As the 30th year of The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist (AEDP) draws to a close there is much to be optimistic about as we embark upon a further 30 years of contributing to the profession of educational and developmental psychology in Australia and beyond.

Working memory, our ability to work with information, plays an important role in learning from kindergarten to the college years. In this article, we review the what, the why, and the how of working memory. First, we explore the relationship between working memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. We also investigate research on the link between whether environmental factors, such as financial background and mother's educational level, affect working memory. In the next section — the why of working memory — we compare the predictive nature of working memory and IQ in learning outcomes. While IQ typically measures the knowledge acquired by the student, working memory measures what they do with that knowledge. Working memory skills are linked to key learning outcomes, including reading and math. In the final section, we present classroom strategies to support working memory. We also review current research on the efficacy of working memory training.

After defining psychological processing and providing descriptions of 10 interrelated neuropsychological processes, the author proposes an integrated model for identifying an individual's pattern of psychological processing strengths, weaknesses, and deficits when conducting a specific learning disability (SLD) assessment. The model incorporates approaches from other pattern of strengths and weaknesses (PSW) models, while adding three requirements designed to reduce psychometric concerns about the identification procedures. Details for analysing cross-battery data and recommendations for applying processing deficits to SLD determination are included. In support of the model, the article reviews research that links psychological processing deficits with specific learning disabilities. The article concludes with a brief overview of evidence-based interventions for psychological processing deficits.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the Curriculum Based Measurement of Spelling (CBM-S) and direct spelling instruction on students’ achievement in spelling. A total sample of 95 third-grade students participated in the study. This article presents a comparison study of three classrooms: CBM-S and direct spelling instruction, CBM-S with no direct spelling instruction, and a control group that used the traditional way of spelling assessment. The intervention was implemented for 18 weeks. The results indicated that students achieved the greatest gains in spelling when both direct spelling instruction and the CBM-S were applied.

This article reports on a qualitative study aimed to map the professional practice of psychologists working in schools in Victoria, Australia. A review of school psychology research literature conceptualised seven domains that were used as a lens for understanding how the professional practice of psychology was enacted in schools. The domains were placed in a hierarchy to illustrate the ecological aspect of professional practice, drawing on the work of Altman (1987) and Brofenbrenner (1977). The influence of each of these domains in shaping professional practice was understood to be mediated by the degree of control (Oakland & Cunningham, 1998) psychologists were able to garner in negotiating how their psychological services were delivered to schools. Snapshots of the practice of psychologists nominated as ‘effective’ practitioners by senior administrators identified a number of contextual barriers and facilitators across the profession that are used to inform directions for reform. The authors argue for the development of alternative models that involve collaborative actions and multiple systems — combining professional efforts to serve students and families with multiple and complex needs.

Most past models of student motivation have assumed that student motivation generalises across various achievement situations and curriculum domains; however, research has not fully explored the extent to which motivation may be domain-specific (Green, Martin, & Marsh, 2007; Martin, 2008). The purpose of the present investigation was to explore this issue by comparing and contrasting generalised models of motivation with domain-specific models and how they relate to achievement outcomes in mathematics and English. Secondary students (N = 476) completed both the domain-general (ISM, McInerney, 2003) and the researcher-derived domain-specific motivational measure (DSSM) followed by a standardised achievement test (WRAT-3, Wilkinson, 1993). Overall, the study resulted in mixed findings. There was some indication that there was enough independent variance between the domain-specific goal types to suggest they were tapping distinct constructs as found in previous research (Green et al., 2007). However, the small and often inconsistent correlations with achievement outcomes brings into question the usefulness for educators and the research practicality of pursuing such a division.

The following Masters theses in Educational and Developmental Psychology have been submitted to the undernoted universities. There are four universities which offer specialist professional training to be an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist in Australia. These are, Monash University, The University of Melbourne, The Australian Catholic University, and Queensland University of Technology, respectively. These theses are only a snapshot of what has been submitted for examination in Australia. If you are interested in a project and require further details then please contact the research supervisors.