Rate My Professor Christine Howitt

Christine Howitt is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood and Primary Science Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia. Holding a PhD from Curtin University, her academic interests center on science education in early childhood, teacher education, pedagogy, young children's science identity, learning in informal contexts, STEM practices in early years, participatory research, and children's rights in research including informed consent. She teaches in the Masters of Teaching (Early Childhood) program and has been recognized for her contributions to teaching and learning.

Howitt's career at UWA includes roles as lecturer, senior lecturer, and currently Associate Professor, with past service as Deputy Head of School. She received the UWA 2014 Award for Excellence in Teaching for 'Engaging students to engage in learning'. Key publications include her editorship of Science in Early Childhood (5th edition, Cambridge University Press, 2024), featuring chapters such as 'Intentional teaching of science' (2021), 'The place of science in the early years' (2018), and 'Science learning through informal experiences' (2023); 'Meaningful informed consent with young children: Looking forward through an interactive narrative approach' (Early Child Development and Care, 2015); 'The Narrative Approach to Informed Consent: Empowering Young Children’s Rights and Meaningful Participation' (2021); and 'Using Individualized Photobooks to Enhance 3- and 4-Year-Old Children’s Science Identity Through a Science Outreach Program' (Frontiers in Education, 2021). Earlier works encompass 'Planting the Seeds of Science' (2011) and 'The Scientists in Schools Project' (2009). With 2207 citations, an h-index of 22, and i10-index of 30 on Google Scholar, her scholarship impacts early childhood science pedagogy and research ethics. She has contributed editorials to the Australasian Journal of Early Childhood and participated in projects advancing science outreach in playgroups and informal settings.