Dr Suzanne Parkinson, Developmental & Educational Psychologist
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Key Contributions: Academic Leadership, Innovation and Impact
- Academic leader at Mary Immaculate College with over two decades of contribution to teaching, programme development and institutional service.
- Strategic programme innovator: initiated and led the design and accreditation of flagship programmes, including the B.Ed. in Education & Psychology and the Professional Master’s in Educational Psychology (MAEP).
- Extensive course leadership experience, including many years as Programme Leader for the B.Ed. in Education & Psychology, driving curriculum renewal aligned with national standards including Céim.
- Leader in curriculum transformation, with a strong track record in embedding inclusive, assessment-focused and technology-enhanced pedagogies.
- Substantial contribution to teaching and supervision, mentoring 150+ undergraduate research projects and supporting award-winning student scholarship at national level.
- Established and impactful research profile focused on learner identity, learner voice, policy and assessment practices within educational psychology.
- Creator of the innovative My Learner ID framework, implemented nationally and recognised with the Psychological Society of Ireland Award for the Most Significant Contribution to Professional Practice (2020).
- Strong research funding and innovation track record, securing €80,000+ in competitive funding.
- Recipient of national teaching and learning innovation awards (TALIS; T-Rex Framework).
- Institutional service: including membership of Academic Board, Governing Body, Ethics Committees.
- Professional Leadership: Chair of the Division of Educational Psychology at the Psychological Society of Ireland.
- Influential interdisciplinary collaborator and public voice on education, contributing to policy, professional standards, media discourse, and engagement with educators and stakeholders.
Biography
Dr. Suzanne Parkinson is a Lecturer in Developmental & Educational Psychology, Inclusive and Special Education in the Faculty of Education at Mary Immaculate College, where she has served since 2001. Suzanne's academic career reflects a sustained commitment to the integration of research-informed teaching, professional practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration, underpinned by strong values of inclusion, equity and learner-centred education. She holds an Ed.D. in the Professional Practice of Educational Psychology (University of Sheffield) and an M.Sc. in Developmental & Educational Psychology, Queen's University, Belfast and is a Chartered Educational Psychologist, and is registered with both the Psychological Society of Ireland and the British Psychological Society. Her professional background includes permanent appointments both as a mainstream & SET primary school teacher, educational psychologist with the Belfast Education and Library Board and educational psychologist and founder of school psychology services in County Clare with the National Educational Psychology Service , providing a strong practitioner foundation that continues to inform her academic work.
Teaching, Supervision and Curriculum Development
Suzanne brings over three decades of teaching experience across undergraduate, postgraduate and professional doctoral programmes. Her teaching portfolio includes core modules in educational and developmental psychology, psychological assessment, research design and ethics, behaviour for learning, advanced issues in educational psychology, inclusive education and assessment for learning. She has extensive experience supervising undergraduate dissertations, Master’s theses and professional doctoral research, including supervision within the Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology. She has supervised in excess of 150 undergraduate research projects in Psychology since 2001. She has also supervised several First Place Award Winners at the Annual Psychological Society of Ireland Student Congress including Clodagh Cronin, who was awarded first place at the 43rd Annual Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI, 2021) Student Congress, Educational Psychology Section, for her oral presentation of her undergraduate research: ‘The Nature of Nurture: Exploring the methodologies utilised in nurture groups settings’ and Sarah O’Meara, who was awarded first place at the 37th Annual Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) Student Congress, Educational Psychology Section, for her oral presentation of her undergraduate research: ‘The Influence of Positive Emotions on Working Memory’ (April 2015).
A defining feature of Suzanne's academic leadership has been the design, development and accreditation of new programmes. She initiated and led the design of the B.Ed. in Education & Psychology at MIC in 2002/3 and later initiated and led the development of the Professional Master’s Programme in Educational Psychology (MAEP), only the second such programme in Ireland at the time, which set the foundations upon which professional doctoral training in educational psychology at MIC subsequently emerged. She also steered curricular redevelopment projects aligned with national professional standards (including Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education) and has a strong track record in innovative, technology-enhanced and assessment-focused pedagogy.
