bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The genetics of language disorders
Authors: Brookman Annie
Published: January 2023

Psychology is an increasingly interdisciplinary endeavour, using not only behavioural methods, but also drawing on neuroscientific, computational, and genetic research. In considering all levels of explanation we are better able to understand mechanistic processes, and have a greater chance of early diagnosis and treatment. Language disorder(s) is one area that has been the focus of a number of genetic studies. This paper will provide a brief overview of the different genetic methods employed and the insights gained.
Parasites and their implications for social and cultural psychology
Authors: O’Shea Brian
Published: January 2023

Social/cultural psychologists have traditionally used the value systems of collectivism and individualism to explain differences across cultures but very little consideration has been given to the ultimate origins of these value systems. Parasite Stress Theory (PST) is a new evolutionary theory that aims to explain why overarching value systems develop differently throughout the world and how these value systems lead to variations across countries (e.g. in xenophobia, innovation, conformity and political attitudes). This paper will discuss how PST, in conjunction with the Behavioural Immune System (BIS) explains in-group and outgroup interactions and specifies the conditions that lead to heightened prejudice.
Open Dialogue: ‘Over-protection, Over-protection, Over-protection!’ Young people in modern Britain
Authors: Kloep Marion , Hendry Leo B.
Published: January 2023

In this article we claim that Tony Blair’s idea of ‘Education, Education, Education!’ has been transformed into a reality of: ‘Over-protection, Over-protection, Over-protection! ‘In trying to ‘socialise’ young people, the desire of adult society to guard the young from all kinds of risks and threats has never been so highly prioritised. As well as parents, adult social institutions (like schools, youth organisations, and safety laws) act over-protectively towards young people. From nursery school onward, life is safeguarded and organised for young people – instead of by them. The gain of independence in autonomous extra-family activities is lost by the domination of professionally planned leisure-time programmes, so, de facto, ‘free time’ is not often ‘unsupervised’ time.
Approaches to learning and competitive attitude in students in higher education
Authors: Cassidy Simon
Published: January 2023

The degree to which individuals are able to nominate or change their approach to learning in order to meet the needs of the learning situation opens a lengthy and complex debate. Some evidence exists for a shift in approach depending on the experience of the learner and demands of the task, while other evidence is available which indicates stability of approach to learning over time and across task. The present study examines the relationship between approaches to learning and competitive attitude in undergraduate students. Previous research has reported a link between constructs such as achievement orientation and personality traits and cognitive strategies and it was suggested here that competitive attitude may be one mediating factor in students’ approaches to learning. Findings did not reveal a convincing relationship between competitiveness and approaches to learning and it is suggested that further exploration of trait constructs such as competitiveness may not yield meaningful evidence regarding the stability of students’ approaches to learning. There was also no evidence that the student experience of higher education cultivates competitiveness in students as cross-sectional comparisons of student year groups revealed only negligible and statistically non-significant differences in competitive attitude.
Resilience and motivation in Higher Education: A case study
Authors: Brewer Gayle
Published: January 2023

Distance learning courses provide flexible access to education. This flexibility often appeals to individuals that are unable to attend traditional institutions. Previous research suggests that the difficulties experienced by non traditional students may impact on academic achievement. Research exploring these factors, however, often fails to consider the importance of student motivation or resilience. The current article presents an exploratory case study detailing the manner in which motivation and resilience contributed to the academic achievement of one student experiencing a number of barriers to success.
Work in Progress: Digital games: Exploring the relationship between motivation, engagement and informal learning
Authors: Iacovides Ioanna , Aczel James , Scanlon Eileen , Woods Will
Published: January 2023

It has been suggested that digital games can be powerful learning environments that encourage active and critical learning, including participation within ‘affinity groups’ and ‘semiotic domains’ (Gee, 2004). However, there is a need to provide further empirical evidence to substantiate these claims, while there is little research that attempts to explore the links between motivation, engagement and informal learning. This paper reports on work in progress which aims to explore theses links through three different studies of adult games players. The first study examines a series of email interviews to find out more about people’s game-playing experiences; the second consists of a set of eight case studies examining how involvement and learning come together in and around instances of game-play; and the third includes a survey, to find out how prevalent certain game-playing activities are amongst different kinds of players. Furthering our understanding of how motivation, engagement and learning relate to each other within commercially available digital games will have important implications for the design of more formal educational environments.
Annual Conference 2013 paper: Do weekly online assignments promote student engagement and enhance learning in first-year psychology students?
Authors: Bohan Jason , Stack Niamh
Published: January 2023

