Academic biography

Dr. Darina Scully is an Assistant Professor in Child/Adolescent Learning & Development, Wellbeing and SPHE 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 in education and the social sciences, particularly in quantitative methods and statistical analysis.  From 2016 to 2019, she held the post of Prometric Postdoctoral Researcher in the  Centre for Assessment Research, Policy & Practice in Education (CARPE), where her work focused on various issues in assessment and test development in educational and workplace settings.   Prior to this, she worked as a Research Assistant in the Educational Research Centre, 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). 

Darina has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including the European Journal of Education, Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation and Irish Educational Studies, 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.