Research themes
Our research
We are PERC. We use psychological science to make education empowering for everybody everywhere.
We conduct innovative, applied psychological research to enhance educational experience, practice and policy.
We employ a range of research methods and designs including intervention studies, surveys, qualitative studies, neuroscience, and meta-analyses.
Our research makes a difference to learners, educators and practitioners. We lead on transforming knowledge, policy and practice in areas including mental health, wellbeing, special educational needs, and literacy.
Interested PhD students and potential collaborators may wish to contact PERC researchers based on alignment with their research interests.
Mental health and wellbeing in education
We are conducting cutting-edge research on mental health and wellbeing in education with the aim to improve life-long trajectories of children and adolescents. Our research provides new understanding of
- Positive youth development (Dr Nadia Jessop)
- Developmental neuroscience of mental health and wellbeing to inform school curricula and education policy (Dr Dusana Dorjee - Well Minds Lab)
- Bullying and mental health (Dr Nathalie Noret)
- Youth wellbeing in the digital age (Dr Beth Bell)
- Children’s differences in socio-emotional development (Prof Sophie von Stumm)
- The relationship between play and mental health and well-being for children and adolescents (Dr Gill Francis)
- Teacher identity and wellbeing (Dr Irena Kuzborska)
Development and cognition
We explore how children’s thinking and learning develop, and how parenting, early experiences, and play shape cognitive growth. We also study the development of key academic skills in children with typical and atypical development.
- The role of cognitive appraisals in the relationship between experiencing bullying and poor mental health (Dr Nathalie Noret)
- The role of parenting and early life experiences for cognitive development (Prof Sophie von Stumm)
- Studying child development through the lens of play for neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals (Dr Gill Francis)
- Understanding spelling and handwriting development in typically and atypically developing children (Dr Cameron Downing).
- Understanding implicit statistical learning in typical and atypical learners and how it contributes to reading and reading difficulties (Dr Elpida Pavlidou)
- Understanding the teaching and learning of academic literacies (Dr Irena Kuzborska)
Special educational needs and disabilities
We are exploring a range of new and emerging areas linked to the experiences of individuals with special educational needs and disabilities, and those in the wider neurodivergent community across the life span. Our research advances our understanding of:
- Communication needs and preferences of individuals with SENDs (Prof Kathryn Asbury and Dr Laura Fox)
- Educational and social experiences of neurodivergent children and young people and their families (Dr Laura Fox and Prof Kathryn Asbury)
- Inclusive and open access research methods (Prof Kathryn Asbury and Dr Laura Fox)
- Implications of genomic research for disabled and neurodivergent individuals (Prof Kathryn Asbury)
- The emotional effects of reading difficulties in children and adults (Dr Elpida Pavlidou and Dr Cameron Downing)
- Supporting children with SEND in early years settings (Dr Gill Francis)
Individual and group differences in education
We investigate why children differ in learning, focusing on how genetic and environmental factors shape development. We translate genomic findings into implications for education policy and practice, and evaluate literacy teaching and interventions for children who struggle to learn to read and write.
- Genetic and environmental influences on children’s differences in learning (Prof Sophie von Stumm)
- Implications of findings from genomic research for educational policy and practice (Prof Kathryn Asbury)
- Developing and evaluating interventions for children who struggle to learn to read and write (Dr Cameron Downing)
- Investigating the effectiveness of literacy teaching in schools (Dr Cameron Downing)
- Unpicking genetic and environmental influences of play across development (Dr Gill Francis)