Traditionally universities have employed face-to-face teaching with paper-mediated assignments, but increasingly digital delivery of some course elements is becoming more important. This paper will evaluate whether the use of online formative weekly assignments provided by the core text publisher resulted in improved student engagement and exam performance. A mixed method research design was employed which used an online survey and face-to-face interviews carried out in small focus groups. A comparison was also made of the final exam grades of students who regularly did/not engage with the online materials. The results indicate that the resources are positively received by students but primarily used as a revision tool. Their use may also be positively related to academic achievement but perhaps only by those already using effective learning strategies.
Annual Conference 2013 paper: A complex perspective on learning to do research
Authors: Emo Kenneth
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the learning experience of 10 undergraduate students taking part in a US National Science Foundation funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at a Midwestern US university (National Science Foundation, 2014). The curricular design of each REU programme is created by the primary investigators and is unique to each programme. The programme discussed in this paper engaged students in eight weeks of computer modelling and simulation research in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematical and/or statistical research. In this paper the theoretical perspective of complexity is used to explore the students’ learning as they engaged in research and the relationship between complex learning episodes and the environments in which those experiences occur.
Annual Conference 2014 paper: Facilitating re-engagement in learning: A disengaged student perspective
Authors: Nicholson Laura J. , Putwain Dave W.
Published: January 2023

Past research into student engagement has focused on behavioural engagement in students attending mainstream schools. The current research investigated the school-related factors that facilitate re-engagement in learning from the perspective of initially disengaged students. Adopting a student-centred perspective allowed us to capture affective and cognitive, as well as behavioural, engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 students (aged 14 to 16 years) attending an alternative provision (AP) secondary school. These students were disengaged with learning on arrival at the school. Students answered questions about their engagement and academic progress at the AP school. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to identify, describe and interpret the themes within the data. In general, students believed that they had re-engaged with their education having joined the AP school. Themes representing factors that students believed facilitated this re-engagement were organised into four areas: classroom, relational, generic school and personal. Key facilitators of engagement were positive student-staff relationships and low studentstaff ratios. Several new factors, idiosyncratic to disengaged students, emerged. As these factors are not represented in existing models of engagement, they can be used to form a model of re-engagement into education. Moreover, the current findings need to be disseminated to mainstream schools to enable them to incorporate elements into their teaching practices to prevent disengagement/encourage re-engagement.
Annual Conference 2015 paper A psychological typology of cyberbullies in schools
Authors: Kyriacou Chris
Published: January 2023

The rapid rise in recent years of cyberbullying in schools has largely taken the education community by surprise, and only now are we developing an understanding of how widespread cyberbullying in schools has become, the different forms that it can take, what motivates pupils to engage in cyberbullying, and what strategies schools can employ to prevent it. This paper takes stock of research findings dealing with cyberbullying by pupils in order to create a psychological typology of pupil cyberbullies. Five common types are identified and described: the sociable cyberbully, the lonely cyberbully, the narcissistic cyberbully, the sadistic cyberbully, and the morally-driven cyberbully. A better understanding of these cyberbullying types will help ensure that the strategies used to prevent cyberbullying by pupils take account of the psychological attributes (both personal and social) that underpin such behaviour.
Annual Conference 2015 paper Social and emotional development in nurture groups: The narrative structure of learning through companionship
Authors: Adie Jillian , Delafield-Butt Jonathan T.
Published: January 2023

This paper provides insight into the intersubjective nature of the Nurture Group experience for children in the early stages of primary school. The study investigates the psychological processes involved in the socio-emotional development of children in Nurture Groups and considers how they participate and make meaning through the relationships they build in the groups. A theory of narrative meaning-making guides understanding of the ways in which children make sense of their Nurture Group experience and provides a methodological tool to explore this experience. Over one school year, the children’s interconnectedness with others was measured through their levels of involvement and participatory engagement with people and experiences in the Nurture Group. Patterns of embodied narrative engagement were studied to provide a ‘picture’ of the child’s lived experience, and its development over time.
Exploratory study of the inclusion of ‘future-selves’ as part of transition preparation in to and out of further education for young people with learning difficulties
Authors: Parry Melissa
Published: January 2023

The research explored the perception of the incorporation of ‘future-self’ for young people (YP) and their parents as part of transition planning when moving from specialist provision into mainstream further education (FE) and adulthood. Imagined ‘future-selves’ is thought to influence an individual to work towards their aspired self. The research aim was exploring the extent the YP and their parents’ views were being gained using a ‘future-self’ approach within transition planning into FE, and as perceived by the YP as they planned their transition out of FE.