Research & Scholarship
Suzanne's research agenda is grounded in educational and developmental psychology, with particular emphasis on learner identity, assessment practices, learner voice and professional educational psychology practice. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including Irish Educational Studies, School Psychology International and Debate (British Psychological Society), and is an active presenter at national and international conferences.
A significant and original contribution of her research was the development of My Learner ID, a theoretically grounded and empirically evaluated framework that foregrounds learner identity and learner voice within assessment practices. This programme was implemented nationally, evaluated with over 400 children, funded through multiple competitive awards, and recognised by the Psychological Society of Ireland with the Member Award for Most Significant Contribution to Professional Psychology Practice in 2020. Suzanne has secured over €80,000 in external research funding, including Teaching Council John Coolahan Awards, and regularly supervise doctoral and postgraduate researchers to publication and conference presentation. She has contributed to professional accreditation and doctoral quality assurance through service as an external doctoral examiner and as a contributor to national accreditation standards for postgraduate training in educational psychology with the Psychological Society of Ireland.
Suzanne was also awarded the Teaching and Learning Innovation Scholarship (TALIS 2021), National Teaching and Learning Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning & Teaching Council: T-Rex Innovation Framework Award (2021).
Service, Leadership and Interdisciplinary Engagement
Suzanne has a sustained record of service at institutional, national and professional levels. Within MIC, she has served on Academic Board, Governing Body, Faculty Boards and ethics committees, and has held multiple leadership roles including Programme Leader for the B.Ed. in Education Psychology (2004-2012 & 2021-2022; 2025-2026). Nationally, she has held senior leadership roles within the Psychological Society of Ireland, including Chair of the Division of Educational Psychology, and continues to contribute to accreditation panels, professional training review groups and national CPD initiatives. Suzanne's work is inherently interdisciplinary, situated at the intersection of psychology, education, professional practice and policy. She has collaborated extensively with educators, psychologists, schools, professional bodies and policymakers, ensuring that research outputs meaningfully inform both teaching and professional practice.
Suzanne is a regular contributor to The Irish Times and has had numerous letters published over the years offering an informed voice on topical issues in education. The Cork Examiner, Independent, Clare Champion have also published articles. She was an invited guest to Claire Byrne Live on RTE 1 Radio in 2020 to talk about strength-based assessment and learner identity and has made contributions to Clare FM and Limerick Radio on topics such as Curiosity and Home Schooling. In the last year, she has participated in panel discussions on the Hard Shoulder with presenter Kieran Cuddihy on the topic of assessment and bullying.
Selected Publications
- Gleasure, S., & Parkinson, S. (2023). Exploring Irish primary school children's perceptions of themselves as learners in preparation for the key competency of 'being an active learner' within the primary curriculum framework. Irish Educational Studies, 42(4), 677-690.
- Brennan, F., Gleasure, S., Linehan, E. & Parkinson, S. (2021) Evaluating the relevance of Learner Identity for educators and learners post-COVID-19, The Adult Learner, 74-97.
- Parkinson, S. & Brennan, F. (2020) Exploring the positioning of educational psychology practice in 21st century learning, Debate (175) p. 16-22, The British Psychological Society.
- O'Donnell, A. (ed) (2015) ‘Inclusion - An Illusory Quest?’ in "The Inclusion Delusion: Reflections on Democracy, Ethos and Education", Lang Publishers, Oxford.
- Rogers, B. (2013). Editor’s Review in The Essential Guide to Managing Teacher Stress, Pearson Publications, Harlow.
- Parkinson, S., Etienne, R. and Verkest, H. (2005) Citizenship Education and the Inclusion of Vulnerable Young People, Children’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe, CiCe, London, Guidelines 14.
