The purpose of this study is to undertake research into supervision within the EP profession, focusing specifically on the experiences of recently qualified educational psychologists (RQEPs).
This study follows up research undertaken in 2017 and uses online surveys to gather data from RQEP supervisees, educational psychologist (EP) supervisors and principal educational psychologists (PEPs).
Project Focus
To provide an overview of current practice; find out more about varying concepts of supervision held within the profession; identify facilitators and barriers to good supervision and explore how the unique experience of being an RQEP impacts on what is needed from supervision.
How you can participate
If you are a Principal Educational Psychologist (PEP) leading a service that currently employs RQEPs, a supervisor of RQEPs or a RQEP supervisee, your input would be very welcome. For the purposes of this study, RQEPs are those EPs who completed their training within the last 3 years (2025, 2024 and 2023).
Three surveys have been designed to offer insight into the experiences and views of each group by asking a series of questions, eliciting a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data.
Link to complete the PEP Survey
Link to complete the RQEP Supervisor Survey
Link to complete the RQEP Supervisee Survey
Participation is voluntary. You can withdraw from the survey at any time before submitting your responses, without giving a reason, and your responses will be discarded. We will be asking for some participant data but no names will be collected and all responses will be anonymised. Ethical approval has been granted by the University of Birmingham Ethics Committee.
Researchers
- Dr Emma Varley (educational psychologist and psychological therapist) Contact Emma Varley
- Dr Anita Soni (educational psychologist and lecturer) Contact Anita Soni
- Dr Liz Hampton (educational psychologist, deputy programme director and professional tutor at the University of Exeter) Contact Liz Hampton
Research Questions:
- What training and experience do RQEP Supervisees and Supervisors have in supervision?
- What concepts of supervision do RQEP Supervisees and Supervisors hold?
- What does “good” and “bad” supervision look like to RQEP Supervisees, Supervisors and PEPs?
- What do RQEP Supervisees, Supervisors and PEPs see as the facilitators and barriers to good supervision?
- What does supervision currently look like for RQEP Supervisees and Supervisors?
- What, if anything, do RQEP Supervisees, Supervisors and PEPS feel are the gains to be made from supervision?
- What do PEPs view as the provision currently on offer for RQEPs in their educational psychology services and what policies on supervision do they believe are already in place within educational psychology services?