Phase 1 used case study design to explore the YP and their parents’ experience of planning having included the YP’s vision of their ‘future-self’, at aged 16. Phase 2 gained views of YP approaching transition out of FE at aged 19+, towards adulthood, about the inclusion of ‘future-self’ in their preparation.

Pupils from specialist schools and FE were invited to participate. Phase 1 had two case-studies of a YP and parent. Phase 2 included three focus groups with YP aged 19 plus. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were thematically analysed.

Findings indicated that the YP are more involved in the transition planning with EHCPs, and a range of methods are applied to prepare the YP. There remain barriers limiting the options for the YP such as: lack of choice available; low aspirations of others; failure to explore holistic longer-term outcomes; overreliance on parents; and the need for more effective strategic planning for the YP.

The findings indicate that applying a ‘future-selves’ approach may help to motivate YP to meet their aspirations as part of transition preparation and support their longer-term outcomes.
Children’s chatter: Daily reflections of young children during Covid-19 lockdown
Authors: Cartmell Katherine M. , Pope Debbie J.
Published: January 2023

Adults perceive the world using existing knowledge and experience (Gregory, 1970). However, adults may then impose their perspectives onto their children, whilst failing to understand the world through their child’s eyes (Christakis, 2017). This qualitative study provides an exploratory insight into the perspectives of 19 children, aged 7–11 years, during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic lockdown in the UK, when national restrictions on movement and online learning for all children were mandatory. Over a 10-day period, parents asked their children four short open questions at the end of each day: 1) ‘What was the best thing that happened today?’, 2) ‘What was your least favourite part of today?’, 3) ‘What did you learn today that you didn’t know yesterday?’, and 4) ‘What made you smile or laugh today?’ Parents were specifically asked to make no mention of lockdown or school or virus (Covid-19). Thematic analysis revealed the importance of technology (both for online lessons, social communication, and recreation), proximity to family (parents and siblings), time with pets, and joint pastimes (walking, cooking, creative arts). This study provides insight into the world in which children were living and coping with the challenges of a lockdown during a national crisis and provides alternative methods for obtaining and evaluating qualitative data within a population of young children.
Teaching qualitative research methods: Some innovations and reflections on practice
Authors: Mason Oliver J.
Published: January 2023

This paper considers some of the problems inherent in teaching qualitative research methods within psychology. It stresses the use of a reflective approach to course design that aims to ‘emancipate’ students in their own study and research, as well as equipping them with a combination of practical and theoretical skills. In addition to a brief description of the course, I describe some innovations in tackling the topic that try to optimise participation and active learning. Philosophical and political aspects to the subject are discussed as particularly thorny issues. Several approaches to evaluation are described that serve both to increase participation and help the teacher respond to issues of level and content. Some of the implications discussed for future teaching include revisions to the coverage of discourse analysis and the role of political values in psychological research.
Students’ presentations: Does the experience change their views?
Authors: Sander Paul , Sanders Lalage
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Research has shown that students do not like student presentations, yet a case can be made for them. This study seeks to understand the effects that presentations have on students.

Method

Within an action research framework, two repeated–measures studies were completed, one with students undertaking assessed presentations the other with those doing non–assessed presentations. Respondents completed both measures of the Views on Teaching, Learning and Assessment questionnaire (VTLA, derived from Sander et al., 2000) at the start and at the end of each study. All respondents completed the Academic Behavioural Confidence scale (ABC, Sander & Sanders 2003) at the start of each study but its second measurement was taken when only part of each cohort had undertaken a presentation.

Results

In the assessed presentation study, students who had done their presentations showed an overall increase in ABC, (p&0.05) indicating improved confidence. No such increase was found after the non–assessed presentation. In both studies, students showed significant increases in their responses to items on the ABC that related to public speaking, (p&0.05). The VTLA revealed that experiencing presentations as a teaching method can help students feel more positive about them and able to acknowledge benefits of presenting than they did prior to this experience. It also confirmed that students find presentations daunting and some have some concerns about learning from peers.

