bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The therapeutic relationship from an attachment theory perspective
Authors: Skourteli Marina Christina , Lennie Clare
Published: January 2023

Aim

The present study examined the view of the therapist as an attachment figure and the relationship between client adult attachment in close relationships and client attachment to the therapist

Method

27 clients in ongoing therapy were asked to complete measures of adult attachment and client attachment to their therapists. In addition, five participants were interviewed with regard to their perceptions of their therapist and the therapeutic relationship.

Findings

Quantitative analysis suggested that client attachment may be activated in the context of the therapeutic relationship. In particular, ‘Need for Approval’ was significantly associated with both ‘Fearful/Avoidant’ and ‘Preoccupied/Merger attachmentto the therapist’; ‘Preoccupation in Relationships’ was positively correlated to ‘Preoccupied/Merger attachment to therapist’. Qualitative findings further suggested that the therapist serves as an attachment figure for clients.

Implications for practice

The therapeutic relationship contains features of an attachment relationship and therapists are often seen by clients as a secure basis for exploration. In this context, the behaviour that clients present in therapy is seen as meaningful and its exploration can contribute to the deconstruction and re-appraisal of internal working models of self and others. Implications for the practice of counselling psychology are discussed.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A discussion of cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and mindfulness based cognitive therapy
Authors: Dayes Jennifer Ellen
Published: January 2023

Content and Focus

This article explores the acceptability and usefulness of cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Issues specific to researching this particular group are discussed also. Both peer reviewed literature and surveys from support groups are considered.

Conclusions

The article argues that mindfulness and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy – an integration of mindfulness and cognitive therapy – may be acceptable and beneficial to people with ME/CFS. Particular advantages lie in a flexible and cost-efficient application. The author concludes that further research into mindfulness and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is warranted in this population. The article also highlights that a representative sample of people with ME/CFS is difficult to generate, and that findings can be hard to generalise.
Using the tacit dimension in qualitative research in counselling psychology
Authors: West William
Published: January 2023

Background

This paper explores how we make use, and access, the tacit dimension within qualitative research into counselling psychology.

Aims and Scope

It considers how to access the tacit dimension including its connection to the body, countertransference and Gendlin’s ‘felt sense’; how to use the tacit dimension within research planning; data gathering and research report writing – including a brief focus on the rhetoric of research report writing.

Conclusion

The notion of the bricoleur is briefly introduced and considered as a model for involving the tacit dimension in research.
Dialogues and Debates 30th Anniversary of the Division of Counselling Psychology
Authors: O'Hara Denis
Published: January 2023

During the Annual Conference this year we celebrated the 30th year of counselling psychology as a Division within the British Psychological Society. We, collectively as a sub-discipline within psychology, should be very grateful for the courageous and tireless work of those who were at the forefront of forging a way in our field. The existence of any new entity always requires the determination and commitment by at least a dedicated few to bring about change. The 30 years of counselling psychology has seen the field clarify its identity and sense of purpose resulting in distinctive disciplinary values and priorities.
Research Paper Towards a schema level understanding of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A grounded theory approach
Authors: Stalmeisters Dzintra
Published: January 2023

Background

Core beliefs or schemas have been proposed as a possible predisposing factor in the cognitive behavioural model of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) (Surawy et al., 1995). Additionally, in clinical practice, characteristics of early maladaptive schemas have been recognised in people with this debilitating illness (Kinsella, 2007), although research in this area is limited.

Aims

The aim of the study was to develop an understanding of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas as described by Young, Klosko and Weishaar (2003) and ME/CFS.

Method

The study involved 13 people with ME/CFS who endorsed early maladaptive schemas; they were interviewed using a range of media (face-to-face, email and phone). The study adopted a mainly classical grounded theory approach.

Results

The core category generated from the data termed ‘obscuring’ conceptualised the manner in which early maladaptive schemas and the coping style ‘surrender to the schema’ obscured the needs of individuals with ME/CFS. The theory proposed a subtle cycle of ‘obscuring’ within the illness context potentially exacerbating the illness, increasing fatigue.

Conclusion

This study progresses knowledge in this area by providing a schema-level understanding of ME/CFS, offering insights into the behavioural process from schema to illness. Recommendations are made for clinical practice.
Research Paper Influences on Polish migrants' responses to distress and decisions about whether to seek psychological help
Authors: Selkirk Mhairi , Quayle Ethel , Rothwell Neil
Published: January 2023

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the influences on responses to distress and decisions about whether to seek psychological help for Polish migrants in Scotland.