- Parkinson, S. (2004) Training and Practicing Standards for Educational Psychologists in the Republic of Ireland, School Psychology International, Vol. 25 (4) 63-77.
- Parkinson, S. (2001) Special Education Policy in the Republic of Ireland and the influence of Circular 8/99 on a developing National Educational Psychology Service, The Irish Journal of Psychology, 22(3-4), 257-268.
- Parkinson, S. and O’Neill, B. (1998) ADD/ADHD - An Overview for Practising Educational Psychologists, Belfast Education and Library Board.
Selected Miscellaneous Publications
- Parkinson, S. (2019) Assessment of primary children should help not hurt, Irish Times, May 17th.
- Parkinson, S. (2019) Testing Times in Primary Schools Nationwide, Cork Examiner, May 20th.
- Parkinson, S. (2020) ‘Rethinking time away from school- can we help students to help themselves around learning?’, Irish Times, April 6th.
- Parkinson, S. (2017) My Learner ID – An Innovative New Series, Intouch, October, INTO.
- Parkinson, S. (2013) ‘Turning the heat up’, Irish Examiner, July 14thParkinson, S. (2018) ‘Joining the dots: linking vision for education, policies in education with classroom practice’. Video for Teachers @ www.mylearnerid.com
School Publications
- Parkinson, S. (2020) My Learner ID 1 & 2, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Parkinson, S. (2020) My Learner ID 1 & 2 Teacher Resource Book’, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Parkinson, S. (2019) My Learner ID 5 & 6, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Parkinson, S. (2019) My Learner ID 5 & 6 Teacher Resource Book’, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Parkinson, S. (2017) My Learner ID 3, 4 & 5, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Parkinson, S. (2017 My Learner ID 3, 4 & 5 Teacher Resource Book ’, Dublin: EDCO Publishers.
- Mise Mar Fhoghlaimeoir – as Gaeilge, EDCO Publishers in association with COGG, DES.
- Parkinson, S. (1995) School Plays 1 and 2, Dublin: Folens Publishers.
Selected Conference Presentations
- Parkinson, S., & Gleasure, S. (2023, July). 'Being a learner': Exploring the perspectives of Irish children on being a learner. 44th Annual Conference of the International School Psychology Association, Bologna, Italy.
- Parkinson, S., Gleasure, S. & Linehan, E. (2021, March). Schools for the 21st century: Are we future ready? Educational Studies Association of Ireland Conference 2021, online.
- Brennan, F., Gleasure, S., Linehan, E., & Parkinson, S. (2020, November). Learning to Learn.
- Gleasure, S., & Parkinson, S. (2020, October). Learning to be a learner - Introducing My Learner ID.
- Parkinson, S. (2020) Introducing My Learner ID, Féilte, Teaching Council, October 3rd.
- Parkinson, S. (2020) The 21st century learner is here. Are you ready? Symposium at 50th Annual Conference of the Psychological Society of Ireland, online.
- FÉILTE 2020: Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence, online
- Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Brennan, F. (2020) Exploring the positioning of educational psychology practice in 21st century learning. Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Brennan, F. (2020) Learner voice in the 21st century classroom: a research study, Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November.
- Parkinson, S. (2020) The 21st century learner is here. Are you ready? Symposium at Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Brennan, F. (2020) Exploring the positioning of educational psychology practice in 21st century learning. Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Gleasure, S. (2020) 'Learning to Learn' - What does it mean in the context of the recently revised Irish curriculum? Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Linehan, E. (2020) The Learning Curve: What 21st century learner skills mean for students, teachers and educational psychologists, Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. & Hannon, A. (2020) Stimulating Creativity: Mind Wandering or Conscious Thought? Psychological Society of Ireland 50th Annual Conference, Virtual, 18th -20th November 2020.
