Academic biography

Dr Grainne McKenna is Head of School of Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education at Dublin City University, Institute of Education. Grainne has worked as a primary school teacher and is a qualified developmental and educational psychologist from Queen’s University Belfast and the University College London (UCL) Division of Psychology and Language Sciences. Grainne has a special interest in child wellbeing and teacher-child relationships. She has been involved in the development, implementation, and evaluation of several evidence-based initiatives to support better outcomes for children and families. Her Doctoral work explored the impact of nurturing pedagogies and caring connections on teacher and child wellbeing in DEIS primary schools. 

Grainne's teaching at the undergraduate and post-graduate level focuses on early language acquisition and emergent literacies, as well as equity and inclusion in early childhood education and care. 

Grainne’s research has included investigating the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness (Children’s Rights Alliance, 2018) and the educational experiences of young men experiencing homelessness (Peter McVerry Trust, 2019). In 2022, Grainne was a co-principal investigator (PI) on a literature review to update and enhance Aistear, Ireland’s Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (NCCA, 2022). Grainne was also a co-PI alongside Dr Geraldine Scanlon on an Erasmus+-funded project, Teaching ADHD Children (TACIt), working collaboratively with universities and centres of further and higher education in Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, and Austria.

Grainne has extensive experience in the broader education sector and has held positions with government and national voluntary organisations in Ireland, the United States, the UK and British Overseas Territories.