bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Special Edition paper: The 2 x 2 achievement goal framework in primary school: Do young children pursue mastery-avoidance goals?
Authors: Carr Amanda , Marzouq Shems
Published: January 2023

The 2 x 2 achievement goal framework is increasingly being adopted in motivation research. However, there is mixed evidence for the relevance of this conceptualisation of goals for young learners, particularly mastery-avoidance goals. In the current study we test the 2 x 2 model in a sample of primary school children using the Achievement Goal Questionnaire Revised. We also assess children’s understanding of each of the four achievement goals in a novel measure developed for the study. Results show that children in the current sample both endorsed and understood mastery-avoidance goals equally as well as the other goals. However, further research is needed in order to: (a) assess the extent to which children adopt and understand masteryavoidance goals in real classroom contexts; and (b) to test the predictive validity of mastery-avoidance goals in relation to children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes.
Open Dialogue: Authors’ response to peer commentary
Authors: Entwistle Noel , Smith Colin
Published: January 2023

Colin Smith, who has taken over from John Nisbet as co-author in this response, introduced the contrast between target and personal understanding in his PhD, which John Nisbet examined, and has continued to follow the topic with interest in his subsequent career as a schoolteacher and educational researcher.
Special Edition article: The evaluation of school-based social and emotional learning interventions: Current issues and future directions
Authors: Lendrum Ann , Wigelsworth Michael
Published: January 2023

Recent large-scale studies in the US have produced results suggesting that school-based, universal social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions may impact positively on a range of outcomes, including social and emotional skills, mental health difficulties, school attitudes and academic performance. However, many interventions fail to achieve the same impressive results when implemented and evaluated on a smaller-scale. Although research findings have indicated several possible explanations for these inconsistent findings, including implementation failure, the potential impact of other factors such as differences between efficacy and effectiveness trials, the level of involvement of programme developers in evaluations and issues around cultural transferability remain unexplored. This article examines each of these issues in the evaluation of school-based SEL interventions, highlighting important considerations for researchers working in this field. Directions for future research are also discussed.
Open Dialogue peer review: A response to Gorard
Authors: van Daal Victor H.P. , Adér Herman J.
Published: January 2023

Gorard makes two claims: (1) there is a widespread abuse of statistics in social sciences; and (2) researchers almost universally report results incorrectly. According to Gorard the way forward is to correct the reporting, so that the abuse will disappear.
Annual Conference 2013 paper: Storyline: Enhancing learning and teaching through co-constructed narrative
Authors: Emo Wendy , Wells Jill
Published: January 2023

In my 26 years of teaching… I have never come across a more powerful teaching and learning structure than Storyline. (Lindberg, 2007, p.164)

Each time I used a Storyline topic, I was struck by its effectiveness in engaging my pupils in a way that brought the best out in them. (Adamson, 2007, p.194)

Like the two teachers quoted above, we have been impressed with the effectiveness of the teaching and learning method Storyline. We have seen that Storyline is effective for learners in primary and secondary schools as well as in university and community settings. We believe that this effectiveness is in large part due to how Storyline uses principles from educational psychology which are currently seen as helpful to learners. This paper is a short examination of Storyline from the educational psychology perspective. In this paper we first introduce the Storyline approach to teaching and learning. We lead the readers through a typical class which uses Storyline, and we list a variety of learning situations which have successfully used Storyline. Finally we discuss the links to the field of educational psychology.
Annual Conference 2014 paper: Actual and perceived effects of background music on creative writing in the primary classroom
Authors: Hallam Susan , Godwin Carey
Published: January 2023

This paper explores the effects of two kinds of background music on task performance of primary school children and the extent to which the children were aware of the effects of the music. Children aged 10 to 11 were asked to write an exciting story while listening to arousing, calming or no music. They then completed a questionnaire to establish their awareness of the music and its effects. The music appeared to have little effect on basic literacy skills in the children but stories were rated as more ‘exciting’ when the ‘calming’ music was playing. The children had little conception of the detrimental effects of the exciting music on their studying. This has implications for children undertaking homework while listening to background music.
Annual Conference 2014 paper: A study of cognitive and behavioural transfer effects associated with children learning musical instruments for the first year over one academic year
Authors: Rose Dawn C. , Jones-Bartoli Alice , Heaton Pamela H.
Published: January 2023