Methods

A cultural psychology framework utilising Charmaz’s social constructionist method of grounded theory was adopted in the design of the research. Field work was conducted within the Polish community, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Polish community members and two key informants. Data were analysed using guidelines outlined by Charmaz supported by NVivo software.

Findings

Participants’ responses to distress were influenced by their sense of identity, family and community networks, cultural norms, and previous experiences with services in Poland and Scotland. Polish cultural values emphasising family closeness, traditional gender roles and discomfort with difference influenced participants’ help-seeking strategies. Participants who felt disappointed with Scottish primary care services felt reluctant to approach the NHS for help with emotional difficulties, while participants who were satisfied with their treatment were open to this possibility. Private Polish psychologist services may be preferable to state services in Scotland in some instances.

Discussion

Psychology services in Scotland may not be well-placed to meet the needs of Polish migrants. Services should seek to become more culturally sensitive and develop ways of working with community organisations who migrants are more comfortable approaching.
Theoretical Paper To what extent can the core conditions of therapeutic change championed by Carl be present in an individual psychodynamic therapy encounter?
Authors: Hadjiosif Miltiades
Published: January 2023

Content and Focus

Person-centred therapy (PCT) and psychodynamic therapy frequently comprise two of the modalities that counselling psychologists are exposed to during their training, while the key concepts drawn from these domains continue to inform the practice of chartered counselling psychologists. Rogers’ ideas came at a time when psychodynamic thinking had established a firm grip over therapeutic orthodoxy and challenged the practice of psychoanalysis, even as they circumvented its theoretical underpinnings. This paper explores the extent to which the six necessary and sufficient, or core, conditions of therapeutic change can manifest in a psychodynamic therapy encounter. The author reviews relevant literature that juxtaposes PCT and psychodynamic understandings of therapeutic theory and practice whilst examining each of the conditions sequentially in the light of some key psychodynamic concepts.

Conclusions

The question posed by this paper requires an idiosyncratic answer that can be neither authoritatively nor objectively obtained. It is argued that our discipline’s epistemological position might facilitate a diffusion of the core conditions into the implicit theoretical apparatus that Sandler (1983) has identified as guiding the practice of psychoanalysts. I reflect on my personal journey of grappling with this issue before tentatively arriving at the conclusion that the conditions can indeed be present in psychodynamic practice, even if noticeably absent from psychodynamic theory.
Theoretical Paper Working with the therapeutic relationship in cognitive behavioural therapy from an attachment theory perspective
Authors: Parpottas Panagiotis
Published: January 2023

Content and Focus

In counselling psychology the therapeutic relationship is considered as one of the most fundamental aspects of psychological therapy. It can be argued that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a therapeutic modality which has given more attention to techniques and ‘doing’ therapy, rather than the therapeutic relationship itself. Unsurprisingly, this raises some questions on the use of the therapeutic relationship, especially when working purely from a CBT perspective. The current paper aims to briefly review how the therapeutic relationship is operating in CBT, and furthermore to discuss how attachment theory can inform the practice of counselling psychologists who work with CBT. For the purpose of this paper, I will discuss a composite client presentation based upon my clinical work with an individual who I have named ‘Tom’.

Conclusions

On the basis of the existing literature, it can be understood that views such as ‘the therapeutic relationship in CBT is necessary but not sufficient to bring about change’, are continuously changing. Therefore, the need for counselling psychologists who practise CBT in having a more relational focus in their practice is essential and attachment theory can assist them in working more with the therapeutic relationship.
Research Paper Life transition with HIV: Some observations of the phenomenon of growing older with the infection
Authors: Lawrence Sacha , Cross Malcolm
Published: January 2023

Background

This research has attempted to gain an insight into the phenomenon of life transition with HIV. It attends to the experience of the first ageing HIV cohort and tries to understand what it means for the participants to grow older with this particular condition.

Method

The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews and findings were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The data was collected from a small sample of eight participants, seven gay men and one heterosexual female. The average age of the participants was 50 years old and they had a mean of 14 years of life with HIV infection.

Findings

Four major themes emerged from the interview data. 1. All the participants recognised that they belonged to the first wave of long-term HIV survivors and that their experience of life transition was linked to anxieties of an unknown future. 2. Participants reported stigma as an ongoing experience of living with HIV and were concerned that this stigma seemingly increased with age. 3. Individual identities of the participants were affected by stigma and trauma of initial diagnosis. With age these identities were described as evoking a sense of not-belonging. 4. The research also reports upon a range of adaptive strategies of the participants. Although these strategies were likely to be initiated by the shock of the diagnosis, they do not appear to have become redundant over the years.

