CQUniversity academic Dr Gillian Busch is rightly proud that her doctoral thesis has gained national recognition.

The Rockhampton-based lecturer was recently presented with the Early Childhood Australia* Doctoral Thesis Award, recognising the quality of her thesis titled 'The Social Orders of Mealtime'.

Gillian Busch with her Doctoral Thesis Award

Dr Busch was congratulated for 'bringing to the fore the potential to address mealtimes in early childhood contexts as an opportunity for community building and pedagogical excellence'.

Judges commented on the implications for early childhood educators for understanding 'the rich social interaction potential of mealtimes, children's interactional competence and the role of adults as co-participants in meaningful dialogue and social interaction'.

Dr Busch's work has direct implications for practice and relates to the National Quality Framework.

Looking forward to this year, the academic will study families with young children.

"Geographical  distances between family members have propelled the use of video communication technologies such as SKYPE to maintain and facilitate relationships," she said.

"Using a conversation analysis approach, this study will examine how family members communicate with each other.

"The emphasis on everyday talk is important because it captures what families are routinely doing and saying and in that way, we can better understand  family practices."

* Early Childhood Australia is the peak national, non-profit, non-government organisation in its field.