Professor Michelle M. Neumann
BSci(Hons), GradDipEd, BEd, PhD
School of Education
Professor of Education


+44 114 2228170
Full contact details
School of Education
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
Sheffield
S10 2AH
- Profile
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Michelle M. Neumann is an expert in the field of early childhood education, digital technologies (social robots, tablets, apps), and emergent literacy development, and conducts research in preschool and primary school settings. Michelle has experience in using a multi-method approach that incorporates qualitative and quantitative analysis, and she has been recognised as a lead researcher in Australia, in the field of Early Childhood Education by the Australian Government (2021-2023) and has been successful in gaining research funding. Michelle has developed several early educational programs and digital resources for early literacy and language learning, and published a book, several book chapters and research articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals, having over 10 years’ experience working as a primary and secondary school teacher. She is passionate about leading research teams that seek to understand how young children interact, engage, and communicate with social robots and how AI-enabled social robots could be used to support early literacy and language learning in the classroom.
- Research interests
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Early childhood education;
Early literacy development;
Digital technologies (tablets, apps, social robots, AI);
Environmental print; Parent-child interactions;
Learning and teaching at home and preschool.
- Publications
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Books
Journal articles
Chapters
Datasets
- Research group
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Early Childhood Education, Literacies and Language
- Grants
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Some examples of externally funded research
• (2021-2024) Co-investigator on an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant ($250K) in collaboration with University of South Australia and QUT on “Parent Involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations”.
• (2024) Co-investigator on a Queensland Education Horizons grant ($131K) in collaboration with Griffith University “Building Teacher Capability to Leverage Generative AI to Personalise Learning for Neurodiverse Students: Inclusion for Students with Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions”.
- Teaching interests
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Early childhood education; Early literacy and language development; Digital Technologies, Learning, teaching and engagement.
- Professional activities and memberships
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Member of UK Literacy Association (UKLA)
Registered Teacher (Education Queensland and Queensland College of Teachers)