Conclusion

It is argued that this study provides an insight into the lived experience of these individuals and can, therefore, be useful when working therapeutically with this particular group.
Theoretical Paper From strategy to process: Validation in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Authors: Hadjiosif Miltiades
Published: January 2023

Content and Focus

This paper explores how Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) elaborates upon the concept of validation as a strategic intervention and therapeutic stance. It examines the rationale for validating the ‘grain of wisdom’ in every client communication and problematic behaviour and outlines levels of validation articulated by Marsha Linehan and her colleagues before linking them to counselling psychology practice.

Conclusions

Validation is consistent with the humanistic underpinnings of counselling psychology that necessitate an appreciation of client phenomenology devoid of pathologising and pejorative assumptions. DBT’s focus on this intervention is illuminating yet conceptualising it as a strategy traversing the ‘acceptancechange’ dialectic might estrange us from validating our clients when attending to more process-oriented issues in therapy.
The nonsense of ‘Effectiveness’
Authors: Bannister Don
Published: January 2023

I found this article byDon Bannisterwhen searching through literature on effectiveness whilst exploring current references on work with failing schools. It wasn’t what I expected to chance upon, but as a fan of Don Bannister and a constructionist in style and thinking, it was a short article that had an enormous impact upon thoughts about talking to children, parents and teachers. It would interesting to hear what readers think, ‘paying heed’, what does this mean to educational psychologists?

The piece originally appeared inNew Forum, August 1980 and was reprinted inChanges1998, Vol. 16, 3 with the attached postscript from Miller Mair.
Parents of children with special educational needs: Ethical issues in partnerships and power
Authors: Bennett Peter Lloyd
Published: January 2023

This article focuses on professional relationships with parents of children with special educational needs. It is argued that the legislative framework for special educational needs which appropriately makes professional practices accountable to parents also results in focusing on individual children and can encourage parents to adopt adversarial approaches. A small sample of educational psychologists’ views regarding their experiences of advocacy resulting in children gaining access to resources beyond the level required by their special educational needs is reported. The author concludes that the results suggest that parents who co-operate in developing positive relationships with professionals are likely to achieve more successful outcomes for their children than parents who adopt an adversarial viewpoint.
Attention seeking: A perspective from chaos theory
Authors: Mellor Nigel
Published: January 2023

Attention seeking behaviour is a relatively neglected topic in the academic literature; this paper aims to contribute further to its understanding. Insights from chaos theory have been applied to a wide range of issues. The purpose of this article is to use an aspect of chaos theory, the butterfly effect, to explore aspects of attention seeking behaviour cycles. The paper draws on casework experience and highlights a wide range of areas for further research.
Transition from primary to secondary school for pupils with Special Educational Needs
Authors: Kapasi Tasnim , Hancock Rebecca
Published: January 2023

This research was carried out as part of a project whilst the authors worked as Assistant Educational Psychologists in Essex.
Scoping the Profession: Evidence of changing times for educational psychology, 2002 to 2006
Authors: Turner Mark , Gersch Irvine
Published: January 2023

This paper describes two surveys of how Educational Psychology services in the UK were responding to Government initiatives. The first was conducted in 2002 and the follow-up in 2006. This paper reports how Principal Educational Psychologists and Services were reacting to different funding streams. The authors endeavoured to find out the impact of such changes upon the structure of services, posts created, and in general the changing shape of the Educational Psychology profession. The initial questionnaire was sent to 174 Local Authority PEPs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a response rate of 55 per cent. The results confirmed that the shape of services was indeed subject to significant change. A follow-up opportunistic survey of 13 Services was carried out in July, 2006, which indicated significant variation in practice among services and continuing change.
The medicalisation of normal healthy childhood
Authors: Traxson Dave
Published: January 2023

This position paper contains a personal view of professional practice around the use of medication for children and was written to stimulate debate.