Discussion

The different responses in the two studies may have been influenced by the way that presentations were integrated into modules at different levels. However, it would seem that the experience of presentations might raise student confidence in their own abilities although it is less likely to change their views of the prospect of presenting.
Self-beliefs and student goal achievement
Authors: Wesson Caroline J. , Derrer–Rendall Nicola M.
Published: January 2023

Two preliminary studies are presented investigating the self-beliefs that may ffect goal achievement in a student population. In Study 1, goal achievement on an abstract task, where goals are externally set by others, is considered in relationto students’ levels of optimism. In Study 2, goal achievement on academic performance, where goals are internally set by ones’ self, is considered in relation to students’ academic confidence. Optimism was related to goal achievement in Study 1 but only when the goal was believed to be difficult to achieve; optimistic studentsachieved higher scores than pessimistic students. In Study 2 confidence was related to goal achievement; students with moderate levels of academic confidence were wellcalibrated in their grade predictions whereas those with high levels of academic confidence were overconfident in their grade predictions. The results are discussed in relation to student motivation.
Psychological literacy and The Emperor’s New Clothes
Authors: Newstead Stephen E.
Published: January 2023

Despite the widespread use of the term psychological literacy, it is argued in this paper that it lacks a clear definition and empirical support. The claim that all psychology students possess psychological literacy in the sense of knowing the main ideas and concepts is relatively uncontroversial. However, the claim that they also possess a wide range of generic skills is open to question since most of the skills are ones that all graduates might be expected to possess. The more ambitious claim that a training in psychology produces ‘global citizens’ is at best aspirational, with little indication that it corresponds to current reality. In order to be useful the concept needs both clearer definition and empirical research to justify the claims made
Why it is so hard for academics to write textbooks
Authors: Sternberg Robert J.
Published: January 2023

Although academics are accustomed to writing articles and books, they much lessfrequently write textbooks. When they do, they likely find it much harder to do well than they ever would have imagined. This difficulty is likely to surprise them, because they have considerable experience in writing research articles and in teaching. I argue in this article that the reason that textbook writing is so hard foracademics is that there is substantial negative transfer from professional academic writing to textbook writing. That is, experience in academic writing often interferes with textbook writing. Moreover, there are a number of factors that make textbook writing simply hard to do. I enumerate the reasons why this is the case.
The psychologist’s troubled background: Major related life experiences of psychology and law students
Authors: Werz Janina , Buechner Vanessa L.
Published: January 2023

This study explores major–related life experiences (MRLE) of psychology and lawstudents to examine the stereotype of the wounded psychology student. Previous studies have shown that psychology students know people with mental disorders and areseeking treatment themselves. However, these studies do not allow drawing conclusions about the direction of these effects or the relationships’ emotional closeness. As a consequence, the present, highly powered (n = 615) study examined whether psychology students and their close social environment experience more MRLE prior to the beginning of their university education than law students and a control group. Results show that especially the very close social environment of psychology students experienced more MRLE than the respective environment of law students, supporting the common assumption that psychologists themselves have a troubled past. This study contributes substantially to a better understanding of students’ personal background and could help improve teaching quality by considering these effects.
Primed, prepped and primped: Reflections on enhancing student wellbeing in tertiary education
Authors: Matthewman Lisa , Jodhan-Gall Donna , Nowlan Jenni , OSullivan Nuala , Patel Zorica
Published: January 2023

In this article, the authors describe the PERMA model of welbeing and how it has been applied within the teaching provision at undergraduate level in a business school context. PERMA is an acronym for a model of wellbeing put forward by a pioneering psychologist in the field of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. According to Seligman (2011), PERMA comprises five important building blocks of wellbeing: positive emotions; engagement; relationships; meaning; and achievement. This article reports on the application of this model within the context ofa business school undergraduate curriculum, as a way of helping students develop new cognitive and motional tools. In these practice reflections, the authors discuss the important role that PERMA based experiential learningand teachingactivities can play in undergraduate education programmes, as a means to enhance student wellbeing. The authors cite practical examples from undergraduate teaching, pastoral tutoring, and work placement induction, using PERMA activities to enhance student wellbeing.
Assessing the utility of an online adaptive learning tool in a large undergraduate psychology course
Authors: Dry M.J. , Due C. , Powell C. , Chur-Hansen A. , Burns N.R.
Published: January 2023

In this project we test the utility ofan adaptive e-learning study tool (LearnSmart) within the context of a large undergraduate psychology course. We measured student usage of the e-learning tool and the effect that this usage has on academic outcomes, while controlling for the effects of intellectual ability and personality traits such as conscientiousness and openness to experience. The results ofour analyses indicate that students who made use of the tool performed significantly better on the assessment tasks when compared to non-users. Further, regression analyses indicated that the extent to which students made use of the tool was a stronger predictor of academic performance than four personality variables that had previously been implicated in the literature as related to academic outcomes, and was a stronger predictor of academic performance than intellectual ability for two of the four academic tasks.
Use and impact of the open source online editor Etherpad in a psychology students’ statistics class
Authors: Bebermeier Sarah , Kerkhoff Denise
Published: January 2023