- Parkinson, S. (2019) Learner Voice: Are we ready to listen? Workshop offered at Children's Research Network 2019 Annual Conference: Children should be Seen AND Heard! Trinity College Dublin, 5th Dec. 2019.
- Parkinson, S. (2019). The Place of Systemic Work within the role of the Educational Psychologist: My Learner ID. Collaborative Workshop offered at Psychological Society of Ireland’s 49th Annual Conference, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, 8 Nov. 2019.
- Parkinson, S. (2019). Learner Identity: On Becoming and Being a Learner’, British Psychological Society, Division of Child and Education Psychology, Bath, 10-11th Jan. 2019.
- Parkinson, S. (2018) Learning to be a Learner: My Learner ID, Irish Learning Support Association, Annual Conference, Radisson Hotel, Limerick.
- Parkinson, S. (2017) Learner Identity: Assessment is more than a STen Score, Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education, Annual Conference, Marino College.
- Brennan, F. & Parkinson, S. (2017) ' Positive self-talk as a strategy to reduce stress among college students with maladaptive perfectionism’, Psychological Society of Ireland’s 47th Annual Conference.
- Ní Pheaircín, S. (2017) Mise Mar Fhoghlaimeoir, Tionól Forbartha Gaeloideachas, Mullingar, Co. West Meath.
- Parkinson, S. (2017) Applying theory to practice: Raising a Virtual Child, Digital, The Next Generation: Digital Learning Research Symposium, DCU, Nov. 2nd.
- Byrne, E. & Parkinson, S. (2016) ‘Evaluation of the Efficacy of Accelerated Reader’, Psychological Society of Ireland’s 47th Annual Conference.
- Callaghan, E., Parkinson, S. 'The Forgotten 'E' in Education, IATSE (2015) Conference Proceedings, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.
- Gallagher, A., Parkinson, S. 'Emotion Coaching: A Universal Strategy for Supporting and Promoting Sustainable Emotional & Behavioural Well-Being', IATSE (2015) Conference Proceedings, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.
- Rawle, J. Parkinson, S. 'Teacher ventions: Supporting the Well Being of Teachers in Ireland', IATSE (2015) Conference Proceedings, St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.
- Mc Carthy, N. & Parkinson, S. (2014) 'Working Memory Training and Synthetic Phonics Instruction', PSI Conference Proceedings, Nov. 2014.
- O'Halloran, C. & Parkinson, S. (2014) 'Exploring potential prevalence of cyber-bullying among Irish teenagers', PSI Conference Proceedings, Nov. 2014.
- English, M. & Parkinson, S. (2010) Can Automated Assessment and Jungle Memory Software Enhance Learning Efficiency in Children with Low Working Memory?International School Psychology Association, 32nd International Conference, Trinity College, Dublin, July 20th – 24th.
- Ní Ghráinne, M. & Parkinson, S. (2010) Emotions In The Primary School Teacher – A learned Intelligence? International School Psychology Association, 32nd International Conference, Trinity College, Dublin, July 20th – 24th.
- Ní Shuilleabháin, S. & Parkinson, S. (2010) Success at School – Is it defined by birth date? A study examining the effects of relative age and season of birth on academic performance. International School Psychology Association, 32nd International Conference, Trinity College, Dublin, July 20th – 24th.
- Parkinson, S. (2007) Educational Psychology in Ireland – Carving an Identity? Proceedings of the 10th European Annual Congress of Psychology, Prague, July 3-6th
- Parkinson, S. (2004) The Truth Appears To Have Many Faces – Exploring Perspectives On Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education, 16th Annual International Conference, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, June 16th.
- Parkinson, S. (2004) Repertory Grid – A Useful Research Instrument for Exploring Behaviour? Proceedings of The Psychological Society of Ireland 35th Annual Conference, Cork, November 24th.
- Parkinson, S. (2003) Irish Pupils’ Perceptions of Mainstream and Specialist School Placements. Proceedings of the 111th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.
