Staff profile

Dr. Daniel is deeply committed to advancing research in the field of education, with a particular focus on teacher professional development, inclusive education, and the development and testing of reading programs for pupils, including those at-risk of learning difficulties such as dyslexia. With a wealth of expertise, Dr. Daniel has been part of research projects aimed at enhancing reading comprehension skills, inference making abilities, and addressing factors such as anxiety management that impact student outcomes. 

Among his current projects, Dr. Daniel is engaged in the creation of open educational reading programs specifically designed for primary school students with reading disabilities. He is also actively involved in exploring the identification processes for students with dyslexia within the United Kingdom, as well as utilizing large national pupil databases to gain comprehensive insights into educational trends and outcomes for students with special educational needs. Furthermore, Dr. Daniel is currently collaborating with researchers in India, England, and Taiwan to conduct a comparative study that seeks to understand the knowledge of preservice teachers about early reading instruction.

Dr. Daniel holds a Ph.D. in Special Education and an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology, both awarded from The University of Texas at Austin. He also has an M.Ed. in Special Education from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Daniel's impactful research has been recognized through publication in prominent journals, such as the Annals of Dyslexia, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Journal of Special Education, Journal of School Psychology, and Learning and Individual Differences. He is also the co-Editor for the Review of Education and PLOS One journals. 

 

Grant Information

2023: Reading program for Keystage 3 students with learning difficulties (Durham University). Role: Primary Investigator

2023: Taiwanese teachers' knowledge of teaching foundational Mandarin reading skills (The British Academy). Role: Primary Investigator

2023: Global Engagement Grant. Evidence-based reading instruction in India (Durham University). Role: Primary Investigator

2022: Identifying Pupils with Reading Disabilities (The British Educational Research Association) Role: Primary Investigator

2022: Open access lesson plans to enrich supplemental instruction for primary grade students at-risk of reading failure (The Economic and Social Research Council) Role: Primary Investigator

• Reading interventions
• Learning difficulties
• Special education
• Secondary data analysis
• Research methodology

• 2022: Editorial Roles: Associate Editor for Frontiers in Education; Academic Editor for the Plos One Journal; Consulting Editor Journal of Learning Disabilities.

Chapter in book

• Enhancing our understanding of the complexities of reading difficulties
  
  Daniel, J., & Barth, A. (2024). Enhancing our understanding of the complexities of reading difficulties. In S. Gorard & N. Siddiqui (Eds.), An International Approach to Developing Early Career Researchers: A Pipeline to Robust Education Research (pp. 27-37). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003455066-5

Conference Paper

• Myth Busting With Data: Longitudinal Models of Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Deaf Students
  
  Cawthon, S., Barker, E., Daniel, J., & Cooc, N. (in press). Myth Busting With Data: Longitudinal Models of Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Deaf Students. Presented at AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.

Journal Article

• Identifying students with dyslexia: exploration of current assessment methods
  
  Daniel, J., Clucas, L., & Wang, H. (2025). Identifying students with dyslexia: exploration of current assessment methods. Annals of Dyslexia, 75, 19-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-024-00313-y
• Achievement gaps for English learners with disabilities
  
  Daniel, J. (2025). Achievement gaps for English learners with disabilities. Learning and Instruction, 96, Article 102072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.102072
• A Comparative Analysis of Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge of Reading Instruction and Their Confidence in Supporting Struggling Readers: A Study of India and England
  
  Daniel, J., Misquitta, R., & Nelson, S. (2025). A Comparative Analysis of Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge of Reading Instruction and Their Confidence in Supporting Struggling Readers: A Study of India and England. Education Sciences, 15(4), Article 442. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040442
• The academic achievement gap between students with and without special educational needs and disabilities
  
  Daniel, J. (2025). The academic achievement gap between students with and without special educational needs and disabilities. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 40(3), 539-556. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2024.2400771
• A synthesis of the effects of summer interventions on secondary students with or at-risk of reading difficulties
  
  Dille, J. T., Capin, P., Daniel, J., Dille, E. A., & Cahill, A. S. (2025). A synthesis of the effects of summer interventions on secondary students with or at-risk of reading difficulties. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1612484. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1612484
• Translational science in the science of reading: A case study
  
  Daniel, J., Clucas, L., Wenqing, C., Collier, K., & Moss, J. (2024). Translational science in the science of reading: A case study. British Journal of Special Education, 51(4), 416-425. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12548
• Multicomponent Reading Intervention: A Practitioner's Guide
  
  Daniel, J., Barth, A., & Ankrum, E. (2024). Multicomponent Reading Intervention: A Practitioner’s Guide. The Reading Teacher, 77(4), 473-484. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2265
• Special issue: Gender equality and education
  
  Daniel, J., & Siddiqui, N. (2023). Special issue: Gender equality and education. Review of Education, 11(3), Article e3456. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3456
• Gender differences in special educational needs identification
  
  Daniel, J., & Wang, H. (2023). Gender differences in special educational needs identification. Review of Education, 11(3), Article e3437. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3437
• Exploring reading profiles of rural school students
  
  Daniel, J., & Barth, A. (2023). Exploring reading profiles of rural school students. Annals of Dyslexia, 73, 235–259. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-022-00276-y
• Longitudinal Models of Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
  