‘There is clearly a growing willingness to offer young people drugs which have profound effects on the way they think and behave’, and also, ‘We should give more thought to changing the shape of our classrooms to fit our children, rather than trying to medicate our children to fit the classroom!’Baroness Susan Greenfield, Professor of Pharmacology, Oxford University and ex-Director of the Royal Institution. (Times Educational Supplement, January 2007)
Community educational psychology and ethical leadership
Authors: Rowland Kevin , Traxson Dave , Roberts Will
Published: January 2023

Thirty two years after Gillham (1978) and as the profession of educational psychology finally embraces the principles ofcommunity psychology (Bender, 1976; Orford, 1992, 2008) a model of leadership has emerged that has the potential to support educational psychology services make the shift to ‘community educational psychology practice’ that truly represents the breadth and range of work undertaken by educational psychologists. This article argues that a community-based ethical model of leadership could provide our profession with a framework for reflecting on the vision that will accompany the challenge of bringing the reconstructing era to a positive conclusion (positive identity and distinctive role) for the 21st century within an era of austerity, high level accountability, and a redistribution of limited resources towards community enablement.
Taking Inclusive Education seriously
Authors: Venables Keith
Published: January 2023

This article reports on the last meeting of the EPs for Inclusion group, convened by Keith. Venables. The group is an open discussion forum for Educational Psychologists (EPs) interested in promoting inclusive practice. Meetings sometimes include presentations, look at documents and consider how best to promote inclusion. In this article Keith. Venables gives an overview of his principles and perspectives on inclusion, with reference to current Government policy.
Looking behind the behaviour – understanding early experiences
Authors: Hipkin Lynne
Published: January 2023

Lynne Hipkin runs her own private practice, but is also contracted to provide assessments of attachment for LAC, and Γm/n/ng and consultation for foster carers and social workers who are part of Kent Social Services Therapeutic Reparenting Programme (TRP) via Ashwood Associates (based in Surrey).
Video Interaction Guidance (VIG): Anxiety, attachment, autism
Authors: Kennedy Hilary , Landor Miriam
Published: January 2023

Hilary Kennedy is a freelance chartered educational psychologist and national trainer and supervisor for the Association for Video Interaction Guidance uk™ (AVIGuk). She is a key developer of Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) in the UK. Her recent book on the subject of VIG has the sub-title A Relationship-Based Intervention to Promote Attunement, Empathy and Well-being’. She is currently a freelance VIG trainer working on projects around the UK including the Family Drug and Alcohol Court, Camden, Tower Hamlets, safeguarding, NSPCC Neglect, and works supporting projects in the Czech Republic, Finland and Mexico. She is also an honorary senior lecturer at University College London, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and is involved in supporting research in the effectiveness of VIG as an intervention.
The Autism Special Interest Group for Educational Psychologists (ASIG-EP): An overview
Authors: Loffler Diana
Published: January 2023

Autism is a complex condition and research for this condition is changing rapidly, impacting on both assessment and interventions. It is important that all professionals working with people with autism update their knowledge on a regular basis; it is a specialist field for all.
The Holistic Politico-Psychological model of mental health and well-being and its therapeutic use in consultation for the promotion of psychological well-being in children
Authors: Traxson Dave , Rowland Kevin
Published: January 2023

In this article Dave Traxson and Kevin Rowland expand on work that was previously presented at a DECP conference, following further work and refining of the Holistic Politico-Psychological (HPP) model for consultation in community psychology, designed and developed by Dave Traxson. If readers would like a copy of the colour-themed blank proforma version of the model, please contact Dave Traxson at the email address below.
De-mystifying the Health and Care Professions Council requirements for a Continuing Professional Development log: A guide for educational psychologists
Authors: Gessler Barbara , Stringer Phil
Published: January 2023

This article very helpfully describes the experience of an Educational Psychologist (EP) in meeting the requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), having been selected as part of the first sampling of EPs. The authors refer to the HCPC website and the exemplar Continuing Professional Development (CPD) logs that can be seen there for psychologists. Readers will be interested to know that the DECP Committee has been developing exemplars for EPs, for the different career stages referred to in this article.
Recognising and accepting ‘heightened awareness’: Supporting secondary school students with anxiety barriers using cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches
Authors: Willis Brian , Jones Claire
Published: January 2023

Recent issues of this publication have emphasised how educational psychologists and child psychologists have worked to support students with anxiety issues. The September 2012 Special Edition (issue 144) reviewed a one-day conference on Anxiety, Autism and Attachment, and in the December issue (issue 145) Thornbery (2012) described the impact of a FRIENDS programme on anxiety and coping strategies in primary-aged children. This study noted raised anxiety scores, heightened awareness or ‘elevated risk’ following the intervention.
Future Selves interventions: A critique of the current evidence base
Authors: Baker Matt
Published: January 2023

Are you faced with the recurring topic of challenging behaviour? School staff questions as to why their reinforcement strategies were not creating impact led Matt Baker to seek out an alternative approach that could provide intrinsic reason for children and young people to change and regulate their behaviour. Future selves interventions may not be ‘rocket science’ but they may just be part of a positive outcome.
Trainee Educational Psychologists views of Psychological Service Leadership
Authors: Booker Roger
Published: January 2023