Interest in studies investigating the indirect effect of music education, evaluated theoretically as ‘transfer effects’ (Barnett & Ceci, 2002) has been re-energised by the recent changes in policy that require musical provision to be justified (Branscombe, 2012). Here we take a holistic approach to musical learning, nesting neuro-psychological measures of near and far transfer within one battery of tests. The mixed design considered the multi-modal characteristics of musicality along a continuum assessing changes over time for behavioural visuo and psycho-motor skills and factors of both intelligence and memory in children in a pilot study. Participants (N=38) aged between 7 to 9 years were tested over a period of one UK academic year. Groups were assigned based on the amount of musical training they received. Results suggest an advantage for those participants taking music lessons over and above statutory provisions, particularly for hand/eye co-ordination and non-verbal reasoning.
Experiences of autonomy support in learning and teaching among black and minority ethnic students at university
Authors: Bunce Louise , King Naomi
Published: January 2023

In higher education in the UK, there is an unnecessary and inequitable attainment gap of approximately 15 per cent between the number of black and minority ethnic (BME) students and white students who receive a first class or upper second class degree. The aim of this study was to explore whether BME students experienced structural inequalities in teaching and learning that thwarted the extent to which they experienced satisfaction of their need for autonomy, which may contribute to the existence of an attainment gap. Three focus groups were conducted to explore these issues with 17 BME students studying at one UK university. They were all female, aged between 18–50 years, and most described their ethnicity as Black African. Thematic analysis combining an inductive and deductive approach generated two themes: Lack of satisfaction of the need for autonomy, and satisfaction of the need for autonomy. All students predominantly discussed situations in which they felt unable to behave in ways that were concordant with their true sense of self, due to factors including course material that did not address diverse cultural issues and negative stereotypes held by students and staff. They described how this often led to a sense of isolation, diminished motivation, and lower wellbeing. In contrast, some students described specific lectures in which diversity was discussed in a way that satisfied their need for autonomy. Implications for teaching are discussed.
Understanding the needs of children who are known to have experienced neglect in the first years of life: The potential effects of early adversity on later self-regulation skills and school functioning
Authors: Carroll Bridget
Published: January 2023

Children growing up in adversity are well known to be at risk of educational failure. Recent advances in neuroscience indicate that the nature of the caregiving environment in the first weeks and months of life influences the neural architecture of the developing brain, via epigenetic processes. Neglectful caregiving is hypothesised to contribute to later difficulties in self-regulation and an atypical stress response. Self-regulation is a key factor underpinning school readiness and the ability to engage successfully with learning experiences in a social classroom. This article describes research in school, which aimed to test this theory by exploring the self-regulation skills of six children known to have experienced neglect during their first year of life.
Maternal and teacher attachment as predictors of student engagement
Authors: Humphreys Jane
Published: January 2023

Internal working models of social relationships are based on the earliest attachment bonds we make with caregivers (Bowlby, 1969, 1973), and relate to a number of later outcomes in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. In education, attachment styles map on to young children’s educational journey but finding evidence in older groups has been harder (Hagenauer & Volet, 2014). However, transitioning to university is a time of stress and challenge where we might expect to see attachment mechanisms activated. Therefore, the objective of the two studies reported here was to explore the relationship between attachment and academic outcomes in university students during their first year. Study 1 assessed 387 students (71 per cent female) in the first month of arrival on maternal attachment; attachment to a school teacher; and their current emotions. The second study assessed 91 students (74 per cent female) later in their first year on: measures of student-instructor relationships; adjustment; engagement; academic locus of control; and self-rated attendance at seminars and lectures. Findings from correlational and regression analyses suggest that there are relationships between attachment and student outcomes, with likely implications for university teaching staff and support services.
Exploring the international utility of progressing compassionate mind training in school settings: A comparison of implementation effectiveness of the same curricula in the UK and Portugal
Authors: Maratos Frances A. , Matos Marcela , Albuquerque Isabel , Wood Wendy , Palmeira Lara , Cunha Marina , Lima Margarida P. , Gilbert Paul
Published: January 2023

Given current retention and well-being crises within the teaching profession worldwide, this research sought to explore implementation efficacy of a Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) programme in cross-cultural school-settings. A six-module CMT curriculum was implemented in teaching staff of two primary schools in the UK (N = 76) and one primary school in Portugal (N = 41). Results revealed that high-quality implementation was achieved across the UK and Portuguese cohorts, with the majority of staff providing extremely positive ratings regarding all aspects of module content, delivery, and interest/relevance. Moreover, recommendation of the CMT to others was the modal response across cohorts. These findings indicate that CMT in school settings has international appeal and utility in helping educators manage educational-based stresses.
We are so lucky here; emotional labour and safeguarding in school
Authors: Maynard Emma
Published: January 2023

