The role of evidence in educational psychology

Boyle, James and Kelly, Barbara; Kelly, Barbara and Woolfson, Lisa Marks and Boyle, James, eds. (2016) The role of evidence in educational psychology. In: Frameworks for Practice in Educational Psychology. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, pp. 29-43. ISBN 9781785920073

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Abstract

Evidence has a key underlying role in the practice of educational psychology in defining ‘change’, one of the central themes of this volume. The success of the Educational and School Psychologist as an agent of change across the core functions of consultation, assessment, intervention, training and practitioner research (Birch, Frederickson, & Miller, 2015; Boyle, 2011; Dunsmuir & Kratochwill, 2013) hinges upon an understanding of the nature of ‘evidence’ and how it informs practice. In this chapter, we will consider the nature of evidence and its relationship to professional practice. Educational and School Psychologists not only generate evidence themselves about underlying processes, outcomes, and the acceptability, feasibility and impact of the implementation of interventions, but are also ‘consumers’ of research findings (Frederickson, 2002) as they engage with the literature to determine the best available evidence for practice.