| Summary: | This small-scale qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of four adopted young people (aged between 10-16 years) using semi-structured interviews in one local authority in England. The literature reviewed highlighted that although a sizeable amount of research has been carried out concerning adoption, the views and perspectives of adopted young people were often missing. This research has begun to address a 'gap' in the literature about adoption by providing a useful lens through which to examine the importance and meaning of the experiences of four adopted young people concerning their education and social development, using 'the qualitative methodology of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. A principle strength of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis is that it enabled me to carry out a small-scale study which "goes beyond, the participants' own sense-making and conceptualizations" (Smith et al., 2013: 186) regarding their educational experiences and social relationships using a phenomenological approach to understand the subjective experience of each participant. Five themes emerged from the interviews with the participants, including 'identity and self', 'relationships', 'school', 'attachment' and 'adoptive status' which offers a unique insight into the layers of complexity surrounding adoption. A limitation of this research has been the small sample size, therefore generalisations cannot be made. This study highlights the need for future research which explores the experiences, views and perspectives of adoptive parents who have adopted children in England with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) with a view to informing professionals working with adopted young people with RAD in schools and in the community, and the type of support this vulnerable group require. This study considers the implications of the findings for Educational Psychology practice. This includes, Educational Psychologists working at a systemic level with educational settings raising awareness of the needs of adopted young people, and helping them to consider ways of supporting this vulnerable group.
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