This research reports on the views of trainees as to whether the leadership in our psychology services is fit for purpose especially given the dynamic and fast changing times. What will this ‘Millennial Generation’ identify as areas for development within service leadership? Roger Booker applied inductive thematic analysis to find out.
Children with complex medical conditions and their school experiences – A tentative model
Authors: Bunn Helena , Robinson Mary
Published: January 2023

This article is part of a larger scale UK-based research project focused on experiences and expectations of children with complex medical conditions and their families, and it focuses specifically on school experiences and expectations of children with complex medical conditions (CMC).

The aim of the study was to develop an understanding of how children with CMC experience schooling, and to identify practical steps that can be taken to improve outcomes for children with CMC.

The sample included three children with CMC and four parents of children with CMC. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and analysed using a grounded theory approach.

A tentative model around the child’s experience of school was produced, which alludes to the influence and interaction of various systems, namely school, peers, medical professionals, and intrinsic features of the child. It appears that these systems can strongly affect either a vicious or a virtuous cycle of development for the children with CMC, with continued success or difficulty leading to an increased likelihood of future similar performance if no changes to these systems are made. Practical implications of this tentative model are explored, including what could be done to fill gaps in children’s educational provision, especially in considering the role educational psychologists could play in the context of the current national and international climate.
A thematic analysis of factors promoting inclusion of previously excluded children
Authors: Griffiths Lise
Published: January 2023

Being excluded from a mainstream school can present an enormous challenge being re-included (e.g. Farrell & Tsakalidou, 1999), which can seriously affect these children’s future social and educational prospects. There is a need for solution-oriented approaches to planning successful re-inclusion, using nurturing and empathic approaches which allow the child and others to de-personalise the behaviour of the past. This paper thematically analyses factors promoting re-inclusion of previously excluded pupils (a ‘what works’ approach). The factors that were found are presented by theme and sub-theme, with a short discussion and concluding practical implications.
Challenging culture from within: The experiences and hopes of a new Trainee Educational Psychologist network
Authors: Ginn Iesha , Kasmani Husna , Lakhani Noureen , Morgan Hannah
Published: January 2023

The Trainee Educational Psychologists’ Initiative for Cultural Change (TEPICC) is a working group that aims to address issues around equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within educational psychologist (EP) training and the profession. In this paper, members of TEPICC share their reflections on the current state of the EP profession in relation to anti-racism practice and EDI principles. Key areas of discussion include reflections on training course curricula, experiences on professional placements, and the understanding and application of EDI principles across different aspects of training and practice. The need for culturally responsive supervision and ongoing opportunities for trainee educational psychologists (TEPs) and EPs to reflect on how they relate to EDI, are discussed. An emphasis is placed on the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for TEPs and EPs who identify as being from minoritised-ethnic backgrounds across course and placement providers as well as within the profession more widely. Implications for the EP profession at large are discussed, and the paper concludes by identifying some key actions.
‘You have to stay in with the teacher and it’s a bit awkward’: Children’s views and experiences of the withdrawal of playtime as a sanction in a UK school
Authors: Clements Thomas , Harding Emma
Published: January 2023

Aim(s):The purpose of this study was to explore children’s views and experiences of having playtime withdrawn as a sanction, with a view to increasing knowledge and understanding in this under-researched area.

Method/Rationale:This study adopted an exploratory case study design, whereby 12 participants in a single school were interviewed virtually. These participants were aged 5–11 (Years 1–6) and were interviewed in year group pairs. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings:Participants discussed direct and indirect experiences of having their playtime withdrawn, and also discussed reasons for why playtime might be withdrawn, including: misbehaviour, whole-class misbehaviour and not completing work. Participants reported that the withdrawal of playtime was a fair sanction, although there were disagreements about the conditions for when this sanction should be imposed. Furthermore, participants spoke about valuing their playtime and gave examples of potential alternatives to the withdrawal of playtime.

Limitations:Conducting interviews virtually meant that the researcher was unable to develop a rapport with the participants, and that the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) was present with them during virtual interviews for safeguarding purposes. These factors may have impacted on what participants chose to share regarding their views and experiences.

