PsychBites

This week we are joined by Dr Daisy Bloor and her research supervisor, Dr Rai Fayatte. Daisy and Rai talk to us about Daisy’s work, which aimed to collaboratively develop a guidebook to support young people displaying sexually harmful behaviours within a youth justice setting.  Daisy explores the possible underpinnings of these behaviours and shares how she co-created a guidebook with a Youth Just...

This week we are joined by Dr Hannah Lewis; Hannah talks to us about the innovative use of video game technology in the classroom for children aged 7–11 with dyslexia.  Hannah discusses how her mixed methods research examined video games both as a tool to develop cognitive skills involved in reading and as a potential educational resource in schools. Her work highlights how interactive technologie...

This week we are joined by our very own Dr Laura Chapman; Laura talks to us about how adults who experienced parental separation in childhood narrate their educational journeys. She discusses how her narrative inquiry highlighted themes of relationships, strengths and accomplishment, autonomy and agency, and identity.  Laura reflects on how her research offers an alternative to deficit-based accou...

This week we are joined by Dr Brianna Bowen; Brianna talks to us about how Educational Psychologists can support families experiencing significant adversity and at risk of entering care.  She shares how her grounded theory study highlighted the ways EPs can help families build belonging, resilience, safety, and healing—factors that can make a real difference in keeping families together, strong, a...

This week we are joined by Jennifer Price; Jenny talks to us about how autistic secondary students experience sensory sensitivities in the school environment and how these impact their daily lives.  She discusses how her study sought to amplify autistic students’ voices, using accessible methods to empower them to share their perspectives. Jennifer reflects on how the findings have been described...

This week we are joined by Dr Rhiannon Warwick; Rhiannon talks to us about how Educational Psychologists and Social Workers in Wales view the role of the EP within multi-agency teams supporting care experienced children.  Rhiannon discusses how she used a cultural-historical activity theory framework to explore these perspectives, shedding light on how EPs can work collaboratively within social ca...

In this special episode, Laura, Owen, and Ellyn come together to catch up and reflect on the highlights of the fantastic EdPsy Festival of Educational Psychology.

This week we are joined by Alex Brownhill; Alex talks to us about embedding social justice principles within educational psychology services. Alex draws on their preliminary research titled ‘Massive changes through little conversations’, they explore how educational psychology professionals are currently enacting social justice in their work, their hopes for deeper integration of these principles,...

This week we are joined by Dr Jessica Pritchard. Jess talks to us about her research that aimed to explore the topic of children being exploited through County Lines in the UK, through a language-based enquiry. Jess’ study specifically investigated how professionals talk about children who are caught up in the cycle of exploitation, and what the significance of this might be. To access the full te...

This week we are joined by Daisy Bloor. Daisy talks to us about the challenges teachers face when delivering sex education to autistic learners. We discuss how sex education plays a vital role in helping young people understand relationships, navigate sexuality, manage rejection, and know where to seek support.  Daisy’s research suggests that current sex education curriculums are not adequately ta...

This week we are joined by Dr. Mary Stanley-Duke for part two of our episode about the Mediating Learning Support Approach (MeLSA). In part two of our conversation, Mary talks to us about the MeLSA’s experiences of training, the ‘what, where and whys’ of learning and what research has been conducted to explore MeLSA. For more information:  Stanley-Duke, M., Wright, D., Cook, E., Reid, A., Cogan, O...

This week, we’re joined by Dr. Mary Stanley-Duke to explore the Mediating Learning Support Approach (MeLSA). In part one of our conversation, Mary explains the principles of mediating learning, outlines the structure of the MeLSA training programme, and shares how the project has evolved since its inception. For more information:  Stanley-Duke, M., Wright, D., Cook, E., Reid, A., Cogan, O., Reese,...

