating Childhood’ for the Early Education Annual Conference. She has led on creative teaching methodologies and participated in the development of a Joint European Masters in Early Childhood and Care in 6 Universities across Europe (2005-2008). She served a four year term as External Examiner for the BA (Hons) Early Childhood  at Dublin Institute of Technology.

Her research includes a fourteen year longitudinal study of 150 children which will allow inferences to be drawn between two major educational transitions: entry to primary education, and subsequent entry to secondary education: she has been writing up her longitudinal study of children’s transition. She has previously researched Family Contexts in the Transition to School; Leadership in the Early Years; Developing Social Interaction and Understanding in Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Positive Behaviour in the Early Years; Outcomes of Good Practice in Transition Processes for Children Entering Primary School and an exploration of the use of Outdoor Spaces  with Young Children in a Risk Averse Society.

Recent projects include Country Leadership of the Pedagogies of Educational Transitions Marie Curie IRSES Project which ran from January 2013-December 2016; Autism Network Scotland Asperger Forum, and an Infant Mental Health Project for NHS Lanarkshire.

Aline-Wendy was Vice-President of the Scottish Educational Research Association and was presented with Honorary Life Membership for services to SERA in 2011. Aline-Wendy has been a convener of the European Educational Research Association Transitions SIG and is a Vice-President of the Early Education: the British Association for Early Childhood Education. She was awarded an MBE in June 2013 for services to autism and early childhood in Scotland.

She enjoys the increased flexibility that her change of status has afforded and spends time with family at home and in Australia.