James Chapman is Professor of Educational Psychology and International Advisor at the Massey University Institute of Education. He received his M.A. with Distinction in Education from Victoria University of Wellington, and his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Alberta, Canada, specializing in cognitive-motivational factors associated with learning disabilities.
Professor Chapman has held positions as Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Professor. He served for 8 ½ years as Head of the Department of Learning and Teaching, and 10 years as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Dean) of the College of Education. He has published over 100 journal articles, book chapters and books on learning disabilities, special education, literacy learning difficulties, early literacy development, reading intervention, and self-system factors in academic achievement.
His teaching interests lie primarily in the areas of quantitative research methods, learning and motivation, and reading and learning difficulties. He has taught graduate courses in educational research methods, learning disabilities, reading difficulties, teaching methods in special education, and assessment and individualized programming in special education.
Professor Chapman served a 4-year term as President of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, and has been a member of the Executive Board for 20 years. In 1999 he was co-winner of the International Reading Association’s Dina Feitelson Award for Excellence in Research.
He serves or has served on several editorial boards; Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Learning Disability Quarterly, Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, the Asia-Pacific Journal of Development Differences, and the International Journal for Research in Learning Disabilities.