This paper was first presented at the Psychology of Education Section conference in 2021. It has resulted from a collection of works under the moniker Family Stories, which investigates lived experiences of, and support for, families with complex social care and health needs. This specific piece of work looked at school responses to those families using reflexive thematic analysis to investigate the perspectives of school leaders and pastoral staff, through an inductive approach leading to the interpretation of data into themes. At focus here are the three themes which relate specifically to the emotional labour of school staff in engaging with safeguarding issues: We are so lucky here; School never closes a case; and Your life, consumed. Amid a very strong finding that participants reflected a strong, mutually supportive environment on which they indicated their co-dependence, there also appears to be a distinct lack of reflective support for headteachers, in particular, in managing safeguarding decisions and supporting staff with the emotional impact of that work.
‘You’re overdrawn in the Bank of Israel’
Authors: Lesley  , Cohen Jeffrey
Published: January 2023

SUMMARY

What does it mean to be Jewish in Britain in the 21stcentury or to be one of the invisible minority?
It’s in the body, stupid!
Authors: Mollon Phil
Published: January 2023

“I have become more and more convinced that in every analysis one has to arrive at the body-self if one wishes to achieve deep and enduring change.” [Psychoanalyst Henri Rey 1994 p 267]
Letter from the Editor
Authors: Birchmore Terry
Published: January 2023

‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

‘After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.’ Philip Pullman.

‘It’s like everyone tells a story about them selves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.’

Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind.

‘We’re all stories, in the end.’ Steven Moffat.
Levels of consciousness and the one-level problem
Authors: Rowan John
Published: January 2023

There is a great tendency in the world of psychology to assume that we are basically all the same. We may have varied neuroses and psychoses, but everything can be studied as if there were just one level of consciousness. An alternative view is that human beings are in a process of development which has various way-stations, nameable and researchable, which make a structural difference to their thinking and feeling and experiencing. In this paper I argue that the latter position, radical as it is, needs to be considered when engaging in psychology, so as not to hold back or deny this developmental process. It also makes it very clear how important the idea of authenticity can be in the therapeutic process.
The arts of persuasion and hope
Authors: Tollington Hugh
Published: January 2023

‘Men are not moved by things but by the views which they take of them.’

Epictetus
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT): A promising addition to the cognitive, behavioural and relational therapies
Authors: Mabbott Lucy
Published: January 2023

Professor Les Greenberg PhD1gives an EFT perspective on contemporary and controversial issues facing the UK’s mental health care system.
Food practices, eating distress and the perils of bewildering interventions in ‘eating disorders’ treatment settings
Authors: Adlam John
Published: January 2023

‘Mental health policies should address the “power imbalance” rather than “chemical imbalance” … and abandon the predominant medical model that seeks to cure individuals by targeting “disorders”.’ (UN Special Rapporteur, 2017, p.19)

‘Co-production requires give and take, an interaction in which participation is more likely to be welcomed and willingly entered into when the ‘objects’ exchanged are words, opinions, ideas, food for thought. However, when the ‘matter in hand’ becomes substantial, in the most literal sense of the word, an actual giving and receiving of food, ready co-operation may come far less easily … To take what has been given, to accept the nourishment offered, is to acknowledge the existence of a need and recognise the legitimacy of the caregiver … In more ways than one, accepting what is needed can be hard to swallow.’ (Anonymous expert by experience, from Adlam et al., 2016)

‘This has been a truly collaborative process (rather than the normal “token-istic” nod to Service User involvement). This is reparative and “bridging” – reaching across the chasm between Creon(s) and Antigone(s). I have felt seen, heard and respected (the antithesis, I feel, of my in-patient treatment). In this sense the author has/is practising the “hope” driving this project and creating the beginnings of the collaborative re-imagining he is advocating.’ (Anonymous expert by experience, from Adlam et al., 2014)
The client’s experience of coercive treatment
Authors: Goodall-Leonard Joy
Published: January 2023

This article is a response to John Adlam’s ‘Food Practices, eating distress and the perils of bewildering interventions in “eating disorders” treatment settings’. This response was first presented in the form of a talk at the BPS Psychotherapy Section Conference on 26 October 2018. I am writing in the capacity of a survivor researcher, an expert through lived experience. In the spirit of disclosure I must acknowledge that I also work within the mental health system, in the role of a mental health support worker, and while I endeavor to use my experience to inform my practice, there are times when these dual identities can come into conflict with each other.
The past and future of psychiatry and its drugs
Authors: Moncrieff Joanna
Published: January 2023