The Etherpad is an open source online editor providing the possibility for collaborative writing and discussions in real-time via a shared link. Previous research has shown that the use of technology in higher education can be effective and that online editors can facilitate collaborative learning. This article outlines the use of the Etherpad in a psychology Master’s students’ statistics class. During the lecture, students asked and answered questions in the Etherpad, followed the discussion of others, and/or gave general comments on the lecture and its topics. A tutor and the lecturer acted as moderators of the Etherpad. For evaluative purposes, students’ participation in the Etherpad and their feedback in a mixed-methods survey were investigated. In all, 50 out of 90 students attending the course sessions participated in the evaluation. Students’ commitment and feedback were very positive. We conclude by discussing implications of the Etherpad use for lecturers teaching statistics.
Students’ perceptions of online lecture delivery: An empirical mixed-methods investigation
Authors: Harris Richard , Pam Blundell– Birtill , Ed Sutherland , Madeleine Pownall
Published: January 2023

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to shape and disrupt teaching provision in Higher Education, educators have responded with a swift pivot to online teaching for the 2020–2021 academic year. The debate surrounding the pedagogic utility of pre-recorded ‘asynchronous’ versus live ‘synchronous’ lecture modality continues to grow among teachers of psychology. We surveyed 279 students from across an undergraduate Psychology programme and investigated their preference for (a)synchronous lecture delivery, perceptions of online lectures, and self-reported lecture-watching behaviours. Overall, our results demonstrated that students enjoy both the structured nature of live lectures and the flexibility of pre-recorded lectures. Live lectures are useful at instilling social connections, but pre-recorded are more useful for understanding subject content. Taken together, students show a strong preference for a hybrid approach to online learning of both live and pre-recorded teaching sessions. However, students highly value enthusiastic, engaging lecturers, which largely outweighs any preference for specific delivery modalities.
Research: A vehicle for listening and promoting meaningful consultation with people with an intellectual disability
Authors: Read Sue , Corcoran Patsy
Published: January 2023

There is a drive to ensure inclusivity within the research process by involving marginalised groups throughout the whole continuum of research activities. This paper introduces a collaborative research study which aims to establish what adults with intellectual disabilities understand about loss, dying and death. However, this paper is not about the findings of the research, but focuses upon the importance of the process of the research: namely the organising and conducting of a series of progressive focus groups around loss, dying and death. The paper initially contextualises the work by introducing the research study, aims and objectives; it defines key terms; and provides a rationale for exploring user and carer involvement in research. Practical issues around planning and organising the focus groups are then considered and effective communication strategies to maximise the potential for active engagement are presented. The paper concludes by recognising that research can be a vehicle for listening and promoting meaningful consultation with people with an intellectual disability, and the authors suggest a number of recommendations to promote this activity. Active user involvement and consultation can be developed into participation, by actively and constructively forming long-term partnerships and talking with patients, stakeholders, educators, clinicians, nurses and others. Research can form part of this process, and is seen as being part of the broad spectrum of consulting opportunities, as this paper illustrates.
The Person-Based Approach in practice: Methods for intervention development
Authors: Ferrey Anne E. , Sivyer Katy , Greenwell Kate , Corbett Teresa
Published: January 2023

The ‘Person-Based Approach’ to intervention development uses qualitative and mixed methods to ensure that the process of intervention development takes into account the beliefs, attitudes, needs and context of the particular user group the intervention is designed to target. Qualitative research is used in several ways: in the form of a background literature search, in collecting qualitative data from target users to assess their specific needs, and in ‘think-aloud’ interviews that gather detailed feedback on each aspect of the intervention from target users. This allows iterative development of the intervention to be based directly on the input of the target users. We provide an overview of best practices when using the Person-Based Approach, together with examples of aspects of intervention development from previously-developed interventions, including feedback from target users from the beginning of intervention development results in interventions that are more likely to make a difference in practice.
Stress, challenge, and impression management among sports officials
Authors: Thatcher Joanne
Published: January 2023

This study examined the stressors (threats and challenges) and impression management issues experienced by sports officials, as well as the links between the two. Twelve Rugby League officials attended semi-structured interviews which were analysed using content analysis procedures. Consistent with Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional model of stress, the same stressor was perceived as a threat by some individuals and as a challenge by others. Impression management was salient for these officials and more so for challenges (career development, others’ expectations, and match importance) than threats (expectations and evaluation and self-presentation), was linked with experienced stressors for some respondents. Cognitive restructuring may assist officials to reappraise threats as challenges and diminish concerns about impression management.
Evaluation of the impact of the internet on sport and exercise psychology
Authors: Szabo Attila , Szabó Tamás
Published: January 2023

