Personal profile
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8 from 205 citations
Last updated 22nd August 2025
Biography
I joined the University of Huddersfield in January 2025 as a Lecturer in the Department of Social and Psychological Sciences. I currently teach across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules and act as lead on the Psychology of Education module.
Prior to this position, I was a Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at Liverpool Hope University and a Guest Lecturer in Communication Sciences at the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. At Liverpool Hope I was the module lead and placement coordinator on the MSc in Applied Developmental Psychology Placement module, I led an undergraduate Psychology and Globalisation module and co-led an undergraduate Developmental Psychology module. Additionally, I acted as an Ethics Lead.
Before becoming a lecturer I completed Postdocs at the University of Warwick, the University of York and the University of Sheffield working on projects investigating cross-linguistic influences and syntacting priming, child mathematical cognition and reading comprehension in school-age children.
I completed my doctoral studies at the University of York in 2019 (Thesis title: The language and literacy profile of young Polish children learning English as an additional language in the UK school system.), I was awarded my MSc from the University of York in 2014 and a BSc in Psychology at the University of Warwick in 2013.
Research Expertise and Interests
My research interests mainly focus on multilingual language and literacy development as well as speech and language disorders, in particular in fluency.
My multilingualism research stemmed from volunteering at a primary school during my undergraduate degree where I supported Polish pupils who had recently arrived in the UK learn in a foreign language. This lead me to choose my PhD topic on comparing young bilingual children’s language and literacy development to their monolingual peers in both languages. I have also conducted research on how modality can affect reading comprehension, cross-language transfer and syntactic priming in bilingual speakers of various ages. I plan to continue my multilingualism research by investigating diagnosis and interventions of speech and language impairments in bilingual children as well as developing multilingual language and reading interventions.
In my speech and language disorders research I have investigated attitudes towards fluency disorders in various groups in society, including students, teachers, speech and language therapists and the general public. I have also conducted research on adults’ self-stigma associated with stuttering. I am interested in how the quality of life, and relationships and belonging of children with stammering are affected, in particular looking at bullying and school-based relationships. I am currently leading an international study on cluttering curricula to investigate the extent of knowledge the future speech and language therapists have about this disorder.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, The language and literacy profile of young Polish children learning English as an additional language in the UK school system., University of York
1 Oct 2014 → 30 Jun 2018
Award Date: 10 Jul 2019
Master, Msc in Development, Disorders and Clinical Practice , University of York
1 Oct 2013 → 30 Jun 2014
Award Date: 12 Jan 2015
Bachelor, BSc in Psychology
1 Oct 2010 → 30 Jun 2013
Award Date: 17 Jul 2013
Research Expertise and Interests
- multilingualism
- language acquisition
- English as an additional language
- literacy development
- speech and language
- cross-linguistic influence
- fluency
- reading comprehension
- developmental psychology
- syntactic priming
- attitudes towards speech and language disorders
- stammering/stuttering
- cluttering
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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SDG 4 Quality Education
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SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
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SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Investigating crosslinguistic representations in Polish–English bilingual children: Evidence from structural priming
Wesierska, M., Serratrice, L., Cieplinska, V. & Messenger, K., 1 Jan 2025, In: Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 28, 1, p. 75-89 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Link opens in a new tab Citation (Scopus) -
Polish adaptation of the Self-Stigma of Stuttering Scale: Scale development and analysis
Wesierska, M., Bauszek-Świsłocka, N., Węsierska, K. & Boyle, M., 1 Sept 2025, In: Journal of Fluency Disorders. 85, 10 p., 106138.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus) -
Teenage kicks: Exploring shared syntax through bidirectional crosslinguistic priming: Evidence from Polish-English bilingual adolescents and adults
Serratrice, L., Wesierska, M., Cieplinska, V. & Messenger, K., 25 Sept 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism. 33 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Bullying Experienced by Children Who Stutter: Coping Responses and Preventive Work
Wesierska, M., Langevin, M. & Węsierska, K., 2023, Dialogue without barriers: A comprehensive approach to dealing with stuttering. Sønsterud, H. & Węsierska, K. (eds.). Chorzów, Poland: Agere Aude Foundation for Knowledge and Social Dialogue , p. 311-336 26 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Receptive and expressive vocabulary development in children learning English as an additional language: Converging evidence from multiple datasets
Dixon, C., Hessel, A., Smith, N., Nielsen, D., Wesierska, M. & Oxley, E., 1 May 2023, In: Journal of Child Language. 50, 3, p. 610-631 22 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)
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Exploring personal goals in stuttering therapeutics process: Mixed-methods insights from Polish adults.
Węsierska, K. (Speaker), Starczewska, A. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation) & Wesierska, M. (Speaker)
25 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Poster presentation
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An international study of cluttering curriculums and the knowledge of SLT students about cluttering
Wesierska, M. (Speaker), Cook, S. (Speaker), Krawczyk, A. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Szymczakowska, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Tournier-Badre, C. (Speaker) & Węsierska, K. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation)
25 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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Communication over fluency: Exploring the effectiveness of the first Polish Camp Dream. Speak. Live.
Węsierska, K. (Speaker), Szymczakowska, J. (Speaker), Pakura, M. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Łukaszek, S. (Speaker), Pordzik, M. (Speaker) & Wesierska, M. (Speaker)
24 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation types › Poster presentation
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Exploring the effectiveness of Camp Dream. Speak. Live. in Poland: Communication and quality of life
Węsierska, K. (Speaker) & Wesierska, M. (Speaker)
28 Sept 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
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An international study of cluttering curriculums and the knowledge of SLT students about cluttering
Wesierska, M. (Speaker), Cook, S. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Krawczyk, A. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Szymczakowska, J. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Tournier-Badre, C. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation) & Węsierska, K. (Contributor to Paper or Presentation)
19 Sept 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk