Dr. Gulsah Ozturk
Lecturer, Early Childhood Education
Campus
Biography
Dr Gulsah Ozturk is a lecturer in early childhood education whose research focuses on early language and literacy, with particular interest in bilingual home environments and digitally mediated early learning settings. Drawing on research with young children in Australia and Turkey, her work examines how children’s language and literacy development is shaped through family interactions and digital tools.
Her research has been published in leading journals including Journal of Early Childhood Research, Early child Development and Care, and Reading Psychology. Her previous research used mixed methods to examine young children’s digital literacy experiences and family practices at home and her current internally funded project explores children’s peer interactions during digital play in early childhood settings.
When she is not teaching or researching, Gulsah enjoys being outdoors, dancing tango, and discovering good coffee around Melbourne.
More about Gulsah
Qualifications
- PhD in Education, University of South Australia
- Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, Middle East Technical University
Areas of interest
- Early language and literacy development
- Digital literacy
- Bilingualism in early childhood
- Family literacy
- Children’s digital play
Areas of expertise
Gulsah’s expertise lies in early childhood literacy. Her current research focuses young children’s digital literacy practices across home environments and early childhood settings.
Grants
- 2024: Federation University SEED funding grant ($4,000)
Awards
- 2010–2014: University of South Australia University President’s Scholarship (Full scholarship awarded for PhD study at the University of South Australia).
Current
- PhD student, Federation University, ‘The perception of Bangladeshi immigrant fathers and Australian fathers about their influence on the socio-emotional development of children aged 1 to 5 years’, associate supervisor.
- Master’s student, Federation University, ‘The integration of digital technologies in early years literacy in the homes of Australian children aged 3–5 years’, associate supervisor.
- Early childhood education
- Child development
Professional association memberships
- Editorial board member, Journal of Childhood, Education and Society
- Member, United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA)
Book chapters
- Hill, S, Ozturk, G. & Aghayeva, G. (2024). Towards translanguaging in early literacy practices. In O. Saracho (ed). Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood Education.
Conference presentations
- Ozturk, G (2024). Digital literacy practices of young children from immigrant families. Paper presented at the 23rd European Conference on Literacy and the 7th Panhellenic Literacy Conference, Crete.
- Ozturk, G., Ohi, S. (2023). Exploring bilingual preschool children’s home digital literacy practices in Australia. Paper presented at the International Conference of the Australian Association Research in Education, Melbourne.
- Ozturk, G. 2018, Turkish children’s digital literacy practices in their home environment, Paper presented at the 7th International Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, Moscow.
- Ozturk, G. 2017, Digital technology and children’s attitudes towards reading, Paper presented at the 20th European Conference on Literacy, Madrid.
- Ozturk, G., Hill, S & Yates, G, 2013, Home learning environments and 5-year-olds learning to read. Poster presented at the International Conference of the Australian Association Research in Education, Adelaide.
- Ozturk, G., 2011, Gender differences in children’s interest in reading and their fiction and non-fiction book preferences. Paper presented at the International Conference of the Australian Association Research in Education, Hobart.
Centre for Regional Education Research and Development (CRERD)
- Publications
Home digital literacy practices of bilingual pre-school children in Australia
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1177/1476718X251363718