From the Editor: This following article pointing towards non-drug treatments in psychiatry and describing a Norwegian intervention recently put into law, is reminiscent of an initiative by the Quaker movement, such as the York Retreat and other creativity-based rehabilitation approaches: so that the preferred treatment might over time come round in a circle to client-based, rather than drug-based treatments and healing environments.
What it means to see the neurons ‘rush into the Brain’
Authors: De Mori Letizia
Published: January 2023

Future topics.The author of the following vignette will be invited to develop her short article in the Issue on Special contexts for psychotherapy in 2021–2022, with reference to emotional as well as cognitive and motive experience of these clients.
Anomalous Healers: Being a therapist or a patient? About counselling with two alternative therapists
Authors: Caussié Samuel , Lansley Hélène , Rabeyron Thomas
Published: January 2023

Psychotherapy is a complex activity that requires a comprehensive training. Because of the emotional specificities of this job, supervision ensures the quality of the practice and psychological health for both the patient and the therapist. Alternative therapists can sometimes have difficulties with the transference that can occur in the therapeutic relationship with their clients. The supervision that can be offered by a clinical psychologist may be helpful in such cases, but presents particular stakes inherent to the fact of dealing with exceptional experiences. Two clinical situations from the CIRCEE, a French center dedicated to exceptional experiences, are presented below to illustrate the challenges of such a work. The psychodynamic analysis of these situations leads to a discussion about the interests and limitations of supervision and therapy. These two situations show that the profession of alternative therapist can sometimes find its origins in a process of traumatic progression. Exceptional experiences are attempts to symbolise traumatic events. Accompanying these therapists between supervision and psychotherapy opens the way to treat traumas. The therapist’s personal development, whether through supervision or psychotherapy, seems important to avoid secondary trauma due to the transferential processes.
The 'pproaches to 'tudy ☆nventory in Malawi: a lesson for educational testing?
Authors: Carr Stuart C. , MacLachlan Malcolm , Heathcote Andrew , Heath Richard A.
Published: January 2023

It is important to identify the best fit between the learning environment and students’ preferred modes of learning, and we aimed to explore the utility of the Approaches to Study Inventory (ASI) in Malawi, which has one of the poorest resourced educational systems on the African continent. Two hundred and fourteen undergraduates from a variety of faculties of the University of Malawi completed the short (18 item) form of the ASI. Factor analysis suggested both etic and emic orientations to study, from Reproducing and Organized study behaviour to Achievement-in-Context (which may entail a traditional sense of meaning). This search for a practical instrument to improve the match between teaching product and student study style suggests that such devices may often need to be developed locally. We discuss the implications of our results for the ongoing development of testing standards by the International Test Commission.
In at the deep end or still testing the water? Subject pools and required participation in UK psychology departments
Authors: Coulson Mark
Published: January 2023

This paper addresses the ethical status and educational value of requiring students to participate in psychological research, and reports the results of two surveys of United Kingdom psychology departments undertaken in 1995 and 1997 concerning the extent to which practice in the UK mirrors that in the United States. It considers ethical guidelines issued by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and the British Psychological Society (BPS), and identifies the BPS’s omission of information concerning the ethical status of required participation. The paper concludes that in spite of this omission, required participation schemes are rapidly becoming the norm in UK psychology departments.
Psychology as a subject, compared to other subjects: views of pre-university students
Authors: Radford John , Holdstock Leonard , Rongxian Wu
Published: January 2023

The views of various groups, especially students, about psychology have been investigated sporadically for some 40 years. Studies have concentrated on one or more of three interacting themes: knowledge of psychology, motivation for studying it, and attitudes towards it. This paper summarises research on the last aspect, and presents data from three new studies, two in the United Kingdom and one in the People’s Republic of China, of the attitudes of preuniversity (GCE A-level or equivalent) students. Respondents rated a range of subjects including psychology on various characteristics. In general, psychology is seen as about three-quarters ‘feminine’: suitable for and attractive to women. It is seen as closely concerned with people, moderately scientific but not very practical. It is moderately useful to society but does not carry very great prestige, or offer very good career prospects. Results raise the questions of how accurate these perceptions may be, and whether they are amenable to change.
A comparison among three models for teaching psychology
Authors: Sternberg Robert J.
Published: January 2023

