Dr Sarah McGeown

Co-Deputy Director of Research, Knowledge Exchange and Impact (RKEI) / Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology

Moray House School of Education and Sport, IECS
University of Edinburgh

Street: Moray House School of Education and Sport, SLH 1.14
City: University of Edinburgh (Holyrood Campus)
Post code: EH8 8AQ

Biography

Qualifications

MA (Hons) Psychology, University of Aberdeen, 2002
MRes Psychology, University of Aberdeen, 2003
PhD Psychology, University of Hull, 2008
Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, 2010
Higher Education Academy Teaching Fellow, 2011

Responsibilities & affiliations

Membership of Professional Bodies

British Psychological Society and United Kingdom Literacy Association.

Teaching & PhD supervision

Undergraduate teaching

Education Studies 2 A (MA Primary)

Children and Young People (MSc TLT)

Cognitive and Social Development in Education (MA Primary)

Postgraduate teaching

Child and Adolescent Development (MSc Education)

Psychology of Learning and Teaching - course organiser (MSc Education)

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Current PhD students supervised

2020 - : Charlotte Webber. Thesis title: Tackling the drop-off: Understanding the teenage reading experience.
2021 - : Kawla Alhamad. Thesis title: Augmented Reality Books and Reading Engagement
2021 - : Elena Santi. Thesis title: Reading as a Mirror, Window and Sliding Glass Door
2022 - : Maggie Chan. Thesis Title: Disability Representation and Picture Books
2023- : Ross Young. Thesis Title: The Writing Lives of Children and Young People

Past PhD students supervised

2013 - 2016: Jennifer Salfen. Thesis title: Extracurricular activities and positive youth development in adolescence.
2014 - 2017: Matluba Kahn. Thesis title: Environment, Engagement and Education: Investigating the relationship between primary school grounds and children's learning: A case study in Bangladesh (with Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture).
2014 - 2018: Xiaoyi Hu. Thesis title: Foreign language learning, anxiety and motivation among primary school aged children.
2014 - 2018: Thalia Theodoraki. Thesis title: Executive functions and academic attainment among adolescents (with Department of Psychology).
2018 - : Brendan Kwiatkowski. Thesis title: Canadian adolescent males' masculinities and school experiences: A mixed methods approach
2019 - 2023: Jill Steel. Thesis title: Children's emotional wellbeing and reading outcomes: Exploring the impact of reading to dogs.

I am Director of the University of Edinburgh Literacy Lab and my research focuses on understanding and improving children and young people's reading experiences and outcomes, using research-practice partnerships and participatory approaches.

Projects

Project activity

My research focus on understanding and supporting children and young people's reading experiences and outcomes. Details of this research can be found here: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/

Furthermore, in 2019, I co-founded LALco: Language and Literacy: Communication, collaboration, co-production (www.lalco.org.uk) with Lynne Duncan at the University of Dundee. This is a multidisciplinary network of individuals with a shared interest to promote attainment and equity in the language and literacy skills of children and young people.

Current project grants

2023-2026: ESRC/Social Graduate School of Social Sciences Collaborative Scheme (PhD studentship), with National Literacy Trust. Title: The Writing Lives of Children and Young People

2023 - 2024: Education Endowment Foundation, with National Literacy Trust. Title: Love to Read: Reception

2022 - 2024: Challenge Investment Fund. Title: Neurodiversity and Narrative Fiction.

2022 - 2024: Leverhulme Trust. Title: Reading and Wellbeing.

2021- 2023: Nuffield Foundation. Title: Love to Read: A co-designed intervention to motivate and engage child readers.

2020-2024: ESRC/Social Graduate School of Social Sciences Collaborative Scheme (PhD studentship), with Scottish Book Trust. Title: Tackling the drop-off: Understanding the teenage reading experience.

Past project grants

2019-2022: Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre. Title: Learning about Neurodiversity at School (LEANS).

2019-2021: Carnegie UK Engaging Libraries, with Wellcome and The Wolfson Foundation, with Glasgow Life. Title: Sharing Stories.

2018-19: Challenge Investment Fund. Title: Growing Up A Reader.

2017-18: Scottish Universities Insight Institute: Conversations about language and literacy: Promoting equity and attainment through engagement.

2016-2017: ESRC Impact Acceleration Account: Improving children's reading: Research informing practice, with 6 Scottish local authorities/22 primary schools.

Publications

Working at the intersection of research and practice: The love to read project (14 pages) 2023 In: International Journal of Educational Research, vol. 117
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102134
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Everyone’s Included: Talking to your child’s school about neurodiversity (9 pages) 14 Nov 2022
LEANS introductory resources for parents and carers › Other contribution (Published)
The Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) programme: a short introduction for schools (4 pages) 14 Nov 2022
LEANS introductory resources for parents and carers › Other contribution (Published)
Draft Email PDF for parents & carers to send to teachers about LEANS (1 page) 14 Nov 2022
LEANS introductory resources for parents and carers › Other contribution (Published)
Evaluation of wider community support for a neurodiversity teaching programme designed using participatory methods 6 Oct 2022
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Poster (Published)
A school-based evaluation study of a teacher-delivered, whole-class neurodiversity teaching programme (LEANS) to promote accepting and inclusive environments 6 Oct 2022
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Poster (Published)
Move & read: Co-design and feasibility of physically active and embodied activities for early literacy 14 Sep 2022
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Published)
A special issue on language and literacy: Connecting research and practice (5 pages) 8 Aug 2022 In: Journal of Research in Reading, vol. 45, pp. 253-257
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12408
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Editorial (Published)
Learning About Neurodiversity at School: A resource pack for primary school teachers and pupils (350 pages) 9 Jun 2022
Package of educational resources › Other contribution (Published)
Teacher-researcher collaboration in animal-assisted education: Co-designing a reading to dogs intervention 2022 In: Educational Research, vol. 64, pp. 113-131
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.2016061
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)

View all 65 publications on Research Explorer

This article was published on 7 Dec, 2023