Conclusions:The withdrawal of playtime is a sanction still used in schools, and the children within this study understood the purpose of this sanction. However, it is possible that withdrawing play is counterproductive in terms of addressing the behaviours that result in it being imposed. Implications for professionals in schools, as well as further avenues for research, are discussed.
Special education in the United Kingdom: educational psychologists and the effectiveness of special education
Authors: Galloway David
Published: January 2023

This article reviews recent work on the assessment practices of educational psychologists. The evidence suggests that current legislation has driven many practitioners back to the paradigms of the 1960s and 1970s, and that these paradigms prevent them from making substantial contributions to the effectiveness of special education. The discussion considers the relevance of socio-cognitive conceptualizations of motivation in understanding the reasons for educational psychologists’ lack of impact on school effectiveness in general, and on the effectiveness of special education in particular. The current bureaucracy of professional practice in Britain prevents educational psychologists from paying more than lip service to cultural diversity, active parental involvement, and children’s own perspectives on the education they are ‘delivered’. If educational psychologists are to rediscover the principles of professional service to child clients, three things are necessary: first, a clearer and more explicit distinction between their responsibilities to children and their responsibilities to their employing education authority; second, an inclusive approach to the concept of special education which ceases to see it as separate from mainstream education; third, a paradigm of professional practice which incorporates the social psychology of schooling into more traditional individualistic approaches.
Educational and school psychology in the United Kingdom and the United States: an introduction
Authors: Sheppard John , Dawson Margaret M.
Published: January 2023

This article provides a brief overview of the current state of education in the United Kingdom and the United States. It begins with a broad outline of the laws governing education in both countries as well as a description of the most common structures and school divisions used in each country. A discussion of school reform issues and efforts follows, including a description of special education practices in both countries. Finally, the professional training, credentialing, and practise of school/educational psychology in each country is described.
The ethnographic approach
Authors: Marinosson Gretar
Published: January 2023

By origin and nature the product of the hermeneutic or interpretive tradition in social research ethnography literally means the study of a (foreign) culture. This research approach, rising out of modern anthropology at the turn of the century, has gained increasing popularity in the last 30 years as a reaction to the traditional scientific method in social research. Ethnography is an open approach, more inductive than deductive, with theory often generated and grounded in the data. Ethnographers explore the nature of social phenomena by the use of participant observation, interviews and document analysis, thereby trying to understand the perspectives of the participants. The focus is often on phenomena that usually escape study and their underlying assumptions, such as the hidden culture of students, teachers or parents. The approach raises a number of questions about the existence of reality and how it may be most faithfully represented.
Emotional and behavioural difficulties: is this a useful category? The implications of clustering and co-morbidity – the relevance of a taxonomic approach
Authors: Kershaw Patricia , Sonuga-Barke Edmund
Published: January 2023

Previous research has demonstrated that there is significant co-morbidity in different disorders of behaviour and emotion. It is also a common perception that the category of Special Educational Needs (SEN) collectively called Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) refers to those children who exhibit externalizing problems. The present study has explored these assumptions by analysing the range and type of behaviours found in the EBD population, proposing that the identification of different groups within the EBD category has a necessary impact on issues of assessment and intervention. The hypotheses propose that the category of EBD contains distinct sub-groups of children with similar characteristics; that although the category of EBD often suggests Conduct Disorder (CD), other factors are involved and finally, that many children with EBD have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with co-morbid Conduct Disorder (CD).

The Teacher Report Form (TRF) of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) (Achenbach, 1991) was completed by teachers of 254 boys attending schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in one local education authority.

Cluster analysis yielded five distinct groupings of children within the EBD population in this sample. These were conduct problems; emotional problems; attentional problems; co-morbid conduct, emotional and attentional difficulties and a group with no apparent problems. The usefulness of the EBD label is questioned as it is clear that this is not a homogeneous population. The implication is that greater identification of typology is required if appropriate intervention is to be recommended and applied in order to meet the diverse needs of this group of children. The stated hypotheses were all supported.
‘Mr Homunculus the Reading Detective’: A cognitive approach to improving reading comprehension
Authors: Currie Laura Anne
Published: January 2023

Research into reading has focused increasingly on the concept of metacognition and its application to the development of children’s reading and comprehension. Ongoing research continually adds to a growing theoretical base. In parallel with this has been the developing practice within primary schools of using novel studies as a vehicle for introducing ‘higher order reading skills’ (that is, inferential levels of understanding and analysis of text). There has been an apparent validation of this methodology and reinforcement of the importance of teaching higher order reading skills, by both the Department for Education and Employment (in the National Curriculum) and the Scottish Office Education Department (1991) in the 5-14 English Language Curriculum Guidelines. This paper outlines the research in the area of metacognition as applied to reading comprehension and describes a reading programme, Mr Homunculus the Reading Detective, designed to help teachers teach children how to comprehend.
Racism, inequality and African-Caribbean males: a case of history revisited
Authors: Rollock Nicola
Published: January 2023

