bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using computers at home and in the primary school: where is the value added?
Authors: Moseley David , Mearns Nadine , Tse Harrison
Published: January 2023

Pupil reports of home and school use of computers were obtained from questionnaires completed by Y4 -Y6 pupils in seven schools. Most pupils had access to a home computer and used it much more than school computers. Boys and girls did not differ in overall home use or in their overall positive attitude towards computers, but there were some significant differences in their patterns of usage, and in certain specific views and attitudes associated with differing levels of performance in maths and reading. Total home use of computers had virtually zero correlation with attainment and value-added in maths and reading, while total school use was inversely related to performance in maths. A number of potentially positive and negative aspects of using computers in particular ways were identified, especially the possibly harmful effect of allowing children to play computer games in school.
A comparison study of characteristics of parents of abused and non-abused children
Authors: Fundudis Trian , Kaplan Carole , Dickinson Heather
Published: January 2023

The objective of this study was to compare the personal, social and demographic characteristics and adversities of parents of maltreated children and of parents whose ability to care for their children was seriously questioned, with those of a comparison group of non-abusing parents. Four at risk groups were identified – physical abuse (N= 34), sexual abuse (N = 32), emotional abuse/neglect (N= 16) and parenting concerns (N= 85) – and compared with a custody/contact dispute (non-abuse) group (N= 24). Parents in the at risk groups were more likely to have had adverse childhood experiences (e.g. loss of contact with their father, having been in care, experience of abuse and poor individual achievements (lower IQ and school achievements), where the latter factors may have been a consequence of the former. These associations were particularly marked for those referred because of concern about poor parenting. Parents in the at risk groups tended to be younger; fathers in the sexual abuse group were an exception as they had similar age and educational achievement to those in the comparison group. No distinctive personality type was associated with maltreatment or poor parenting ability. The majority of parents refused to accept responsibility for the abuse of their children, despite court findings to the contrary. These findings are consistent with Belsky’s model of the adverse effects of cumulative adversities on parental functioning, in contrast to any specific personality type being associated with abuse of children. Certain issues relevant for consideration by practitioners are addressed.
Teaching for successful intelligence: Principles, practices, and outcomes
Authors: Sternberg Robert J.
Published: January 2023

This paper describes how we can teach students more effectively by teaching for successful intelligence. Teaching for successful intelligence involves instructing and assessing analytically, creatively, and practically, as well as for memory, so that they can achieve success according to their own pattern of abilities. Such teaching helps students recognise and capitalise on strengths, and at the same time recognise and correct or compensate for weaknesses. Students thereby adapt to, shape, and select environments. The paper describes how to teach for successful intelligence, and presents empirical evidence that teaching for successful intelligence really works in the classroom in raising student achievement.
Working memory assessments at school entry as longitudinal predictors of National Curriculum attainment levels
Authors: Gathercole Susan E. , Brown Leanne , Pickering Susan J.
Published: January 2023

A longitudinal study of 54 children aged between 4 and 7 years of age investigated whether measures of working memory skills taken shortly after school entry served as useful predictors of children’s attainment levels in National Curriculum assessments at Key Stage 1. Early working memory scores were found to be highly significant predictors of children’s subsequent levels of attainment in literacy, but not in mathematics. Compared with the local education authority baseline assessments also administered at 4 years of age that are designed in large part to predict later attainments, working memory scores accounted for unique variance in children’s spelling and writing scores at 7 years. These findings point to the utility of combining knowledge-based assessments with measures of fluid cognitive ability in order to obtain the best estimates of a child’s chances of future academic success.
Verbal and non-verbal working memory and achievements on National Curriculum tests at 11 and 14 years of age
Authors: Jarvis Helen L. , Gathercole Susan E.
Published: January 2023

