Shaddai Tembo

Shaddai Tembo is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at Bath Spa University, supporting both UK and China-based programs. He serves as Programme Leader for the Pre-School Education (China) program at Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology and acts as International Students Lead (UG) within the School of Education.

• Education:
  • PhD in Education, University of the West of Scotland
  • MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Sociology), University of Bristol
  • BA (Hons) in Education: Early Years, Bath Spa University

His research focuses on subjectivity and identity formation in early childhood through sociomaterial and more-than-human theories, with emphasis on anti-racism, social justice, and gender equity. Recent work examines de/colonial play habits, affective sociomaterialisation in outdoor provision, and institutional racism in early years settings.

Key article themes include decolonizing pedagogy, affective encounters, and policy implications for anti-racist practice. He has published widely in Journal of Early Childhood Research, Ethnicities, and Emotion, Space and Society.

Tembo contributes to academic governance via editorial boards for Journal of Early Childhood Research and Gender and Education. He received Froebel Trust funding (2022-2024) for developing an anti-racist framework within Froebelian pedagogy and co-authored practical guides for educators.

Professional engagements include:

• Trustee, Fatherhood Institute
• Steering Group, MITEY Campaign
• Advisory roles in Froebel Trust, BERA, and ESRC-funded studies
• Co-convenor, Scottish Educational Research Association Early Years Network (2018-2022)

He is available for research supervision and collaborates with the Bristol Early Years Forum for Anti-racist Practice and Family Music Hub as a Thought Leader.