Dr Zinnia Mevawalla
Lecturer
Education
Personal statement
Dr Zinnia Mevawalla (she/her) is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of Strathclyde. Zinnia has had the privilege of learning, teaching and researching, with children, families, early years professionals, researchers and diverse communities to understand how initiatives in the early years can uphold children’s rights, foster critical consciousness and equity education, and support social inclusion for all. Zinnia is particularly interested in the role of critical consciousness in actualising anti-bias goals (identity, diversity, justice and activism) and social justice education in the early years.
Prize And Awards
- Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Canberra, Australia
- Recipient
- 1/1/2022
- Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Canberra, Australia
- Recipient
- 1/12/2024
Qualifications
- PhD in Early Childhood Education - Macquarie University, Australia
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education)(Hons)(1st class) - Macquarie University, Australia
Publications
- Inclusive Education in the Early Years : Right from the Start
- Cologon Kathy, Mevawalla Zinnia
- (2023)
- Behaviour as communication : counter-stories of resistance and dignity work
- Mevawalla Zinnia, Cologon Kathy, Hayden Jacqueline, Hadley Fay
- Equity and Excellence in Education Vol 54, pp. 285-302 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2021.1992602
- Starting from pedagogy : supporting children’s ethical and playful involvement in early childhood research
- Arnott Lorna, Mevawalla Zinnia, Wall Kate
- International Journal of Early Years Education Vol 32, pp. 791-795 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2024.2440234
- Participatory methods for understanding 0-3s' technology use in family homes
- Arnott Lorna, Mevawalla Zinnia
- Early Years Educator Vol 24, pp. 1-3 (2024)
- https://doi.org/10.12968/eyed.2024.24.9.12
- Scottish Ballet Safe to Be Me Research Evaluation Report
- Mevawalla Zinnia, Molyneaux Kate, Taylor Yvette, Wall Kate
- (2024)
- Equity education in action : right from the start
- Cologon Kathy, Mevawalla Zinnia
- Inclusive Education in the Early Years Right from the Start (2023) (2023)
Teaching
Zinnia teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programs in early years, childhood practice and inclusive education in the Strathclyde Institute of Education. She is also involved in the supervision of PGR students.
Research Interests
Zinnia is interested in understanding how initiatives and practices in the early childhood can foster social inclusion for children, families/caregivers and communities. Using critical and resistance theories, her work focuses on listening to children, families/caregivers and community stakeholders who experience systematic exclusion in diverse international contexts. Her focus is on research which examines barriers and the potential for inclusion, equity, participation and transformative resistance. Zinnia is also interested in research which explores how educators, transdisciplinary professionals and community stakeholders work across early childhood contexts to support children and families/caregivers who experience social exclusion.
Professional Activities
- Knowledge is power, but ignorance is bliss? Critical consciousness and implications for inclusive practice in the early years.
- Speaker
- 28/3/2024
- Understanding Disability and Ableism
- Speaker
- 20/3/2025
- Listening to Children
- Speaker
- 3/4/2025
- Language and Labelling
- Speaker
- 27/3/2025
- Understanding Key Concepts in Inclusive Education
- Speaker
- 18/3/2025
- Confucius Institute for Scotland: Professional Learning Event
- Speaker
- 7/2/2025
Projects
- Changing Hearts and Minds for Inclusive Education in the Early Years
- Mevawalla, Zinnia (Principal Investigator) Fulton, Jackie (Co-investigator) Catlin, Jane (Co-investigator) Cologon, Kathy (Co-investigator) Harper-Abdullah, Margaret (Co-investigator) McConnell, Gillian (Co-investigator)
- This project is a collaboration between Glasgow City Council (GCC) and the Strathclyde Institute of Education. It aims to support leaders in early years settings by equipping them with knowledge, strategies, and research-driven insights to enhance inclusive practices.
- 17-Jan-2025
- Here and now: Co-creating everyday possibilities for the inclusion of every child
- Catlin, Jane (Principal Investigator) Mevawalla, Zinnia (Principal Investigator) Wang, Yuchen (Principal Investigator)
- 21-Jan-2024 - 21-Jan-2024
- Safe to Be Me - Evaluation
- Mevawalla, Zinnia (Principal Investigator) Taylor, Yvette (Co-investigator) Wall, Kate (Co-investigator) Molyneaux, Kate (Researcher)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 15-Jan-2024
- Embracing Diversity Through Picturebooks
- Mevawalla, Zinnia (Principal Investigator)
- A professional development workshop on using picture books to embrace diversity.
- 27-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2024
- Self-regulation matters: Examining how an inclusive play-based program can enhance pre-schoolers' transitions to school
- Pino-Pasternak, Deborah (Principal Investigator) Pamphilon, Barbara (Co-investigator) Simoncini, Kym (Co-investigator) Perry, Nancy (CoI) Mevawalla, Zinnia (CoI)
- This project will investigate the effectiveness of a play-based program to enhance pre-schoolers’ self-regulation (SR) in the transition to school, with a particular focus on children and families from diverse backgrounds and those experiencing risk or vulnerability. The program will be co-designed with families, Early Childhood (EC) educators, and school teachers. The program will subsequently be trialled in a small-scale pilot study involving two transition teams (EC providers and schools). Children’s SR, learning dispositions, and developmentally appropriate academic learning will be assessed following a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design. Findings will inform the development of a larger scale study that will scale-out the program more widely in the ACT and/or into other jurisdictions.
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2023
- Reframing English Learning for very young learners (3-6) under the contemporary policy: a study in Canton area of China.
- McPake, Joanna (Principal Investigator) Mevawalla, Zinnia (Co-investigator) Chen, Yueling (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2020 - 30-Jan-2024