Dr. Tara McLaughlin is an Associate Professor in Early Years Education and the founder and director of the Early Years Research Lab (
www.eyrl.nz) at Massey University. She is the new Head of the Institute of Education at Massey University, leading the teams working across academic and professional programmes in education. Before joining Massey University in 2013, she was a Research Scientist at the University of Florida's Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies after completing her PhD in 2011 from the UF College of Education. Born in the United States, she first came to New Zealand as an undergraduate during a study abroad programme in 1999. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, teacher educator, and researcher across the United States and New Zealand.Dr. McLaughlin is committed to supporting teaching, learning, and research environments that promote diverse and equitable opportunities for children, families, and educators. Her research focuses on inclusive, high-quality early intervention and early childhood education. Key focus areas include exploring (a) evidence-based, intentional and social-emotional teaching practices, (b) assessment and data-informed teaching, and (c) innovative professional learning and development, including coaching. In her teaching, Dr McLaughlin covers undergraduate and postgraduate courses, emphasising creating equitable and responsive learning opportunities for students to explore their potential and passion. As research supervisor, she is dedicated to building a robust research culture that supports emerging researchers in growing and developing their skills.Building on her experiences working across different countries, her research focuses on developing culturally connected and meaningful interventions for the local context and designing investigations demonstrating methodological rigour and research excellence. Recent projects demonstrate her commitment to practical, research-backed applications. Dr. McLaughlin has played a key role in several initiatives to enhance data-informed teaching practices through the Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) projects. She also led a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project and co-developed the Kōwhiti Whakapae framework for New Zealand's Ministry of Education. Additionally, her leadership in social-emotional development resources has contributed to creating essential sector resources, such as He Māpuna te Tamaiti and the He Noho Tahi whānau resource.
