Affiliation
Natália Costa obtained a doctorate degree in Psychology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2021. Her academic interests involve infant-toddler movement and motor development, transitions, pedagogical approaches in infant-toddler groups, as well as space and materiality in ECEC. Additionally, she is interested in visual and creative research methods and the role of cultural and interactive processes in development and education. She is currently a primary member of the research group “Methodological un-twinings with kindergarten-and research studies” and a secondary member at the research group “Sustainability, nature, health, and movement group.” Prior to that, in Brazil she had been a member of the research group “Brazilian Centre for the Investigation of Childhood Education and Development” (CINDEDI) for over 10 years.
Research projects
Active research projects
Transitions and Thresholds in Infant–Toddler ECEC groups (TRANSIT)
The project investigates how kindergarten practices at the time of entry for the youngest children (0-2 years) influence how children and families with migrant and minority-language backgrounds are included.
Publications and research
Scientific publications (12)
- Otterstad, Ann Merete; Angell, Mona-Lisa; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Fønnebø, Bente; Jensen, Maybritt; Malone, Karen; Myrvold, Hanne Berit; Nakata, Reiko Hayashi; Myhre, Cecilie Ottersland; Waterhouse, Ann- Hege Lorvik (2026). Earthly Childhood Methodologies. Malone, Karen; Angell, Mona-Lisa; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Fønnebø, Bente; Jensen, Maybritt; Myhre, Cecilie Ottersland (Ed.). Earthly Methodologies as Unfolding Childhoods. Springer Nature Singapore
- Tukano, Neide Sampaio; Tebet, Gabriela; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2026). Lessons from Indigenous Communities in Brazil: Insights for Early Childhood Education in Face of the Polycrisis. Andreadakis, Zacharias; Oropilla, Czarecah Tuppil (Ed.). Confronting the Polycrisis: Contributions from Early Childhood Education and Care for Sustainable Futures. Springer
- Malone, Karen; Angell, Mona-Lisa; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Fønnebø, Bente; Jensen, Maybritt; Myhre, Cecilie Ottersland; Myrvold, Hanne Berit; Nakata, Reiko Hayashi; Otterstad, Ann Merete; Waterhouse, Ann-Hege Lorvik (2026). Earthly Methodologies as Unfolding Childhoods. 258 p.. Springer Nature Singapore
- Petersen, Evi; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Broch, Tuva Beyer (2026). Friluftsliv (open-air life) as a cultural site of emotion socialization in early childhood in Norway. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology. Vol. 4
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; White, E. Jayne; Rutanen, Niina; Vuorisalo, Mari; Ólafsdóttir, Sara M.; Çan, Jasemin; Revilla, Yaiza Lucas; Binfield-Skøie, Tina; Harju, Kaisa; Amorim, Katia (2025). Incommensurable tensions facing early childhood education transitions: A collective writing project. Policy Futures in Education. Vol. 24. p. 208-223
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Andrade, Joana de Jesus de; Lima, Aline Patrícia Campos de (2024). Babies in the Corporeal Turn: The Cognitive Embodiment of Early Motor Development and Exploration in the Brazilian Context of Early Childhood Education. Europe's Journal of Psychology. Vol. 20. p. 104-115
- Rutanen, Niina; Amorim, Katia de Souza; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Harju, Kaisa; Revilla, Yaiza Lucas; White, E. Jayne (2022). Living the Space in First Transitions. White, E. Jayne; Marwick, Helen; Rutanen, Niina; Amorim, Katia de Souza; Herold, Laura K. M. (Ed.). First Transitions to Early Childhood Education and Care: Intercultural Dialogues across the Globe. Springer Nature
- White, E. Jayne; McNair, Lynn; Redder, Bridgette; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Amorim, Katia de Souza; Harju, Kaisa; Westbrook, Fiona; Herold, Laura K. M.; Revilla, Yaiza Lucas; Marwick, Helen (2022). Enacted Pedagogies in First Transitions. White, E. Jayne; Marwick, Helen; Rutanen, Niina; Amorim, Katia de Souza; Herold, Laura K. M. (Ed.). First Transitions to Early Childhood Education and Care: Intercultural Dialogues across the Globe. Springer Nature
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Dentz, Marisa von; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2022). While you were (not) asleep: negotiation of times, routines, and rhythms through the infant’s transition process to early childhood and care. Revista Brasileira de Educação. Vol. 27
