Steph Ainsworth

Dr Steph Ainsworth is a Reader in Education at Manchester Metropolitan University's School of Teacher Education and Professional Development, within the Faculty of Health and Education. She holds a Senior Lecturer academic rank and specializes in interdisciplinary education research, bridging education, psychology, and philosophy. Her work focuses on teacher wellbeing, language development, and epistemic emotions. She leads a three-year ESRC-funded project on teacher resilience and co-investigates an EEF project evaluating reading interventions.

Her research explores the cognitive and affective dimensions of education, with projects like the 'Decentring the resilient teacher' initiative aiming to create resilient school environments. She also evaluates the PALS-UK literacy intervention, emphasizing practical applications for schools. Dr Ainsworth teaches on primary education programs and supervises doctoral students in areas like reading comprehension, LGBT+ bullying, and teacher professional identity.

Her publications span teacher resilience modeling, phonological development in children, and the affective potential of grammar learning. She actively reviews for journals like Developmental Psychology and Journal of Experimental Psychology, and participates in professional associations including the British Educational Research Association.

Dr Ainsworth’s work bridges theory and practice, addressing contemporary challenges in education through collaborative, evidence-based approaches.