Shukla Sikder

Shukla Sikder is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University's Faculty of Arts and Education. With nearly 14 years of multicultural teaching and research experience across Australia, Singapore, and Bangladesh, she specializes in early childhood science, technology, and play-based pedagogy. Her academic credentials include a BEd (Hons) and MEd from University of Dhaka, and a PhD in Early Childhood Science Education from Monash University.

Dr. Sikder's research focuses on science learning through play and everyday practices across home and educational settings, digital technology as an innovative teaching method, children's learning and development (birth to eight years), and STEM/STEAM education. Her work employs cultural-historical theory to examine how children develop scientific concepts through family practices and play-based experiences. Current projects include the Children Draw Talking Project and research on culturally valued play-based practices for STEAM education.

Analysis of her 49 research outputs (2015-2025) reveals a strong emphasis on cultural-historical perspectives in early childhood STEM education, with increasing output in recent years (17 publications in 2024 alone). Her work spans diverse formats including peer-reviewed articles, creative storybooks, conference presentations, and commissioned reports, demonstrating interdisciplinary approaches that bridge theory, practice, and children's voices.

• Monash Education Research Community Publication Award (A$500)
• Monash University Postgraduate Research Travel Grant (A$3,000)
• Monash University Faculty Research Fund (A$1,000)
• Australian Endeavour Postgraduate Award (A$234,500)
• Little Scientists Program Evaluation Grant (A$82,771)

Dr. Sikder actively supervises research students and collaborates internationally through the Children's Voices Centre and STEM Education Research Group. Her current projects include evaluating how digital visual observations establish inclusive practices in early childhood research and developing frameworks for enhancing inclusive STEAM pedagogy. She serves as a key researcher in the Machine Vision and Digital Health (MaViDH) Research Group, focusing on innovative approaches to document children's learning processes.