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The Development and Disability Research and Teaching Program comprises a cross-faculty (Education and Health) group of researchers with interests in the areas of developmental psychology, educational psychology and disability. The program focuses on advancing knowledge about the typical and atypical development of individuals throughout the lifespan. It aims to make significant contributions to the evidence base for promoting psychological well-being, preventing developmental problems and developing effective interventions to enhance lifelong learning and resilience. Empirical research within the program is hypothesis-driven, involving a variety of research methodologies such as experimental, quasi-experimental, single or multiple case study, and action research design.
Researchers in the program have common interests in developmental issues (such as bullying, parenting, youth crime), disability (intellectual impairment, rare chromosome disorders, dyslexia), learning (cognition and language, reading, motivation, self-regulation) and mental health issues (anxiety, depression, substance misuse, addiction). The nexus of research with teaching and practice is demonstrated in the program's support for student dissertations within the cross-faculty Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) course, and in the strong research evidence base that underlies teaching in this course.
Drawing on principles identified by The Center for Child Well-Being in the United States, the program adopts a framework for research and teaching that is:
- Collaborative , integrating the collective expertise of team members and various external groups
- Positive , embracing a strengths-based model
- Evidence-based , using and providing scientific knowledge about effective practices
- Developmental , emcompassing all stages of human development
- Ecological , recognising that interactions among children, families, schools, organisations and communities shape well-being
- Universal , seeking to address such differences as gender, ethnicity, disability, age and sexual orientation.
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