The Internet started to dominate many aspects of human life in the 21st century and is part of most academic domains in developed, as well as developing, nations around the world. Sport and exercise psychology is a relatively new scholastic area that emerged as a recognised field of study prior to the Internet’s public spread. The fast and easy access to information in any area is an advantage that has benefited sport and exercise psychology, especially in light of the nearly parallel growth of this field and the Internet. Indeed, the new communication medium accelerates the growth as well as the popularity of sport and exercise psychology but there is a need for careful and critical selection of the information obtained from the World Wide Web. This article examines the specific areas in sport and exercise psychology on the Internet that could expand and/or facilitate knowledge. The article also looks to research opportunities available on the Internet and the areas in which special caution needs to be taken in conjunction with the use of the Internet. The article concludes that, while vast information is available on the Internet, the areas of research and counselling are not fully exploited in sport and exercise psychology.
Exploring the value of reflective practice interventions within applied sport psychology: Case studies with an individual athlete and a team
Authors: Neil Richard , Cropley Brendan , Wilson Kylie , Faull Andrea
Published: January 2023

Despite the reported value of reflective learning in the sport literature, the efficacy of reflective practice remains in doubt due to the paucity of applied examples of its value in practice. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to provide case study examples of reflective practice interventions delivered to an individual athlete and a team. The first case presents a reflective practice intervention designed to improve the self-efficacy of an elite, male cricketer. The second case outlines the utility of individual and shared written reflections, conducted by an international age grade rugby squad to construct and evaluate team goals. In both cases emphasis is placed on in-depth social validation procedures used to assess the detail of effectiveness post-intervention. The value of utilising reflective practice as an approach to intervening with athletes is discussed along with the practical implications of making reflection a more integral aspect of applied sport psychology practice.
Getting down with the kids: Doing sport psychology with Gifted and Talented youth athletes
Authors: Evans Andrew , Slater Matthew
Published: January 2023

Reflective accounts available in youth sport development literature typically offer reflections on sport psychology consultancy delivered over a prolonged period of time. The following article provides a reflection of a brief contact sport psychology education session delivered to Gifted and Talented youth athletes (~8 to 10 years of age). The current reflection focuses on four key themes (i.e. promoting a growth mindset, being engaged and having fun, personal development and life skills, and preparation) that we believed contributed to the overall success of our session. Professional practice recommendations are provided to offer guidance for sport psychology consultants doing brief contact sport psychology education sessions in youth sport.
Yips and Lost Move Syndrome: Assessing impact and exploring levels of perfectionism, rumination, and reinvestment
Authors: Bennett Jenn , Rotheram Michael , Hays Kate , Olusoga Peter , Maynard Ian W. , Lindsay Pete
Published: January 2023

This study examined whether the yips and lost move syndrome (LMS) are associated with higher levels of perfectionism, rumination, and reinvestment, and whether individuals experiencing these problems perceive them as highly stressful. Samples of yips (N=15) and LMS-affected (N=15) individuals, and two matched control groups, completed the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS; Frost, Marten, Lahart & Rosenblate, 1990), the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991), the Reinvestment Scale (RS; Masters, Polman & Hammond, 1993), and the Impact of Event Scale (IES; Horowitz, Wilner & Alverez, 1979). Findings indicate higher scores in the yips and LMS groups for perfectionism, rumination, reinvestment, and IES compared to their respective control groups. The results suggest that rumination, reinvestment, and aspects of perfectionism increase vulnerability to the yips and LMS, and that both the yips and LMS are equally distressing.
A life skills development programme for youth football coaches: Programme development and preliminary evaluation
Authors: Bowley Ceri , Cropley Brendan , Neil Rich , Hanton Sheldon , Mitchell Ian
Published: January 2023

This manuscript presents two linked studies that together aimed to design, deliver and evaluate a service user informed education programme that focused on improving coaches’ understanding of, and ability to facilitate, life skill development through grassroots football in the UK. First, focus groups (n = 14) were conducted with key stakeholders (n = 56) to explore their perceptions of life skills and how they might be developed within grassroots football. The findings revealed six life skill themes, with social skills emerging as the most pertinent for the context. Further, the role of the coach in formally facilitating life skill development was expressed, suggesting that they are not developed implicitly through sport participation alone. Second, using the findings from study 1, a coach education programme was designed and subsequently delivered to a total of 45 coaches. Preliminary evaluation, using a triangulation of sources, revealed that the programme was successful in developing participants’ knowledge and understanding of life skills as well as improving their competence and confidence to integrate life skill development into their coaching practice. Support is therefore offered for the development of context specific life skill development programmes that are based on key stakeholder needs and expectations.
Case study – From broadcasting to listening: A case study of an independent practitioner integrating previous expertise and experience into a model of practice for sport psychology
Authors: Perry Josephine
Published: January 2023

