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 technologies can support learning, engagement, and wellbeing for children and young people with diverse needs.

To access the full text, follow: 

https://figshare.cardiffmet.ac.uk/articles/thesis/Exploring_the_Use_of_Video_Games_as_an_Educational_Intervention_with_a_Focus_on_Training_Cognitive_Skills_Involved_in_Reading_for_Children_Aged_7_to_11_with_Dyslexia/24592734?file=43221399

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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 accounts by drawing on positive psychology and resilience, showing the diverse ways that individuals find growth and meaning through their educational experiences.

To access the full text, follow: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180333/

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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, and connected.

To access the full text, follow: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180062/

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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 as “a call to action” for those working in mainstream education, highlighting the urgent need to create sensory-informed school spaces.

To access the full text, follow: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13623613251333860

To view a summary of the research, follow: https://crae.ioe.ac.uk/it-just-feels-unnatural-being-here/

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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 care teams to support children more effectively.

To access the full text, follow: https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpsecp/40/2/54 

or https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/143335/

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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, and the barriers and facilitators they encounter. This reflective discussion highlights the power of everyday conversations in shaping more equitable practices within education systems.

To access Alex’s research follow: https://explore.bps.org.uk/content/bpsecp/42/1/15

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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 text, follow: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/171059/

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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 tailored to neurodiverse learners, leaving them at greater risk and disadvantage in developing healthy, informed relationships.

To access the full text, follow: 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891422222001743?via%3Dihub

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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., Reese, S., Bull-Beddows, R., Sims, L. and Graves, F. 2022. The Psychological Foundations of The Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 8 (1), pp. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8v1v7

Wright, D., Stanley-Duke, M., Pennack-Thomas, J., Marquez, Vega, E. and Kalippen, P. 2023. “It’s Just a New Way of Looking at Learning”: Evaluation of the Mediating Learning Support Assistant (MeLSA) Training Programme. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 9 (1), pp. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.8wqxv

Swindon EPS commissioned a video, ‘Making the Most of MeLSA’ https://youtu.be/ztEfBKXYj70

CPD opportunity with edpsy hosts:  edpsy hosts Dr Mary Stanley-Duke: Mediating learning - supporting children to get the most from every learning task - edpsy.org.uk

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