Recent research has found links between working memory and performance on National Curriculum tests. However, these studies have employed only verbal complex span tasks as measures of the central executive component of working memory. In the present study, children at Key Stages 2 and 3 of the National Curriculum (aged 11 and 14 years) were tested on measures of the phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad as well as both verbal and nonverbal central executive tasks. Confirmatory factor analysis identified two factors: one verbal working memory factor associated with both the phonological loop and verbal central executive tasks, and one non-verbal working memory factor associated with both the visuospatial sketchpad and non-verbal central executive tasks. Further analyses were then used to explore the relationship between working memory and National Curriculum test scores in English, mathematics and science. The results suggested that both verbal and non-verbal working memory are important predictors of National Curriculum test scores.
Short-term memory and literacy:A cross-language comparison
Authors: Smythe Ian , Everatt John , Gyarmathy Éva , Suk-Han Ho Connie , Groeger John A
Published: January 2023

Children with literacy acquisition deficits in English, Hungarian and Chinese were compared with normally achieving peers on a series of short-term memory tasks. Good and poor literacy groups in each language cohort were matched on age, sex ratio, educational background and non-verbal reasoning; however, they differed on measures of spelling and reading. Results indicated that differences between the literacy ability groups in the short-term memory tasks varied according to language background. Specifically, in contrast to their matched peers, poor English literacy learners showed deficits in verbal-based tasks requiring memory for phoneme strings with and without a lexical entry and that loaded onto central executive processes. Poor Hungarian literacy learners, however, presented evidence of memory deficits that were specific to verbal material that did not possess a lexical entry (non-words). In contrast to both alphabetic cohorts, Chinese character learners showed little evidence of differences between good and poor learners in verbal areas, but did so when the retention of a sequence of abstract visual items was required. The paper includes discussions of models of memory and literacy as well as the implications these findings have for assessing different areas of cognitive functioning among learners from different language backgrounds.
The effects of phonological and visual-spatial interference on children’s arithmetical performance
Authors: McKenzie Bruce , Bull Rebecca , Gray Colin
Published: January 2023

Investigations of the cognitive processes involved in adults’ mental arithmetic have shown the importance of phonological rather than visual codes in performance (e.g. Logie, Gilhooly & Wynn; 1994). However, children’s subjective descriptions of their strategies in arithmetic reveal much more variable strategy use, suggesting that both slave systems of working memory may be involved in arithmetical performance in this age group. This experiment tested children in two age groups (6 to 7 and 8 to 9 years) on a simple mental arithmetic task under three conditions; baseline, phonological disruption and visuospatial disruption, in an attempt to determine the cognitive processes and strategies being used in arithmetic at various points throughout development. The results showed significant and marked lowering of performance in the younger children with concurrent visuospatial disruption, a smaller effect being observed in the older children. Conversely, while the younger children were unaffected by concurrent phonological disruption the older children were. These results support the hypothesis that children use different strategies at different ages; younger children utilise almost exclusively visuospatial strategies in mental arithmetic, whereas older children use a mixture of phonological and visual-spatial strategies.
Successful application of a dynamic assessment procedure with deaf students between the ages of four and eight years
Authors: Lidz Carol S.
Published: January 2023

This study of 13 severe to profoundly deaf children between the ages of four and eight years demonstrates the utility of a dynamic assessment procedure, the Application of Cognitive Functions scale (ACFS), with this population. The children made significant positive pre-test to post-test gains on four of the six subtests, with a strong tendency toward positive gains on a fifth (construct validity). The behaviour observation rating scale, embedded within the ACFS, showed significant positive relationships with most subtests, particularly the behaviours rated during the mediation phase, compared with weaker associations for behaviours during the static pre-test phase (construct validity). Five of the six subtests showed significant correlations with total score (intratest reliability). IQ correlated moderately with ACFS pre-test and not at all with post-test, and chronological age correlated moderately with posttest and not at all with pre-test.
Vygotsky and educational psychology: Some preliminary remarks
Authors: Daniels Harry
Published: January 2023