This article explains and compares three models for teaching psychology: a traditional memory-based model, a critical-thinking-based model, and a triarchic model. Experimental data suggest the triarchic model produces the best results.
The benefits of negotiating student versus staff control over learning
Authors: Shortt Kevin
Published: January 2023

The value of increasing student input to learning opportunity design issues was explored through an action research project. In response to student identified learning needs, a learning session on a first–year undergraduate research methods module was re–designed. The learning outcomes of two parallel student groups (one experiencing the original session, the other receiving the re–designed session) were compared by quantitative analysis. A significant improvement in assessment grades was found for the group receiving the re–designed session. Brief qualitative analysis of student feedback revealed this group’s increased positive course perceptions. The action research project outcomes are discussed within the context of student versus staff control over learning, highlighting the mutual benefits of reflective practice for newer learning facilitators.
An exploration of student learning experiences and approaches to learning
Authors: Sutton Pamela , Henry Ann
Published: January 2023

The research literature documents the different approaches to learning that students in Higher Education (HE) can adopt, e.g. deep, surface and strategic. Stage 1 of a longitudinal study aimed to determine the students’ approach to learning, and to assess whether this was related to previous learning experiences, initial expectations of HE and learning experiences in HE. A questionnaire study was conducted with 57 Level 1, degree students. The results revealed that a high proportion of students rated themselves as deep learners. Approach to learning was generally unrelated to previous learning experiences, but was related to initial expectations of HE. The students’ approach to learning was related to some initial learning experiences at HE and to assessment grades. It was concluded that the relationships between learning approach and learning experiences were generally consistent with previous research. In this study, the strategic approach appeared to be more beneficial in terms of assessment grades.
A pilot intervention to improve the structural quality of exam essay writing in UK undergraduate psychology students
Authors: Connelly Vincent , Dockrell Julie E. , Barnett Jo
Published: January 2023

Psychology undergraduates need to produce good quality essays in order to succeed at university. Students find the transition to university writing difficult. Using a rubric, a profile of student weakness in psychology essay writing was described. The students were generally poor at the structural organisation of their essays. A pilot intervention to improve essay structure was designed based on the profile of student weakness. The intervention was trialled with a group of 23 psychology undergraduate students. Those students who took part in the intervention programme had higher exam essay marks with longer and more clearly structured essays after the programme than a matched group of controls. The intervention group students produced essays that linked evidence more clearly to topics and provided better conclusion sections. Psychology tutors were able to show improvement in student writing with a short explicit lesson based on a discipline–specific profile of writing. However, there was no improvement in vocabulary for linking topics and the structure of the introductions remained poor. Ideas for the further development of this intervention are discussed.
Predicting examination performance using an expanded integrated hierarchical model of test emotions and achievement goals
Authors: Putwain Dave , Deveney Carolyn
Published: January 2023

The aim of this study was to examine an expanded integrative hierarchical model of test emotions and achievement goal orientations in predicting the examination performance of undergraduate students. Achievement goals were theorised as mediating the relationship between test emotions and performance. 120 undergraduate students completed self-report measures of test emotions and achievement goals and performance data was collected from a research methods and analysis examination. A series of hierarchical regression analyses provided partial support for the expanded hierarchical model. A mastery goal mediated the pride - examination performance relationship, a performance-avoidance goal partially mediated the shame - examination performance relationship, and a performance-avoidance goal mediated the hopelessness - examination performance relationship. These findings have contributed to the understanding of the relationship between test emotions, motivation and achievement in a higher education context by showing how challenge and threat affect differ in their relations with approach and avoidance motivation in predicting achievement.
Burning the candle at both ends: Exploring undergraduates’ perceptions of juggling work with study
Authors: Lansdown Anne
Published: January 2023

The present educational climate places students into a complex learning environment that offers little or no financial support, but instead has contributed to the ‘half-time’ student (Curtis, 2007). A student’s dependency on term-time employment has dramatically increased over the last decade (Callender, 2008) and is often attributed to the Government’s radical change in funding arrangements. The effect of managing both an employment and academic role is said to impact on a student’s academic performance (Carney et al., 2005) in addition to their social experiences within the Higher Education setting (Little, 2002). However, an overall opinion or consensus of how students perceive this situation is currently unknown, as their attitudes have largely been ignored.

Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study draws upon data from qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore employed and unemployed undergraduates’ perceptions towards paid term-time employment and aims to consider the effect of this employment status on the overall higher education experience.