This paper reviews the role of racism and inequality in relation to the academic performance of African-Caribbean males. Strategies aimed at overcoming the deleterious effects of both these variables are discussed and the problems associated with implementation are considered. Implications for the educational psychologist are outlined, and the paper concludes by asserting that, despite past policies and ongoing research, the concepts of equality and anti-racism have done little to alleviate the continuing under-achievement of the African-Caribbean male.
Transracial placement outcomes and assessment of racial sensitivity in white carers
Authors: Banks Nick
Published: January 2023

This paper outlines some of the historical issues regarding transracial placement and relates these to the British cultural context. Issues of identity, and the particular placement needs of children of mixed parentage background, where one parent is white and one is black, are considered. Case study material is used to illustrate the issues involved in assessing white substitute carers and how, on the basis of Helm’s (1992) work, the assessment of potential substitute carers may be made more objective. Finally, implications for the work of educational psychologists are suggested.
Whole school behaviour policy reviews and projects
Authors: Bennett Peter Lloyd , Gamman Richard
Published: January 2023

Whole school behaviour policy reviews and projects were carried out by educational psychologists in four primary schools. The purpose of the behaviour projects was to help generate a defensible behaviour policy and to investigate the possible gap between policy and practice by taking an ecosystemic approach to children’s behaviour. The projects contained three phases: joint review of the school behaviour policy; gathering data through observations, interviews and questionnaires; feedback and evaluation. The project reported contains details which provide a representative example of all the school projects carried out.
The development of a computer-adaptive assessment in the early years
Authors: Tymms Peter
Published: January 2023

Computers have long held out the promise of efficient assessments, but attempts to construct computerised adaptive assessments have been plagued by problems of implementation. Within the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) project, we have successfully developed a computerised adaptive assessment for young children on entry to school and then a year later. The programme relies on ‘sequences with stopping’ rules rather than the more usual algorithms that come from item response theory. Using this procedure we have in place an efficient way of assessing young children. It is used in several thousand schools on a regular basis providing detailed baseline information on children. Its main purpose is not to identify individuals with special educational needs, but rather to provide data that can be used by the teacher for all children immediately and, by tracking their progress, for several years to come.
Learning and the use of ICT in the classroom
Authors: McCormick Robert
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the context for the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the classroom, through the development of the technology itself, the government’s policy of funding hardware and the Lottery New Opportunities Fund ICT training of all teachers in the UK. The paper suggests that ICT has the potential to open up new opportunities that may call into question traditional views of learning and knowledge. Participatory views of learning are examined as a basis for considering how ICT can be exploited to the full. An important result of a participatory view is collaborative activity, and this is examined as a reflection of the contemporary views of learning and the new kinds of activities pupils can carry out using ICT.
ICT and education: a range of models to suit teachers’ notions of their praxis, or a case of one model fits all?
Authors: Gleaves Alan , Grey John , Walker Caroline
Published: January 2023

Teachers’ praxis across different education sectors reflects a plethora of variables in terms of different subject bases, including pedagogic practice, practical skill, subject knowledge, professional ideas, philosophical values and so on. Most of these have an evolutionary element, teachers’ praxis being a function of professional and personal development, and often a reconciliation between a body of ‘professional teaching knowledge’, accepted as orthodoxy in many initial teacher training (ITT) courses, and the reality of teaching as an often mechanistic and instrumentalist profession on a day to day basis. Information and communications technology (ICT) presents a particular problem within this scenario, since its evolution as a subject and the culture surrounding it, is characterised variously by (depending on the sector), responses to a curriculum policy vacuum, action research and informal classroom theories, views of learning with ICT as relatively unsophisticated, reflecting among other things deployment of certain types of staff, pedagogic models developed by non-teaching researchers, and so on. This paper seeks to examine and compare the importance of these issues within two sectors, the primary and the post-compulsory, and in so doing, to challenge prevailing views about current classroom practice in ICT.
Addressing the social, cognitive and emotional needs of children: The case for dynamic assessment
Authors: Lauchlan Fraser
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the extent to which the use of psychological assessment addresses the social, emotional and cognitive needs of children experiencing difficulties with learning. Evidence in favour of a curriculum-based assessment (CBA) approach is presented, and the advantages and disadvantages are evaluated. This paper argues that CBA does not stand up well to the demand for a more ecological approach to assessment that considers the social and emotional needs of children. CBA can often be too task oriented, and more importantly fails to consider an interactive environment in which to assess the child. Finally, the underlying theory of CBA on behavioural approaches to learning neglects a focus on the cognitive and meta-cognitive aspects of learning. Arguments in favour of dynamic assessment are offered as an approach which does consider such aspects of learning. Nevertheless, the appropriateness and effectiveness of CBA and dynamic assessment can only truly be considered in light of the purposes of each individual assessment. Different approaches to psychological assessment could be used in different circumstances, therefore, the ‘why?’ of assessment (Frederickson, Wright & Webster, 1991) should receive careful consideration before the issue of ‘which approach is best?’.
Relationships between working memory, expressive vocabulary and arithmetical reasoning in children with and without intellectual disabilities
Authors: Henry Lucy A. , MacLean Morag
Published: January 2023

