Dr Eleni Dimitrellou

About me:

I am an educator and researcher specialising in inclusion and educational psychology. My research interests reside in the areas of inclusion, school belonging, emotions in the curriculum and relational approaches to education. I am particularly interested in research topics that explore the role of emotions in the curriculum to cultivate teacher and student socioemotional competencies; and teacher professional development through action research.

In the area of inclusion, my work lies in understanding the processes that contribute to developing an inclusive school ethos and nurturing a strong sense of belonging among students with special educational needs (SEN). In my doctorate, I explored the relationship between the inclusivity of school ethos and its effect on the social relationships and sense of school belonging of students with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH) as a SEN category. Findings revealed a strong correlation between students with SEMH sense of school belonging and their perceived relationships with teachers. Interviews conducted with SEMH students shed light on the fact that they tend to have better perceived relationships with teachers who demonstrate approachability and exhibit proficiency in effectively managing misbehaviour.

This has sparked my interest in research topics that promote teacher and student wellbeing in education through the use of relational approaches. I am particularly interested in research aiming to enhance teacher and student socioemotional (SEL) competencies by explicitly integrating socioemotional-oriented learning into the curriculum. Findings of my most recent pilot work showed that teachers might be more motivated to implement SEL interventions when these are integrated into their subject topic—rather than as add-on interventions not organically linked to the school curriculum.

In my current ESRC IAA project, I have developed in collaboration with Educational Psychologists from the Devon County Council a freely available online asynchronous teacher training course that draws on CASEL framework to build educators’ knowledge, skills and understanding of socioemotional learning. The course enables secondary teachers to develop their own socioemotional learning, learn different strategies to develop a safe classroom environment, consider a range of different pedagogies that can be used to foster student SEL in their regular teaching practice, and get an understanding of how to explicitly infuse socioemotional oriented teaching in their subject topic.  

Interests:

I am particularly interested in research that centres on inclusion, emotions in education, wellbeing in schools, and relational approaches to education. In my research projects, I have employed mixed methods, creative modes of inquiry, and action research to empower teachers and students to actively participate in school change initiatives. I am keen on supervising students in the following areas:

• Socio-emotional Learning Competencies
• Emotions in the Curriculum
• Sense of School Belonging
• School Stressors and Coping Strategies of Young Adolescents
• Behaviour Management Strategies in Schools
• Special Educational Needs and Disability
• Inclusive Education
• Teacher Education and Professional Development
• Action Research-Lesson Study

Qualifications:

• UCL, Institute of Education; Department of Psychology and Human Development; PhD in Educational Psychology and SEN (funded by the Greek State)
• University of Exeter, GSE; Master of Education, SEN
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Ptychion in Philosophy, Pedagogy & Psychology.

I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society.

Career:

I am a Senior Lecturer in Education, having joined the School of Education, University of Exeter in 2021. Between 2018-2021, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Derby.