In this short article I will discuss some of the key elements of developments in psychology that have been attributed to the work of L.S. Vygotsky. He drew attention to the way in which humans use tools, such as speech, which mediate their engagement with the world. This understanding of mediation was central to his analysis of the social, cultural and historical influences on the formation of mind. I will provide a brief summary of the key elements of this theory which carry with them radical implications for the work of applied psychologists working in education.
Is there a fine motor skill deficit in nonverbal learning disabilities?
Authors: Durand Marianne
Published: January 2023

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) is a specific learning difficulty described by Rourke in terms of neuropsychological deficits in tactile, visual and motor skills, and assets in verbal, auditory, and rote-learned skills. The present study assessed the fine motor skills in 13 children with a nonverbal learning difficulty defined as a verbal IQ > performance IQ discrepancy, relative to 13 age- and reading-matched controls. The study found that children with discrepancy-defined NLD were significantly poorer than controls on a timed pegboard task, and made more errors on a line drawing task. However, the groups did not differ on cutting out performance. Thus, the results are consistent with previous findings that children with NLD show poor performance on pegboard type tasks, although there is no evidence of general poor fine motor skills, in children with discrepancy-defined NLD. There was also no relationship between size of IQ discrepancy and performance on the tasks. Further research is required to clarify whether the children’s fine motor deficits are specific to visuospatial motor tasks.
Community science and expanded school mental health: Bridging the research-to-practice gap to promote child well-being and academic success
Authors: Flaspohler Paul D. , Anderson-Butcher Dawn , Paternite Carl E. , Weist Mark , Wandersman Abraham
Published: January 2023

Several national initiatives in the United States and reports on mental health and children’s mental health have highlighted the mental health crisis in young people and the need to promote effective delivery of school-based approaches promoting mental health care and preventing disorder. Implementing successful school-based mental health and promoting effective academic, social and emotional learning of children hinges on changing the policies and practices of service systems and shifting relationships among mental health professionals, educators and other school serving professionals. There has been limited focus in school-based (and community-based) clinical practice on fostering collaborative relationships toward implementing empirically supported practice. In addition, there exists a gap between the development and dissemination of empirically supported practices and the training, supervision and supportive infrastructure necessary to implement these effective practices in schools. The emerging field of community science is proposed as a means of bridging this gap between research and practice. Community science is an interdisciplinary framework for strengthening communities by improving the quality of practice in treatment, prevention, health promotion and education. Using the community science framework, this paper outlines critical research-to-practice service delivery, training and technical assistance and policy issues related to the expansion of school-based mental health services and school improvement efforts in the state of Ohio.
The educational psychologist as community psychologist: Holistic child psychology across home, school and community
Authors: MacKay Tommy
Published: January 2023

This paper seeks to reassert the foundation of educational psychology as community psychology. It argues that the historical continuity of the profession and its pioneering aims can only be achieved by embracing this community vision, and that there can be no future for educational psychology within the narrow boundaries of special educational needs and the servicing of bureaucratic educational functions. It asserts that the needs inspiring the ideals of community psychology are greater than they were previously but that the achievement of these ideals is further removed from the profession than ever. However, it also highlights developments within educational psychology in Britain that herald a reaffirmation of the profession as making a holistic contribution within the settings of home, school and community, and argues that it is time to combine evidence-based practice with a commitment to values in science, to pursue a meaningful and broad agenda of social and psychological welfare and to establish educational psychology as a true community psychology.
Linking children’s home and school mathematics
Authors: Hughes Martin , Greenhough Pamela , Yee Wan Ching , Andrews Jane , Winter Jan , Salway Leida
Published: January 2023

