Fengling Tang
  • 218 Grove House, Froebel

Accepting PhD Students

20042024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr Fengling Tang is Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies. Dr Tang is Programme Leader for the Early Childhood Studies BA/FdA/Top Up and Programme Leader for the Froebel Professional Certificate in Early Childhood. Dr Tang is a member of the Research Centre for Learning, Teaching and Human Development, School of Education, Froebel College, University of Roehampton.

Dr Tang had worked in schools and further education in China and a nursery school in London before she joined the Early Childhood Studies and Early Childhood Research Centre at University of Roehampton. She has been teaching on BA/MA programmes and supervising doctoral students as Director of Studies and Co-supervisor. She has undertaken roles of External Examiner in HE and School Governor in the UK.

Dr Tang has published research articles in peer reviewed journals: Power and Education, Equity in Education and Society, Early Years: An International Journal of Research and Development; Childhood Education: Infancy Through Early Adolescence; Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education; History of Education; and Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji

Dr Tang has two academic books to be published: 

Tang, F.L. (forthcoming 2025) Early Childhood Education for Sustainability: Policy, Practice and Research, Emerald Publishing 

Tang, F.L., Guimaraes, S. and Rubiano, C. (forthcoming 2025) Young Children's Identities: a Multi-disciplinary Perspectives, Routledge

 

Qualifications

BA, PGdip, MA, PGCert, PhD

Research interests

Her research interests include the following areas:

  • children’s rights and participation
  • children’s identities, spirituality and wellbeing 
  • equity, inclusion and social justice in education and society 
  • Froebelian perspectives and history of education 
  • play and creativity in early childhood
  • children's bilingual language development and Chinese culture
  • early childhood pedagogy and professionalism
  • sustainability in education 
  • research and teaching in higher education 

Research projects

Fengling Tang (2023-2024) Shifting youth environmental activism from public imagination to community engagement: implications for education for sustainability in the 21st century, funded by British Educational Research Association (BERA):  BERA Brian Simon Fund Winners

Fengling Tang (Principal Investigator) and Juan Zhao (Co-investigator) (2022-2024) Spirituality in early childhood pedagogy: a Froebelian approach in Chinese and English contexts, open call research grant funded by the Froebel Trust. https://www.froebel.org.uk/research-library/spirituality-in-early-childhood-pedagogy-a-froebelian-approach-in-chinese-and-english-contexts

Evelyn Corrado (Principal Investigator), Fengling Tang (Co-investigator), and Arif Mahmud (Co-investigator) Exploring experiences of students and staff in HE institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sigrid Brogaard-Clausen, Sofia Guimaraes, Fengling Tang and Clara Rubiano (2018-2019) Wellbeing and democratic living in early childhood curricular policies - Chinese, Colombian, Danish, English and Portuguese Curricula analysis in the context of the International Early Learning and Wellbeing study developments

Early childhood assessment: an international perspective (2016-2017), research grant funded by Education International, led by Professor Mathias Urban, Early Childhood Research Centre  

Fengling Tang (2010-2012) Young children's computer-based learning experience in early years settings, funded by the Froebel Trust 

Fengling Tang and Sue Robson (2008-2009) The Role of the E-Portfolio in Promoting the Quality of Learning and Teaching: a Pilot Study of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) BA Primary Education Early Childhood Studies Subject Specialism, funded by Teaching and Development Agency

The completed PhD research project (2004-2008) A comparative ethnographic case study of the early years curriculum in Chinese and English settings, funded by School of Education University of Roehampton, supervised by Professor Kevin Brehony, Professor Geoff Troman, Ms Shirley Maxwell and Professor Hanlin Yang

Fengling Tang (2003-2004) Play worked hard: re-interpretation of Froebel's concept of play, MA dissertation submittted to University of Surrey. This dissertation won Froebel Guild Award in 2005 from the National Froebel Foundation. 

 

Teaching

Froebel Professional Certificate Course in Early Childhood: Froebelian Principles and Practice (CPD)

BA Early Childhood Studies: Froebelian Perspectives; Studying Young Children; Children and Families; Early Childhood Stuides Transfer module; Research Proposal; Parents, Professionals and the Balance of Power; Professionalism and Advocacy; Leadership, Partnership and Multidisciplinary Teamwork; Unequal Childhoods

MA Early Childhood Studies: Exploring the Froebelian Legacy in Early Childhood Practice 

External positions

Co-convenor for BERA Early Childhood Education and Care Special Interest Group , British Educational Research Association

Membership of Early Childhood Studies Degree Network Policy, Lobbying and Advocacy Strategy Group , Early Childhood Studies Degree Network

Membership of Holistic Wellbeing Special Interest Group , European Early Childhood Education Research Association

Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor, Froebel Trust

Executive committee member , International Froebel Society

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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