This experiment examined the relationships between working memory and two measures of achievement, namely expressive vocabulary and arithmetical reasoning, in children with and without intellectual disabilities (ID). For 11- to 12-year-old children with intellectual disabilities, memory measures tapping the central executive were the most important predictors of both expressive vocabulary and arithmetical reasoning, with phonological memory making a small additional contribution to expressive vocabulary. For mainstream 11- to 12-year-old children, phonological memory was the best predictor of expressive vocabulary, whereas, arithmetical reasoning ability was predicted by visual memory and to a lesser extent phonological memory. The third group of children, 7- to 8-year-old mainstream children, had been matched for mental age with the intellectual disability group. For these children the most important predictor of expressive vocabulary was phonological memory, with a small additional contribution from visual memory. Arithmetical reasoning was best predicted by memory measures tapping the central executive with an additional contribution from phonological memory. These results suggest that different working memory resources are used by children of varying ages and ability levels to carry out at least some cognitive tasks.
Responding to crises in schools: A consultancy model for supporting schools in crisis
Authors: McCaffrey Trisha
Published: January 2023

The author will describe how Kent Educational Psychology Service (EPS) has developed a consultancy model to support schools in crisis based on their request for practical and emotional support in the immediate aftermath of a critical incident. This paper will describe the resources that have been developed to ensure the maintenance of the quality of the service’s response across the county. Issues for practice will be discussed, raised by feedback from schools via post-incident questionnaires collected over the last ten years in Kent, and the conclusions of a study conducted by the author following two incidents involving road traffic fatalities with large numbers of student witnesses. The author will consider issues raised for practice from recent research and conclude that there may be issues about the appropriate use of techniques such as psychological debriefing, but that these should not be confused with the benefits of supporting school communities in crisis.
Brain activation during language task contrasts in children with and without dyslexia: Inferring mapping processes and assessing response to spelling instruction
Authors: Richards Todd , Berninger Virginia , Nagy William , Parsons Aimee , Field Katherine , Richards Anne
Published: January 2023

In the summer following grades 4 to 6, 18 children with dyslexia, who were randomly assigned to orthographic or morphological spelling treatment, and 21 controls, who were good readers and spellers, performed four sets of language tasks while their brain was scanned before and after the dyslexics received treatment. A paradigm with sequential steps for analysing effects of treatment on individual fMRI brain response is introduced and illustrated with contrasts beyween four sets of language tasks (morpheme mapping with and without phonological shifts, phoneme mapping and orthographic mapping). Results for controls showed (a) reliable brain activation associated with contrasting sets of the language tasks; (b) unique activation for morphological, phonological and orthographic word forms; and (c) evidence of cross-word form mapping. Results for dyslexics demonstrated that (a) dyslexics and controls activated some of the same and some different brain regions; (b) sometimes dyslexics underactivated and sometimes they overactivated in regions where controls reliably did or did not activate; (c) following treatment, dyslexics showed significant changes in some of the regions where they initially differed from controls and sometimes normalised by activating previously inactivated regions and sometimes by deactivating previously activated regions; and (d) treatment-specific brain responding occurred for both orthographic and morphological treatment but primarily for orthographic treatment. Normal controls were equally adept at morpheme mapping involving phonological transformations, but dyslexics had more difficulty with morpheme processing involving phonological transformations; dyslexics were impaired not only in phoneme mapping but also in orthographic mapping. Inferior frontal gyrus and cerebellum appeared to be involved in cross-word form mapping. Taken together the results support the view that phonological, orthographic and morphological processes should be assessed and taught in the dynamic assessment of typically developing readers and spellers and dyslexics.