From constructs to classrooms: applying personal construct psychology in educational psychology practice

This paper explores the application of personal construct psychology (PCP) within educational psychology (EP) practice. PCP offers a constructivist framework for understanding how individuals make sense of their experiences through personal systems of meaning. The paper outlines the core principles of PCP and considers their relevance for EPs, focusing on construing, the organisation of constructs, and the “individual-as-scientist” metaphor. It then examines key considerations for EPs using PCP with children and young people, including the balance between individual meaning-making and contextual influences, and the integration of emotion within construing. Practical applications are reviewed such as Drawing the Ideal Self, the Salmon Line, Children’s Exploratory Drawings, and the Self-Image Profile. Finally, PCP’s contribution to research for EPs is explored, particularly with regards to how the repertory grid method and triads can be used as an epistemological and methodological technique for qualitative inquiry. The paper concludes by reflecting on the continued relevance of PCP for promoting curiosity, collaboration, and reflexivity within EP practice.