Maria Hatzigianni

Maria Hatzigianni is an Assistant Professor at the University of West Attica with an honorary position at the University of Melbourne. Boasting over 13 years of early childhood teaching experience across Greece and Australia plus 7+ years in academia, she specializes in digital technology integration for children birth to 8 years.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD from the University of Melbourne (full scholarship), researching technology's impact on children's self-esteem
• Masters in ICT in Education from National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (National Scholarship)
• Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education from National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Hatzigianni's research critically examines technology's intersection with creativity, play, and social-emotional development using mixed methodologies. She actively collaborates with children, teachers, and parents across cultural contexts, with current projects addressing touchscreen usage by infants, STEAM integration, makerspaces, and virtual reality applications. Her work emphasizes teacher professional development in digital competencies, grounded in critical/postmodern ecological frameworks.

Publication analysis reveals consistent cross-cultural investigations (Greece, Australia, China) into technology-enhanced learning environments, quality improvement systems in ECEC, and innovative pedagogies like 3D printing. She consistently addresses how digital tools can enhance early learning while navigating implementation challenges across diverse educational settings.

Though no specific scientific awards beyond her educational scholarships are documented, Hatzigianni actively contributes to early childhood organizations. Her research collaborations include quality improvement studies with Professor Linda Harrison and makerspace/STEAM projects with Professor Matt Bower.

Current research initiatives demonstrate her global impact:

• Touchscreen beliefs study (birth to three)
• Australian quality improvement systems
• STEAM curriculum embedding
• Makerspace pedagogies with 3D printing
• VR applications in teacher education
• Google Suite implementation for preservice teachers

These projects highlight her commitment to evidence-based technology integration in early childhood education worldwide.