Alison Roulstone

Pronouns: She/her
  • Research Fellow
  • Economic Social Research Council Postdoctoral Early Career Fellowship

I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics Education at Loughborough University.

Publications
ORCiD Google Scholar
Alison Roulstone

I was awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in Primary Education by the University of Nottingham in 2003. Since then, I have pursued a range of leadership and specialist qualifications including the National Professional Qualification in Senior Leadership (NPQSL), the National SENCo Award (NaSENCO), an MA in Education, and an MSc in Psychology – both awarded from Nottingham Trent University. I have worked across all primary phases, including early years, and held whole-school responsibilities for Special Educational Need and Disabilities (SEND), Key Stage 1, and safeguarding as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL). I have also mentored trainee teachers through partnerships with the University of Leicester and Nottingham Trent University. In 2024, I completed a PhD in Mathematics Education at Loughborough University. Following this, I began a full-time Economic Social Research Council (ESRC) Early Career Fellowship in October 2025. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics Education. 

I investigate how individual differences shape the way people learn mathematics and explore the implications for inclusive and effective mathematics education.

My research focuses on:

  • Advancing our understanding of developmental dyscalculia and its cognitive underpinnings
  • Creating professional development resources to support  educators in identifying and addressing mathematics learning difficulties
  • Designing cross-cultural screening tools and targeted materials to help identify learners who may experience challenges in learning mathematics

I serve as an editor for SEND Equals, a specialist e-magazine published by the Mathematical Association that focuses on inclusive mathematics education.

My recent research has been funded by the Royal Society, Research England, and Venture Versity – a collaborative initiative between Loughborough, Leicester and De Montfort universities aimed at commercialising academic research and translating innovation into practice.

  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., & Bahnmueller, J. (2025). Developmental dyscalculia: areas of consensus and debate in the research community. In Developmental Dyscalculia (pp. 201-218). Academic Press.
  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., & Bahnmueller, J. (2024). Performance on curriculum-based mathematics assessments in developmental dyscalculia: the effect of content domain and question format. Psychological Research, 88(8), 2444-2454.
  • Roulstone, A & Erasmus, P. (2024 October). Calculation Fluency predicts mathematics achievement. Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) Symposium presentation; Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., Lê Thị Mai, L., Tomasetto, C., & Bahnmueller, J. (2023, 5-8 June). Dyscalculia: Areas of math difficulties and educators’ knowledge. Presented at the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Society Conference 2023, Loughborough, UK.

In submission, under review, and in preparation:

  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., & Bahnmueller, J. (in submission). Moving beyond accuracy: Investigating error patterns in children with and without dyscalculia. Special Issue call for paper by JRME.
  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., Lê Thị Mai, L., Tomasetto, C., Erasmus, P., Tzabedze, W., & Bahnmueller, J. (1st review 2025). What do educators know about dyscalculia in the UK, Italy, Vietnam and South Africa? Journal of Neurodiversity.
  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., & Bahnmueller, J. (in preparation). What do educators know about developmental dyscalculia, and what should they know? In: M. Thomas, J. Massonnié, O. Palikara, & J. van Herwegen (Eds.), Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities: A Neuroscience Approach. Cambridge University Press. (Invited book chapter)
  • Erasmus, P., Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., Tszabedze, W., and Bahnmueller, J. (in preparation). Calculation fluency predicts concurrent maths achievement. Research in Neurodiversity. Elsevier.
  • Roulstone, A., Morsanyi, K., and Bahnmuller, J. (in preparation). Developing a paper-based group administered screening tool to identify children with low mathematics achievement. 
  • Roulstone, A. (in preparation) Developmental dyscalculia in early childhood. NASEN Spotlight Series. Routledge Press