Masking in Primary School: Exploring Educational Psychologist and Teacher Understanding and Responses to Children Masking in Education

Bayer, Tom (2026) Masking in Primary School: Exploring Educational Psychologist and Teacher Understanding and Responses to Children Masking in Education. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

School-based masking involves strategies used by children and young people to hide differences and navigate social contexts, which can have notable consequences for wellbeing. Previous research has focussed primarily on adolescent, autistic females in secondary schools leading to gaps in the literature and understanding of masking in primary aged children across neurotypes. In addition, the perspectives of educational professionals who respond to school-based masking not well understood. The present study investigates school-based masking in primary aged children (4 – 11 years old) through the perspectives of Educational Psychologists (EPs) and Teachers based on how they understand and respond to the phenomenon. Qualitative data was collected, first through a focus group of five EPs followed by seven individual semi-structured interviews with primary school teachers. Data analysis was conducted in two separate reflexive thematic analyses to produce three and four themes for the EP and teacher analyses respectively. The EP themes were (un)certainty & (dis)agreement on masking; Masking: What You See isn’t What You Get; and The Importance of Working Together. The teacher themes were Flying Under or Over the Radar in School; Powerless and Overstretched; It Takes Teamwork; and A Need for Safety and Connection. The implications that these themes highlight are discussed in the analytical narrative, including the barriers faced by professionals in understanding masking at a conceptual level and recognising the needs of children that are masked. The importance of collaboration and shared understanding, particularly between teachers and parents, was highlighted in both analyses to support children’s school-based masking. Implications for EP practice are made based on these findings. To support applied EP practice across multiple domains, a definition and model of school-based masking is proposed that aids the conceptualisation of the construct. To support EP consultation and assessment, prompts pertaining to key areas of the model are provided

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2026 13:43
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2026 13:43
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104831
DOI:

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