Biography

Runke Huang is an assistant professor specializing in applied psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in Child Development and Learning from the University of Oxford, working with Professors Iram Siraj and Edward Melhuish. Prior to her doctoral work, she completed her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education at Beijing Normal University (BNU) and earned her master's degree from the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Along with her academic journey, she has practical experience, having served as a kindergarten teacher in Hong Kong.


Central to Runke’s research is the evaluation of kindergarten quality, child development, and educational interventions. Recently, she spearheaded randomized controlled trials in kindergartens located in Shenzhen. These trials aimed at elevating teaching quality and enhancing child development. Alongside this, her research also includes assessing the process quality in kindergartens and studying children's social-emotional development. Her research has been published in prestigious journals, including Child Development, Human Development, Teaching and Teacher Education, and Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 

 

Through her work and research, she endeavors to create a path to lifelong development and well-being for young children to have the opportunity to receive quality education and the support they need to reach their full potential.


Editorial Board Member:

Journal of Research in Childhood Education;

SN Social Science;


Reviewer for journals or conferences: 

Child Development Perspectives;

Human Development;

Early Education and Development; 

Teaching and Teacher Education; 

AERA 2023;





Research
Awards and honors
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Publications

Selected Journal Publications:

  1. 1. Huang, R., Siraj, I., & Melhuish, E. (2024). Promoting effective teaching and learning through a professional development program: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Educational Psychology.

  2. 2. Cheng, Z. J., Ma, C. X., Huang, R., & Bai, Y. (2024). Preschool Children’s Deeper-Learning in Mature PlayEarly Childhood Education Journal, 1-16.

  3. 3. Huang, R*., & Siraj, I. (2023). Profiles of Chinese pre-schoolers academic and social-emotional development in relation to classroom quality: A multilevel latent profile approach. Child Development. (JCR Q1, IF 5.661)

4.      Huang, R*., Geng, Z., & Siraj, I. (2023). Exploring the Associations among Chinese Kindergartners between Academic Achievement and Behavioral, Cognitive and Emotional Self-Regulation. Early Education and Development, 1-16. (JCR Q2, IF 2.115)

5.   Siraj, I*., Edward, M., Howard, S. J., Neilsen-Hewett, C., Kingston, D., Rosnay, M., Huang, R., Gardiner, J., Luu, B. (2023). Improving the quality of teaching and child development: A randomized controlled trial of the Leadership for Learning intervention in pre-schoolsFrontiers in Psychology. (JCR Q1, IF 4.232)

6.      Huang, R., Zheng, H., Duan, T., Yang, W*., & Li, H. (2022). Preparing to be future early childhood teachers: undergraduate students’ perceptions of their identity. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 1-19. (JCR Q2, IF 2.231)

7.   Yang, W*., Huang, R., Su, Y., Zhu, J., Hsieh, W. Y., & Li, H. (2022). Coaching early childhood teachers: A systematic review of its effects on teacher instruction and child development. Review of Education, 10 (1), e3343.

8.      Yang, W., Huang, R*., Li, Y., & Li, H. (2021). Training teacher‐researchers through online collective academic supervision: Evidence from a postgraduate teacher education programme. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(4), 1181-1193. (JCR Q1, IF 3.761)

9.      Siraj, I*. & Huang, R. (2020). Operationalizing Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT Model in Researching Human Development: Commentary on Xia, Li and Tudge. Human Development. (JCR Q1, IF 5.708)

10.      Huang, R., Yang, W*., & Li, H. (2019). On the road to participatory pedagogy: A mixed-methods study of pedagogical interaction in Chinese kindergartensTeaching and Teacher Education, 85, 81-91. (JCR Q1, IF 3.782)

11.      Li, H.*, Yang, W., Chen, J., & Huang, R. (2016). The development and future challenges of preschool education in China (In Chinese). Early Childhood Education (Educational Sciences), (11), 16-21.

12.  Huang, R*., Li, X., & Jin, N. (2014). Cultural consciousness of education: Forum of Three Generations of Education Scholars (In Chinese). Journal of Chinese Teachers, (1), 3-6.


Book Chapter:

Huang, R. (2023). Exploring Instructional and Interactional Aspects of Process Quality in Preschools and Teachers’ Perceptions of Professional Development.