  Cawthorn, S. W., Barker, E., Daniel, J., Cooc, N., & Vielma, A. G. (2023). Longitudinal Models of Reading and Mathematics Achievement in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 28(1), 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/enac033
• Examining the Effects of Integrating Anxiety Management Instruction Within a Reading Intervention for Upper Elementary Students With Reading Difficulties
  
  Vaughn, S., Grills, A., Capin, P., Roberts, G., Fall, A. M., & Daniel, J. (2022). Examining the Effects of Integrating Anxiety Management Instruction Within a Reading Intervention for Upper Elementary Students With Reading Difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 55(5), 408-426. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211053225
• The Importance of Baseline Word Reading Skills in Examining Student Response to a Multicomponent Reading Intervention
  
  Daniel, J., Vaughn, S., Roberts, G., & Grills, A. (2022). The Importance of Baseline Word Reading Skills in Examining Student Response to a Multicomponent Reading Intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 55(4), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211010349
• A meta-analysis of the effects of academic interventions on academic achievement and academic anxiety outcomes in elementary school children
  
  Fishstrom, S., Wang, H., Bhat, B., Daniel, J., Dille, J., Capin, P., & Vaughn, S. (2022). A meta-analysis of the effects of academic interventions on academic achievement and academic anxiety outcomes in elementary school children. Journal of School Psychology, 92, 265-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.03.011
• Self-Questioning Strategy for Struggling Readers: A Synthesis
  
  Daniel, J., & Williams, K. J. (2021). Self-Questioning Strategy for Struggling Readers: A Synthesis. Remedial and Special Education, 42(4), 248-261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932519880338
• A Synthesis of the Sustainability of Remedial Reading Intervention Effects for Struggling Adolescent Readers
  
  Daniel, J., Capin, P., & Steinle, P. (2021). A Synthesis of the Sustainability of Remedial Reading Intervention Effects for Struggling Adolescent Readers. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 54(3), 170-186. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219420972184
• The role of knowledge availability in forming inferences with rural middle grade English learners
  
  Barth, A. E., Daniel, J., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Barnes, M. A., Ankrum, E., & Kincaid, H. (2021). The role of knowledge availability in forming inferences with rural middle grade English learners. Learning and Individual Differences, 88, Article 102006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102006
• Teachers’ Perceptions of Academic Intrinsic Motivation for Students With Disabilities
  
  Daniel, J. R., & Cooc, N. (2018). Teachers’ Perceptions of Academic Intrinsic Motivation for Students With Disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 52(2), 101-112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466918765276
• Teacher perspectives on intervention sustainability: implications for school leadership
  
  Daniel, J., & Lemons, C. (2018). Teacher perspectives on intervention sustainability: implications for school leadership. School Leadership & Management, 38(5), 518-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1439465

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Students with special educational needs are years behind their peers – they need specialist teachers in mainstream classrooms
  
  Daniel, J. (2024, October 24). Students with special educational needs are years behind their peers – they need specialist teachers in mainstream classrooms. The Conversation.

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• The Science Behind Reading Difficulties such as Dyslexia and How to Overcome Them
  
  Daniel, J. (2025, January 7). The Science Behind Reading Difficulties such as Dyslexia and How to Overcome Them. In YouTube [YouTube: https://youtu.be/xtJHmrot3hw?si=oRIbuLpNBU4FC8Kh].
• Identifying Students with Dyslexia: Exploration of Current Assessment Methods, 2023
  
  Daniel, J. (2024). Identifying Students with Dyslexia: Exploration of Current Assessment Methods, 2023 [Dataset]. UK Data Service. https://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-857329
• Girls less likely to be diagnosed with special educational needs – new research
  
  Daniel, J. (2023, November 28). Girls less likely to be diagnosed with special educational needs – new research [The Conversation]. Https://Theconversation.Com.
• Supporting reading growth in students who struggle with reading-related tasks
  
  Daniel, J. (2022, August 1). Supporting reading growth in students who struggle with reading-related tasks [Website content].

Other (Print)

• Effective reading instruction for students with specific learning difficulties
  
  Daniel, J. (2024). Effective reading instruction for students with specific learning difficulties [BERA Blog]. BERA Blog.

Report

• Talk With Tales for Children (TWiTCH) programme : Pilot Evaluation Report
  
  Fitzfussell, N., Menzies, V., Eerola, P., Daniel, J., Burgoyne, K., Qi, X., & Cramman, H. (2025). Talk With Tales for Children (TWiTCH) programme : Pilot Evaluation Report. Education Endowment Foundation.
• An evidence-based plan for addressing the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) assessment and support crisis
  
  Alghrani, A., Ali, N., Allen, K., Bennett, H., Benger, L., Betts, J., Bradley, S., Bond, C., van den Bree, M., Brooks, R., Chawner, S., Colbert, E., Copley, C., Daniel, J., Davies, C., Eddy, L., Elshehaly, M., Groen, M., Hartley, C., … Waterman, A. (2024). An evidence-based plan for addressing the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) assessment and support crisis. Child of the North and the Centre for Young Lives. https://doi.org/10.48785/100/268
• Survey of dyslexia identification methods
  
  Daniel, J. (2023). Survey of dyslexia identification methods. British Educational Research Association.