Education and Learning
Education and Learning Research Group
The research expertise of our Education and Learning Research Group is broadly situated in educational psychology, but with some insights drawn from cognitive science and neuroscience. We have specific expertise in the psychology of learning emotions, self-beliefs and motivation, and how these relate to academic attainment. Much of our research is done in partnership with secondary schools, particularly in relation to understanding how to support GCSE pupils and educational practitioners to thrive in their learning and performance in high-stakes exams.
Members
Featured projects
We should just be told to try our best
Dr Laura Nicholson and colleagues provide an overview of exam anxiety, its effects and what psychologists can do to help reduce it.
See Dr Laura Nicholson’s researchStressed out: the psychological effects of tests on primary school children
Dr Laura Nicholson discusses the stress and pressure about forthcoming exams and how it can result in what education researchers have termed “test anxiety”.
Read the full article on The ConversationThreats of failure motivate some students – but it’s not a technique to use on the whole class
Dr Laura Nicholson outlines the importance of recognising differences in students when motivating them towards examinations
How can challenging your beliefs make you feel more confident?
Dr Laura Nicholson shares how to use the ABC Model to change the way you prepare for exams.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses
Members of our Education and Learning Research group run CPD short courses for educational professionals, to support them to apply evidence-based psychology to educational practice.
Get involved
There are various ways you can get involved in our Education and Learning research