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2021). Babies in Motion within Daycare Transition:(Co) construction of Locomotor Exploration in a Brazilian Case Study. Fleer, Marilyn; Hedegaard, Mariane; Ødegaard, Elin Eriksen; Sørensen, Hanne Værum (Ed.). Qualitative Studies of Exploration in Childhood Education: Cultures of Play and Learning in Transition. Bloomsbury Academic
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Rossett-Ferreira, Maria Clotilde; Mello, Ana Maria Araújo de (2021). Providing outdoor experiences for infants and toddlers: Pedagogical possibilities and challenges from a Brazilian early childhood education centre case study. Grindheim, Liv Torunn; Sørensen, Hanne Værum; Rekers, Angela (Ed.). Outdoor Learning and Play Pedagogical Practices and Children's Cultural Formation. Springer
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2018). A coconstrução do fluxo locomotor em processos interativos bebê-bebê. Psicologia em Pesquisa
Dissemination (14)
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2025). Developing a conceptual framework for the study of belonging within cultural and linguistically diverse infant/toddler groups in early years. Education for All: Celebrating Diversity and Seeking Inclusion
- Can, Jasamin; Revilla, Yaiza Lucas; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Ólafsdóttir, Sara Margrét; Rutanen, Niina; Vuorisalo, Mari; Binfield-Skøie, Tina; Harju, Kaisa; Salonen, Eija (2025). Tensions, trigger points and spaces of belonging in educational transitions - symposium. Hope and resilience 2025
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2024). Microgenetic analysis and developmental trajectories of infants-toddlers in ECEC. Children’s paths in educational institutions – Crossing borders
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2024). Exploring routines in early childhood education and care: time-space orderings and implications for children’s everyday lives. 3rd International CHILDLIFE Conference on Children and Young People in Everyday Life and Professional Practices
- Lazaretti, Lucinéia Maria; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2024). A cultural-historical approach to caring for infants and toddlers in early childhood education. International ISCAR Congress - Inclusiveness as a future challenge
- White, Jayne; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Ólafsdóttir, Sara Margrét; Lipponen, Lasse (2024). Children, parents, and institutions - ‘Lost in transitions’? - panel. Children’s paths in educational institutions – Crossing borders
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2023). (Im)mobilities of early locomotor babies: navigating pathways of movement in ECEC. BIN-Norden Conference
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2023). Education for all. Rights/conventions & development of inclusion and ICF- International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.. Guest lecture at the Master’s course SNE4110 - Education for All
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2023). A psicogênese da pessoa completa: o modelo walloniano de desenvolvimento (The psychogenesis of the complete person: the wallonian model of development). Guest lecture (online) at the bachelor course Desenvolvimento Humano I (Human Development I)
- Rutanen, Niina; Revilla, Yaiza Lucas; Harju, Kaisa; Lago, Lina Söderman; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Binfield-Skøie, Tina; Can, Jasemin (2023). Young children's transitions to and within educational systems (Yarn session). At critical crossroads in Nordic Childhood Studies: 40th Anniversary conference of the Nordic journal BARN
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2022). Provision, propositions and interactions: reflections on microgenetic trajectories of infants’ expanded movement across early transitions to ECEC.. Second International Childlife Conference: Children and Young People in Everyday Life and Professional Practices
- Neder, Kaira; Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Dentz, Marisa von; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2022). Manifestations of Emotional Well-Being in infants during the transition from beginning to ECEC attendance. 31st EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) Conference
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da; Neder, Kaira; Dentz, Marisa von; Amorim, Katia de Souza (2022). Infants` socio-emotional experience and their transition to ECEC: on the lookout for group-oriented processes and constitution. International Research in Early Childhood Education Conference
- Costa, Natália Meireles Santos da (2022). Micro genetic analysis applied in the analysis of social, environmental, and developmental aspects of interaction in ECEC. II International Symposium on Social Interactions in Inclusive Educational Settings
These publications are obtained from Norwegian Research Information Repository. The list may be incomplete.