The commentators in this issue were chosen to ensure a broad range of response. Although the research considered in the author's original paper focused entirely on learning in higher education, the term student learning in the title could refer to students of all age groups, and so we have two distinct focuses within the commentaries; one on higher education and the other on schools. There are also differences in which aspects of the starter paper have evoked a response, with some commentators addressing the purposes and achievements of psychology, including the distinction between explanatory and action theories, while others have focused on what forms of teaching are best able to improve student learning. There seems to be general agreement that one of the main purposes of the research is to help to improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning, but there are very different views about which theories and research findings are likely to be the most useful. [This is the author's reply to the responses of the article, "Contributions of Educational Psychology to Understanding Student Learning: What Has Been Discovered -- What More Could Be Done?" For that article, see EJ1247419.]