Current approaches to teaching mathematics in English primary schools pay little attention to the kind of mathematics which children engage in outside of school. This paper attempts to redress the balance by describing the nature and characteristics of children’s out-of-school mathematics, and looking at how connections might be made between in-school and out-of-school mathematics. At home, mathematics is frequently encountered during play and games, and in authentic household activities such as cooking and shopping. There are also more school-like mathematical activities such as homework and commercially available maths schemes. The paper argues that it is important for connections to be made between home and school mathematics, but this is often impaired by teachers’ lack of knowledge about home mathematics and by parents’ lack of knowledge about school mathematics. One solution to this problem lies in knowledge exchange activities, and examples are provided of activities which operate in both the school-to-home and home-to-school directions. The main implications for teachers and educational psychologists are to pay much greater attention to children’s out-of-school mathematics, and to develop further ways of linking home and school mathematics.
Early markers for arithmetic difficulties
Authors: Stock Pieter , Desoete Annemie , Roeyers Herbert
Published: January 2023

The development of six prenumerical abilities and the relationship with numerical facility and arithmetic reasoning was explored in a longitudinal study (n = 108) for children in preschool (age 5 to 6) and Grade 1. ‘Procedural knowledge about counting’ was assessed using accuracy in counting objects. ‘Conceptual knowledge about counting’ was assessed by asking children to make judgments about unusual right-to-left counts and reflections on why procedure work. To assess the logical knowledge children completed ‘seriation’, ‘conservation’ and ‘classification’ tasks. The ‘representation of number size’ was assessed by subitising or dot and number comparison tasks. The results showed that about half of the variance in mathematical reasoning (as measured by a standardised test at age 6 to 7) was associated with the prenumerical skills of children in preschool. Especially conceptual counting knowledge and the seriation performances in preschool, and the procedural counting knowledge in grade 1 were important for early arithmetic reasoning. Numerical facility in grade 1 (as measured by a standardised test) was associated for a smaller proportion with the prenumerical skills of children. Moreover, it was possible to correctly classify in almost ninety percent performance in grade 1 based on the six prenumerical skills in preschool. Again especially conceptual knowledge about counting and seriation were suitable early markers for arithmetic difficulties.
Inclusion of students with disabilities in German schools
Authors: Opp Günther
Published: January 2023

The call for more inclusive practices in German schools has gained momentum. Yet the inclusive rhetoric in Germany is still much stronger than inclusive practices. This article tries to reconstruct the main lines of historical developments in special education related to integrated and selective working concepts. It shows a tremendous institutional and professional special education expansion over the last 200 years. Historically the propagated idea of being special as an individual with disabilities was a very successful construct. It is argued that the historical success of special education mocked the parallel idea of social inclusion. The current situation of the inclusion of students with disabilities in German schools is a just expression of the constitutional integration–selection dilemma in special education practices and theory. Future special education challenges and possible solutions in this context are described.
Mapping speech and language therapy provision for school-aged children with receptive-expressive language impairment: Speech and language therapist opinion and practice
Authors: Clarke Elaine M. , Collins Anna
Published: January 2023

Children who experience receptive-expressive language impairment (R-E LI) have a significantly increased risk that their language disability will persist throughout their school years compared to children who experience expressive difficulties only. Effective speech and language therapy (SLT) intervention for these children is therefore of major concern to practitioners yet relatively little is know about current practice and little attention has been paid to SLT practitioner opinions on best provision. This paper reports the proportion of children with specific language impairments (SLI) on caseloads in one SLT service with R-E LI and the intervention offered to these children across the school years as well as SLT practitioner opinions on best practice. All paediatric SLTs across one Primary Care Trust completed an audit pro-forma on all children with language impairments on their caseloads during the month of October 2005. Eight SLTs, representing a range of experience, were then interviewed to gauge professional opinion on current practice and on what they felt was best practice for children with R-E LI. Two-hundred and sixty-four children on SLT caseloads had R-E LI and the majority of these children were of pre-school and key stage 1–2 age. Provision varied and included consultancy models of management as well as classroom based behavioural approaches to teaching language skills. At present, provision for children with R-E LI appears to focus on pre-school and primary school age children. Interview responses highlight the potentially greater perceived need for specialist (SLT) involvement in provision for children with R-E LI in the secondary school years.
Wellbeing in deaf children: A framework of understanding
Authors: Gascon-Ramos Maria
Published: January 2023

