Evolving social justice in school psychology practice – A systematic review of practitioner perspectives from UK and USA educational contexts

Social justice has received increasing attention in school/educational psychology literature in response to growing diversity within school populations. However, it is suggested that an emphasis on defining the construct has led to a practice-to-research gap. This systematic literature review explores how social justice is currently represented and enacted in school/educational psychologist (S/EP) practice within empirical literature published over the last decade. Eight studies comprised 68 participants across UK and US contexts were identified and analyzed through an inductive critical thematic synthesis approach. Seven descriptive themes are grouped into three overarching analytical themes: (1) Initial and ongoing S/EP development; (2) Facilitating equitable access and participation within existing systems; and (3) Transforming systems which perpetuate injustice. A conceptual model of the synthesized themes is presented. S/EPs consistently describe social justice as integral to their role, offering concrete examples of practice across levels of service delivery and nuanced reflections around facilitating and impeding factors. However, continued reliance on English-speaking, self-selecting participants, along with limited diversity in the psychology workforce may suppress non-Western perspectives and uphold traditional evidence hierarchies. Future research should explore the application of emerging frameworks for the systematic integration of social justice in S/EP practice.