The role of evidence in educational psychology

Evidence has a key underlying role in the practice of educational psychology in defining ‘change’, one of the central themes of this volume. The success of the Educational and School Psychologist as an agent of change across the core functions of consultation, assessment, intervention, training and practitioner research (Birch, Frederickson, & Miller, 2015; Boyle, 2011; Dunsmuir & Kratochwill, 2013) hinges upon an understanding of the nature of ‘evidence’ and how it informs practice. In this chapter, we will consider the nature of evidence and its relationship to professional practice. Educational and School Psychologists not only generate evidence themselves about underlying processes, outcomes, and the acceptability, feasibility and impact of the implementation of interventions, but are also ‘consumers’ of research findings (Frederickson, 2002) as they engage with the literature to determine the best available evidence for practice.