Educational Psychology in Practice - Special Collection on reading and literacy

Changing the Narrative in Reading and Literacy: Shaping the Next Chapter in Educational Psychology

We are pleased to share the publication of the new special collection of articles for Educational Psychology in Practice Journal, following the success of our last collection showcasing the work of educational psychologists (EPs) outside of statutory work.

This year’s AEP Annual Conference theme, “Changing the narrative: the next chapter for educational psychology,” has been selected to align with the National Year of Reading, a UK-wide initiative responding to declining reading enjoyment and encouraging people of all ages to reconnect with reading. For EPs this highlights the importance of supporting both children’s engagement with reading and the development of the skills needed to access literacy and the wider curriculum.

This collection brings together 11 papers addressing a range of literacy-related topics, including interventions for children with dyslexia and other reading difficulties, support for culturally and linguistically diverse learners, service delivery models, and the role of play in reading development.

Several papers focus on literacy interventions. Barrett et al. (2002) emphasise the enduring principle of “noticing and adjusting” when planning support for literacy development. Higgins et al. (2015) evaluate Literacy Lift Off, a reading recovery programme for young children, while Griffin and Murtagh (2015) demonstrate the impact of a detailed precision teaching approach. Raspin et al. (2019) explore the ARROW intervention for looked after children, and Jeffes (2016) examines a phonics-based intervention for secondary-aged pupils, incorporating both pupil and staff perspectives.

Other studies provide multicultural and international perspectives. Mekonnen (2023) considers dyslexia assessment in Amharic, while Kelley et al. (2015) discuss culturally responsive approaches to reading development. Cruz et al. (2024) and Prinz et al. (2026) offer perspectives on literacy intervention and supportive reading environments in other European contexts. Policy and service-level issues are explored by O’Connor and Birchwood (2026) and Woods et al. (2013), who examine local authority practices and provision.