The findings revealed an insight into the lives of four undergraduates, highlighting how their employment seemed to define and emphasise their role at university. From the analysis three super-ordinate themes emerged; Disengagement from University Experience, Ability to Detach from the ‘Student World’, and Social Class Divide. Although the themes are separately discussed, they are all intrinsically linked and represent a part of the whole experience felt by these students.

The study concludes that student perceptions towards employment are, at times contradictory; highlighting that term-time employment imposes both negative and positive implications on them as students. Whilst working was often found to reduce commitment to their course and persistence at university because they were exposed to other life choices and opportunities; their employment also allowed these students to integrate and establish skills outside the academic environment. These findings imply that a student’s participation in university life is complex and their roles and expectations are largely controlled by their employment responsibilities, suggesting that their perceptions of university life are likely to be vastly different from the traditional student model seen prior to the 1990s with little or no time spent in paid employment.
Weapons of mass deception: An active learning demonstration of attitudes, persuasion and the value of critical thinking skills
Authors: Pawson Chris J. , Cherniavsky Kate I.
Published: January 2023

This article describes and evaluates a lecture and accompanying active learning activities designed to: (i) teach and actively engage students with the theoretical principles of attitudes and persuasion; (ii) consolidate students’ understanding of these principles through actively demonstrating attitude change and persuasion; and (iii) highlight to students the importance of the critical evaluation of information. Undergraduate psychology students (N=35) completed a questionnaire measuring their attitudes towards the American and British Governments and their foreign policy before and after viewing a documentary film, and then also after a post-film critique seminar. Students’ attitudes were shown to have significantly altered in one direction during the film, and then subsequently been reversed during the critique seminar discussing the persuasion tactics employed in the film. This demonstration served to highlight the principles of attitudes and persuasion in practice as experienced by the students themselves, whilst also highlighting the importance of evaluating all information critically. Students attending the lecture and engaging in the active learning activities performed better in related assessment and reported significantly more development in their confidence regarding critical thinking skills compared with a control group of students who only attended the lecture (N=35). The results are discussed in the context of how common perceptions of barriers to class-based active learning activities might be overcome, and how the technique might be used to teach areas of psychology syllabi that students find less engaging.
An exploration of identity, motivations and concerns of non-traditional students at different stages of higher education
Authors: Taylor Jacqui , House Becky
Published: January 2023

Non-traditional students are increasingly making up a larger part of the student body and can include students from various groupings, for example, differentiated by ethnicity, socio-economic class (SEC), disability, residential location or age. The aim of this initial exploratory study was to investigate whether and how the motivations, identity and concerns of different types of non-traditional psychology students differed from each other. Previous research has either investigated all types of non-traditional students together with no breakdown according to specific category, or focused on one category (e.g. mature versus non-mature students). A questionnaire was sent to a cross-sectional sample of pre-University, first-year, second-year, thirdyear and graduate students to collect mainly qualitative data. Questions addressed a number of areas: motivation to go to University; post-University aspirations; identity; and student concerns. There were interesting gender differences with regard to the motivations to go to University; with males more likely to give reasons relating to intrinsic factors and females stating extrinsic factors, supporting previous research. The findings relating to identity showed that mature students were more negative in their self-descriptions, but for second-year and third-year students, mature students were more likely to indicate changes to their identity since joining University. It will be interesting in the next stage of planned research to track changes in identity over time; as this study provides just a snapshot at each stage of the degree. The findings showed that student concerns frequently related to the reason for their being classified as a non-traditional student. For example: financial concerns were more often stated by those from lower socio-economic backgrounds; and mature students were more concerned about academic issues, while non-mature students expressed more social concerns. Although these initial observations require further exploration with a larger sample, they are discussed with regard to their implications for the level and type of pastoral support available to different types of non-traditional students. This study is the first stage of a longitudinal project, and further work suggested from these results will be investigated over the remaining two years of the project. For example, students participating in this study will be tracked, a further group of traditional-entry students will be recruited for comparison and further measures will be collected relating to extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
Writing a structured abstract for the thesis
Authors: Hartley James
Published: January 2023

Background

Studies investigating recognition memory (RM) in schizophrenia report a selective deficit in autonoetic awareness and intact levels of noetic awareness for visual stimuli. It has been suggested that abnormalities in autonoetic awareness result from a breakdown in frontal strategic memory processes involved in encoding and retrieval and executive functions linked to reality monitoring and decision making.