This week we are joined by Dr Catherine Jones; Catherine talks to us about how autistic children and young people experience sensory rooms in schools and how these spaces can contribute to their wellbeing.  Catherine discusses the findings of her team’s research, which highlight the importance of autonomy and demonstrate how sensory rooms can support pupil wellbeing by providing spaces that foster...

This week we are joined by Dr Hannah Togneri; Hannah talks to us about how young people experience eco-anxiety and eco-awareness and how their concerns can lead to action in schools. Hannah discusses how she implemented a process called "linked co-operative inquiry" to connect the pupils and school staff, working together to address environmental issues, developing a new sense of connect...

This week we are joined by Dr Dan O’Hare; Dan talks to us about the evolving concept of evidence-based practice within the Educational Psychology (EP) profession. He discusses how traditional views on evidence-based practice, which soley rely on research evidence, have been criticised for being impractical and instead presents the growing advocacy for practices grounded in practitioner experience....

It’s a double milestone celebration this month as we turn 1 and hit an incredible 10,000 listens! In this special episode, we reflect on a year of podcasting—sharing our hopes for the pod, fun stats, and what we’ve learned along the way. Thank you to our fantastic guests and listeners for all of the support. Tune in to celebrate with us. Don’t worry, normal service resumes in two weeks! Instagram:...

This week we are joined by Dr Gavin Morgan. Gavin talks to us about a survey conducted by the British Psychological Society which found that just over half of all educational psychologists say they feel unable to support children and young people with their current workload, signalling the devastating impact of years of underinvestment in the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) syste...

This week we are joined by Dr Alyssa M Alcorn for Part 2 of our episode about the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project. The LEANS participatory research project developed and evaluated a free curriculum for mainstream primary schools. LEANS introduces neurodiversity concepts to pupils aged 8-11 years and explores how this type of diversity impacts our experiences at school. Note...

This week we are joined by Dr Alyssa M Alcorn; Alyssa talks to us about the Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) project. The LEANS participatory research project developed and evaluated a free curriculum for mainstream primary schools. LEANS introduces neurodiversity concepts to pupils aged 8-11 years and explores how this type of diversity impacts our experiences at school. Note: Dr A...

This week we are joined by Dr Abigail Wright; Abi talks to us about her research which explored the individual strengths of autistic children and whether they were more likely to show 'Theory of Mind’ when tasks were adapted to the children’s unique strengths, interests and areas of support, compared to a ‘standard’ task. Abi also gives us a brief insight into the exciting early years project...

This week we are joined by Dr Melissa Mel Morrison; Mel talks to us about her research which explored the perceptions of adolescent girls of the relationship between sports based extra-curricular activities and their wellbeing. Melissa hopes that her research will help to inform both educational settings and professionals to consider how they can broaden their approach towards supporting wellbeing...

This week we are joined by Dr Mollie Higgins; Mollie talks to us about her research which explored autistic pupils' experiences of school by asking them about their ideal and non-ideal type of school. The pupils described the type of school environment that would support their attendance, which provided useful ideas for adjustments and adaptations that might help neurodivergent students to at...

This week we are joined by Professor Stephen Rollnick. In part two of our two part special, Steve talks to us about the origin and foundations of Motivational Interviewing (MI), and what MI could look like when applied to schools. Here are some helpful links to find out more about MI, and the work of Professor Stephen Rollnick: https://www.stephenrollnick.com/ https://www.micardiff.co.uk/ BMJ Trai...

This week we are joined by Professor Stephen Rollnick. In part one of our two part special, Steve talks to us about the origin and foundations of Motivational Interviewing (MI), and what MI could look like when applied to schools. Here are some helpful links to find out more about MI, and the work of Professor Stephen Rollnick: https://www.stephenrollnick.com/ https://www.micardiff.co.uk/ Book rec...

This week we are joined by Dr Rachel Jones. Rachel talks to us about her research that explored the educational experiences of children with a chronic illness. Rachel also explored the experiences of parents whose children have a chronic illness. We discuss how this support might look when navigating the education system.   To access to Rachel's full text, follow: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/i...