The case study includes an overview of a previous 16-year career in communications and the events which brought the practitioner into sport psychology. It will describe how the consultancy was set up and why it was set up in the way that it was. It will describe how the practitioner assessed and incorporated suitable principles, processes, expertise, techniques and confidence from a former communications career into a sport psychology consultancy and how she has monitored and evaluated them to understand how they have enhanced her practice. It concludes with reflections on the challenges encountered during this process.
Voices of the minority: Diverse experiences from practitioners in the field of sports and exercise psychology
Authors: Williams Jodine Rianna
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of sports and exercise psychologists and sports and exercise psychology trainees from minority groups as they practice within the field. The experiences of UK minority sports and exercise psychologists and trainees within the field have not been widely explored in the literature. The lived experiences of three practitioners were explored through the lens of race, sexual orientation and religion. Forty-five-minute semi-structured interviews were analysed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. The following themes arose from the study: the unseen minority, embed discrimination in sport, improving the field, journey barriers and the qualities of a practitioner. Based on the themes explored future research areas are discussed.
‘Just a regular guy’: A discursive analysis of gay masculinities
Authors: Jowett Adam
Published: January 2023

As marginalised forms of masculinity, examining how gay men account for their gender is important for the analysis of masculinities as a whole. Drawing on a UK-based sample of 11 young men who identified as gay, this article explores the participants’ dilemma of producing their identities as masculine within a cultural milieu which constructs homosexuality as the antithesis of masculinity. Using thematic discourse analysis I demonstrate how ‘regular’ masculinity was claimed through resisting essentialist notions of gay male effeminacy and ‘othering’ effeminacy by distancing themselves from other ‘camp’ gay men. I conclude by suggesting a greater emphasis should be placed on lesbians and gay men as gendered beings, and how gay men resist and are complicit in their own marginalisation.
The psychotherapeutic tales of five gay men in Greece: A narrative analysis
Authors: Spiliotis Dimitri , Brown Dora , Coyle Adrian
Published: January 2023

Gay men utilise psychotherapy at a higher rate than heterosexual men due to increased societal stressors. However, even though homosexuality has been depathologised since 1973, some therapists still seem to approach it from a pathological perspective. In Greece, societal attitudes towards homosexuality are highly negative, and issues of homosexuality and psychotherapy are absent from research literature. Overall, the existent literature on the psychotherapeutic experiences of gay men is sparse, and limited within the US and the UK. This paper explores the psychotherapeutic experiences of five gay men in Greece. Three narrative forms of therapy were identified: progression; tragedy; and dialectic conflict. Also, two commonalities were identified: therapy as the only way out, and the only gay in the room.
Asexuality and its implications for sexuality studies
Authors: Carrigan Mark
Published: January 2023

In recent years a growing research literature has addressed Asexuality, commonly defined as ‘not experiencing sexual attraction’, with a diverse range of contributions being made from a variety of fields. This article is intended as an accessible review of the topic, framed in terms of the core questions which have been addressed within the field of asexuality studies and concluding with a discussion of its broader significance for the academic study of sexuality.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual young people are much less satisfied with life
Authors: Shoesmith Geoffrey
Published: January 2023

The Department for Education (DfE) published a Statistical Bulletin comprising of data from the 2010 sweeps of the combined Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) and the Youth Cohort Study (YCS) (Department for Education, 2011). For the first time, this publication contained data on those young people who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) based on the LSYPE survey alone. Of the 51 published tables, five contained data specific to LGB respondents. This article extracts these data from across the published tables and brings them together to give a first analytic glimpse of how LGB youth’s experiences differ from their heterosexual counterparts in a number of key areas of life. The author calculated chi-square values in order to test the hypothesis that the differences between these groups were statistically significant. Differences in ‘satisfaction with life’ were found to be statistically significant whilst differences in risky sexual practices were not. These findings are discussed in this paper.
Practitioner Award Winner 2014: Breaking taboos around sexuality in mental health
Authors: Fairbank Sarah
Published: January 2023