Aims

The aims of this thesis were to investigate four predictions arising from these proposals: (1) If decrements in autonoetic awareness arise from a ‘central’ impairment, then these abnormalities should not be domain-specific; (2) if autonoetic awareness abnormalities arise from a breakdown in executive processes, then these abnormalities should correlate with executive dysfunction; (3) because autonoetic awareness is a necessary correlate of episodic memory, then patients with schizophrenia should also be impaired in contextual memory; and (4) autonoetic awareness abnormalities are likely to be more severe in schizophrenia, a condition associated with marked executive dysfunction relative to major depressive disorder, in which executive dysfunction is less marked.

Method

The remember/know paradigm was used to investigate RM across four modalities (verbal, visual, auditory and olfactory) in three groups: patients with schizophrenia (N=19), patients with major depressive disorder (N=21), and normal controls (N=24). A subgroup of the same schizophrenia patients (N=14) were also tested for temporalorder memory for words, line drawings and abstract drawings. Autobiographical memory was assessed in patients using the Autobiographical Memory Interview. Executive function and working memory were assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Letter-Number Sequencing Test, respectively.

Results

Autonoetic awareness abnormalities were evident in patients with schizophrenia for voices (p<0.05) and smells (p<0.05). These deficits were restricted to schizophrenia, with patients with major depressive disorder performing intermediate to both schizophrenia patients and normal controls. A subgroup of the same schizophrenia patients also exhibited impaired temporal-order memory (p<0.05), but this impairment was restricted to words and also evident in patients with major depressive disorder (p<0.05). Executive dysfunction and reduced working memory was restricted to patients with schizophrenia, but none of these measures correlated with decrements in autonoetic awareness or temporal-order memory. Autobiographical memory for both patient groups was within the normal range.

Conclusions

: Impaired autonoetic awareness for voices and smells in the same cohort of schizophrenia patients provide some support for proposals that abnormalities in autonoetic awareness stem from a breakdown in ‘central’ rather than domain-specific processes. Furthermore, these patients were also impaired for temporal-order memory, which suggests that strategic memory processes were also implicated in these schizophrenia patients.
A–level psychology: Is there a way forward?
Authors: Smith Marc
Published: January 2023

Since its introduction in the early 1970s A–level psychology has grown in popularity to become the fourth most popular A–level. During this time it has also been heavily criticised by the media and higher education for its lack of rigour and practicability. Issues such as the lack of subject specialists, damaging changes made by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and an arrogant and dismissive attitude shown by universities plus failures by the British Psychological Society to inform decision making, have transformed A–level psychology into the poor cousin of undergraduate psychology and psychology teachers into a form of academic underclass. This paper examines the reasons behind such derision and attempts to offer some solutions in an attempt to get such issues firmly back on the agenda.
Engaging and informing students through group work
Authors: Williams Stella
Published: January 2023

The aim of this action research was to explore the benefits of group work as a tool for engaging students with introductory material. It was the researcher’s expectation that group work, would provide a means of reducing cognitive load (Kirschner, Sweller & Clark, 2006) and encouraging on task behaviour (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002). This would result in a positive impact on students engagementwith, and understanding, of introductory material necessary for progressing on to more complex issues covered at Level 5 of a psychology course. The implication of these research findings on future group work and other aspects of teaching practice are discussed.
Two cultures, two dialogists and two intersecting theories
Authors: Ravenscroft Lesley
Published: January 2023

This paper presents some possibilities for applying the linguistic and psychological theories of two dialogists, Mikhail Bakhtin and Jacques Lacan, to the classroom. There is a short summary of how the two theories may interact with each otherand then a discussion of their two opposing views of identity formation. Bakhtin was a Russian, coming from the collectivist paradigm and Lacan’s theories were arcane combinations of Freud’s emphasis on the needs of the individual and French post–Revolutionary individualism. Lacan insisted that one could only become ‘whole’ atthe cost of incompleteness for another. Bakhtin opined that completeness could only be achieved within experiences shared and co–constructed by others.This paper concludes with the question of how teachers can ensure the positive experience of co–construction rather than one person paying a cost for the other’s identity–formation and whether it is possible to fully implement insights from a collectivistic paradigm in an education system where the stated aim is to enable each individual to meet his/her potential.
The benefits of volunteering for psychology students
Authors: Bromnick Rachel , Horowitz Ava , Shepherd Daniel
Published: January 2023

