Academic biography

Dr. Darina Scully is an Assistant Professor in Psychology in the School of Human Development.  She holds a B.A. (Mod.) and a Ph.D in psychology from Trinity College, Dublin.  

Darina has extensive research experience, most notably in the areas of child/adolescent development and educational assessment, and with particular expertise in quantitative methods and statistical analysis.  Upon completion of her Ph.D., she joined the Educational Research Centre as a Research Assistant, where she was involved in a number of  high profile national and international research projects, including TIMSS (Trends in International Maths and Science Study), and the evaluation of the School Support Programme under DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools).   

In 2016, she took up the inaugural Prometric postdoctoral position in the newly established Centre for Assessment Research, Policy & Practice in Education (CARPE).  In this role, her work was heavily focused on various issues in assessment and test development in educational and workplace settings. In 2020, upon completion of her postdoc, she joined the School of Human Development as a full-time academic staff member. In this role, she has continued to conduct and supervise research in the areas of educational assessment, digital learning, SPHE and wellbeing education, and has taught on a wide range of modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level across various programmes within the IoE.  

Darina has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including Personality and Individual Differences, Technology, Pedagogy and Education, and the International Journal of Testing and she has presented at prestigious international conferences such as AERA and EdMedia.  Her work has also been used by the NCCA, the INTO and QQI to inform policy and practice in educational assessment.