Sarah Fairbank, winner of the Psychology of Sexualities Section 2014 ‘Practitioner Award’, discusses her work to raise awareness of issues of sexuality within mental health services.
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Psychology: Past, current and future agendas
Authors: Barry Chung Y. , Klann Elyssa
Published: January 2023

In this article we provide an overview of international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) psychology. We first highlight some international milestones of LGBT issues, followed by a discussion of the impact of LGBT psychology globally, including topics of the nature of sexual orientation and gender identity, sexual and gender identity development, depathologisation and decriminalisation of LGBT persons, discrimination and oppression, work discrimination and career issues, military service, HIV/AIDS prevention and intervention, same-sex relationships and marriages, parenting rights, LGBT children and youth, cultural diversity and intersectionality of identities, media representation issues, training of mental health service providers, conversion therapy, and policy statements and social justice advocacy of professional organisations. We conclude the article with a proposed future agenda for education and training, research, practise, and advocacy.
LGBT psychology in the Philippines
Authors: Manalastas Eric Julian , Torre Beatriz A.
Published: January 2023

This paper presents an account of the initial developments towards an LGBT psychology in the Philippines. We situate this on critical events leading to: (1) an official policy by the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) against anti-LGBT discrimination in 2011, the first in south-east Asia; and (2) the institutionalisation in 2014 of the PAP’s LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group. Organising efforts have focused in four areas: research, education, advocacy, and practice. National conferences have served as naturally occurring moments for mainstreaming and visibility within the profession. Research progress is evidenced by the publication in 2013 of a special LGBT issue of the Philippine Journal of Psychology. Education efforts have involved teaching an undergraduate elective on LGBT psychology, training of psychology teachers to integrate sexual and gender diversity, and conduct of ‘LGBT Psych 101’ seminars. Advocacy has focused on ‘giving away’ LGBT psychology through engagement with the activist community, media, and support for anti-discrimination legislation. Finally, initial work in professional practice has been around raising awareness of LGBT issues in counselling. We reflect on these initial successes and present lessons learned as well as next steps for the development of an LGBT-inclusive psychology in south-east Asia.
Onward gay Christian soldiers? Exploring the positioning of lesbian, gay and bisexual Christians in the ‘battle’ against religious homophobia
Authors: Wood Matthew
Published: January 2023

This study explored the positions that gay Christians adopt in navigating both a Christian and a lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) identity, particularly in the context of religious homophobia and hostility toward homosexuality. Twenty-one LGB Christians participated in either a face-to-face interview or a qualitative survey; the data were analysed using thematic analysis. The participants often framed their relationship with other Christians and with Christian institutions as a ‘battle’. In fighting this battle, participants adopted one of three stances: (1) An ‘intellectual’ position which used theology and biblical scholarship as the weapon of choice; (2) a confrontational and oppositional ‘warrior’ position, which demanded recognition of homosexuality (as a ‘gift from God’); and (3) a conciliatory position, which sought change from within through reasoning with the Church and being sympathetic to their theological position. All of these positions were underpinned by an essentialist discourse of sexuality and the framing of homosexuality as a ‘gift from God’.
Raising awareness and visibility of the ‘I’: An appraisal of curricula and its impact on children with intersex variations
Authors: Zavros-Orr Agli
Published: January 2023

The intersex human rights movement has, to date, focused on advocating for greater understanding and changing practices in medical, legal and political spaces. Contemporary literature is beginning to explore how the health and wellbeing of people born with variations in sex characteristics are also impacted by educational discursive practices. In most instances, however, intersex remains invisible or poorly addressed in school curricula. Historically education, as understood through a broad definition of curricula, reflects prevailing societal perspectives and subsequently ideations about the body’s biology, sex, sex characteristics, gender and sexualities. This paper explores how curricula can be a means for productively and constructively learning about intersex that is inclusive of the intersex human rights movement, diversity of lived experience and identities.
‘Why should they get to do that and we can’t?’; Gay Women’s Experiences of Casual Sex
Authors: Jaye Cleo
Published: January 2023

Research on the sexual behaviour of gay women is sparse. Gay women are said to emphasise continuity and stability, rather than sex, so much so, that the term ‘lesbian bed death’ was coined to describe the lack of sexual activity. Subsequently, only three studies have explored gay women’s interest in casual sex. I interviewed twelve gay women about their experiences with casual sex. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the data found a variety of casual sex behaviour. Gay women both desire, and have experience with casual sex, and have casual sex encounters with both male and female partners. Constructions of gay women as emotional rather than sexual, were identified as a barrier in the pursuit of casual sex.