Douglas is a graduate from the Doctorate and Masters in Educational Psychology at the University of Strathclyde
Tell us a little bit about your background..
I have always worked in education – as a teacher, educational psychologist, school inspector and more recently as head of education in two local authorities. I had always intended to progress from the Masters in Educational Psychology to complete the Doctorate in Educational Psychology but due to work and family commitments it only recently became possible.
What drew you towards undertaking this degree?
I completed the Masters in Educational Psychology at Strathclyde in 2003 and intended to return and complete the Doctorate. At that time I worked as an educational psychologist but we had three young children, my youngest was born while on the Master programme. I also changed job and for various reasons I wasn’t able to take up the Doctoral programme until recently. The attraction was developing research skills and trying to ensure education is a bit more rooted in research rather than anecdote.
Tell us about the format of the programme. What was a typical working week like?
The Doctorate builds on your skills and practice as an educational psychologist so I was working full time as well as completing the Doctorate. The research fitted into and around my day job as the focus was on the connection between relative deprivation and maths outcomes at primary schools. This was clearly a significant area of focus for us as a local authority and as a country. I very much enjoyed all of the Doctorate, especially getting back into the literature and the research process.
Tell us about your experience on placement..
My research took place mainly in two primary schools and they were great to work with. The children were very enthusiastic and the teachers I worked with were real problem solvers and nothing was an obstacle for them.
What is the teaching on your course like? How has it been working with other students?
The Doctorate in Educational Psychology is principally a research doctorate so there was little in the way of direct teaching. Both my supervisors were great and I really enjoyed the peer support from the other DEdPsy students - there were about 6 of us started around the same time. I was also fortunate to be part of a small doctoral school support group that was formed because, at the time I started, we were still pretty much in lockdown. The doctoral school created small peer groups of doctoral students and we met a couple of times a week for half an hour or an hour online. I wasn’t always able to attend but they were a really good support.
What is your current job like?
I’m currently the Executive Director of Education for Glasgow City Council and it is a fairly demanding job. Throughout my career I have thought that as educators we need to be good role models of lifelong learning. I have always been interested in research and completed a Masters in Psychological Research Methods at the Open University soon after the MSc in Educational Psychology at Strathclyde. Policy needs to be rooted in evidence and I hope that the programme has helped me to be more evidence informed and critical of policy decisions whether we are making them locally or nationally. Our children and young people deserve practice that we know has an evidence base.
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?
I would thoroughly recommend the Doctorate in Educational Psychology to any colleagues who want to deepen their practice and refresh their enthusiasm for learning. It will benefit them personally as well as their service and the children and families they work with.