Within the current economic climate students are seen as needing more than a degree to succeed in securing graduate employment. One way that students chose to enhance their employability is through engaging in voluntary work. In this empirical study, undergraduate psychology students’ reasons for volunteering are explored within the context of enhanced employability. Thirty–nine students provided written narrative accounts of their reasons for undertaking voluntary work. Responses were analysed together to identify key themes and subthemes. The main finding from this analysis was the large degree of cluster overlap within individual participants’ responses between self and other focused motives, allowing for a model of strongly interdependent motives to emerge. Students clearly benefitted from both volunteering and the opportunity to reflect on their experiences. The findings are discussed in terms of their value for promoting volunteering for psychology students, in and beyond the context of employability.
The assessment of critical evaluation, leadership and reflection skills through participation in online discussions
Authors: Taylor Jacqui
Published: January 2023

Increasingly, educators from all disciplines are using blogs, social networking sites, VLEs and wikis to encourage academic discourse between students. However, a common problem experienced by educators is how these important learning experiences can be assessed and because of this difficulty many are not assessed. For some time now, I have been using online discussions via the University VLE as a way to encourage student debate around key lecture topics (e.g. Taylor, 2002). The key learning outcomes which this assessed activity addresses, in addition to learning more about the topic, are to develop skills in reflective practice, critical evaluation and leadership. This article will review the ways that face–to–face and online academic discourse between students have been assessed, highlighting some of the differences to consider when setting up online discussion activities, compared to face–to–face discussion. I will then provide a case study of the way I set up online discussions and the method I currently use to assess contributions. The final part of the paper will consider the potential for using quantitative content analysis (QCA) and automated methods to assess online participation.
Peer-assisted learning in research methods and statistics
Authors: Stone Anna , Meade Claire , Watling Rosamond
Published: January 2023

Feedback from students on a Level 1 Research Methods and Statistics module, studied as a core part of a BSc Psychology programme, highlighted demand for additional tutorials to help them to understand basic concepts. Students intheir final year of study commonly request work experience to enhance their employability.

All students on the Level 1 Research Methods and Statistics module were invited to sign up for PAL (Peer Assisted Learning) sessions which offered interactive learning under the guidance of a PAL Student–Facilitator. Five students at undergraduate Level 3 and Masters level were recruited and provided with training to facilitate small group sessions. Session provision also included materials for interactive exercises. A wrap–up session considered how Facilitators could draw on this experience to enhance their employability.

Analysis of feedback from the Level 1 students showed their experience was uniformly good with sessions found to be useful in aiding understanding. Any student–learner dissatisfaction resulted from a continuing inability to feel confident with the basic concepts taught on the module, although students said their understanding had improved overall. Facilitators found the sessionsto be rewarding and felt they had developed their interpersonal skills, theirleadership skills, and their understanding of the subject matter, and enhanced their employability, particularly in terms of skills transference. Attendance from studentlearners was poor compared to the number who signed up, but the small size of many groups enabled individual support which was expressly appreciated.

The greatest student–learner demand was for sessions on topics directly related to coursework. Future PAL sessions will be directly related to these topics and arranged for the middle section of the semester, that is, when the Level 1 students have had time to identify their difficulties and the session can still be of maximum benefit for general learning and assessment completion. Considerations for student development and employability are also discussed.
Implications of the coverage of theDSM-5in textbooks on learning and teaching of psychology within higher education
Authors: Bender Sara , Stokes Amanda , Gaspaire Shawn
Published: January 2023

Many criticisms accompanied the development of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), yet it was still released in 2013 and is used within clinical work throughout the United States. Despite on-going questions pertaining to its development and validity, many undergraduate psychology students view the DSM-5 as the ultimate authority in diagnosis within the field of mental health. Current publication trends indicate that a focus on the DSM-5 within college textbooks is limited in scope, which may have a profound influence on students’ understanding of mental health conditions. Implications for the teaching of psychology within higher education are discussed.
Do attitudes towards statistics influence the decision to study psychology at degree level? A pilot investigation
Authors: Bourne Victoria J. , Nesbit Rachel J.
Published: January 2023

Statistics anxiety has often been linked to performance in statistics modules for psychology students, despite this no research to date has examined whether attitudes towards statistics can predict whether or not a student chooses to carry on psychology from pre-tertiary to higher education. In this pilot study 41 second year A-level psychology students completed an online measure of statistics anxiety (Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale, STARS) and answered questions about their current A-levels and whether or not they were applying to study psychology at university. The findings showed that worth of statistics, but no other STARS measures significantly predicted whether or not an individual was planning on studying psychology at university. Findings are discussed primarily in relation to teacher variables that may impact subject choice and statistics anxiety in A-level students.