This article presents a description of how elements in the life of deaf children interact to promote wellbeing in the deaf child. Deaf children are known to be at much greater risk of developing mental health problems than their hearing peers (Hindley et al., 1994). A lack of opportunity to participate in social life resulting from barriers within the environment (e.g. language and communication, and social attitudes towards deafness) is regarded as major determinants of deaf children’s social and emotional development (Hindley, 2000; Schlesinger & Meadow, 1972). However, there seem to be more elements contributing to life stressors in the deaf child. A model of wellbeing (Veenhoven, 2000) will be applied to the multidisciplinary study and review of deaf children’s social and emotional development. In doing so, multiple conditions identified as sources of influence on deaf children’s wellbeing will be brought together in one single picture. The concept of developmental ecologies proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1980, 1996) will provide the theoretical grounding to explain how deaf children’s wellbeing can be promoted. This work is important in highlighting the implications that societal views on deaf people have for promoting the development and wellbeing of deaf children, and some practical implications are drawn for professionals working with deaf children and their families.
Developing student wellbeing and resilience using a group process
Authors: Chessor Danuta
Published: January 2023

Emotional wellbeing and resilient behaviour is of fundamental importance and inhibited by the well documented prevalence of relational aggression amongst adolescent girls in schools. This often subtle and insidious form of aggression damages relationships within peer groups either by excluding and isolating girls from the group or by damaging their reputation. Research is showing that the outcome of relational aggression can be loss of self-esteem, school avoidance or more serious psychological damage leading to mental illness (Rigby, 2005; Owens et al., 2000). Within a school setting valuable learning time is taken up dealing with the disputes of relational aggression. The aim of this research was to use group processes to provide some psycho-education to name the conflict that exists and to examine the processes occurring.

A girl’s friendship group of 12 members was invited to take part in four sessions of group work run by school counsellors to examine the nature of the conflict arising in their group and to learn better ways of dealing with this. Positive psychology research indicates that interventions can be successful when the strengths of individuals are articulated and used within a group process (Seligman & Czikszentmihalyi, 2000). The group facilitated open discussion with clear articulation of the problems each experiences, together with attempts to deal with these problems. The process of developing pro-social skills, empathy and effective conflict resolution skills has resulted in greater emotional literacy of the girls in this group and the girls report being empowered to deal with conflict.
Using whole-word multimedia software to support literacy acquisition: A comparison with traditional books
Authors: Karemaker Arjette , Pitchford Nicola J. , O’Malley Claire
Published: January 2023

In the UK, literacy instruction is widely supported by computer software programs aimed to improve literacy skills. However relatively few systematic studies have been conducted to date to investigate whether these programs are effective in supporting literacy acquisition. Programs range in nature from those supporting the acquisition of phonic reading skills to those focussing on promoting recognition of whole-words in context. Whilst phonic skills have been shown to be critical for successful reading acquisition, less is known about how promoting orthographic, whole-word, skills relates to literacy success. This study investigated whether whole-word multimedia software (i.e. Oxford Reading Tree for Clicker) facilitates literacy acquisition. We explored whether ‘Clicker’ accelerated early reading acquisition relative to ‘Big Book’ traditional teaching methods. Two groups of children (N = 27), aged 5–6 years, that were reading at a typical level for their age were drawn from two classes within the same school. Each group received instruction with each of two books from the Oxford Reading Tree scheme, using either ‘Clicker’ or traditional printed texts. Instruction was delivered to each group over five one-hour sessions over the course of a week. The order of presentation of instruction was counterbalanced across groups. Performance on tests of written word recognition, oral word reading, and tests of phonological awareness, was measured pre and post each week of instruction. Results showed significant gains in oral reading skill after each method of instruction. However, only after instruction with ‘Clicker’ were significant gains in word recognition and rhyme awareness observed, and only after instruction with ‘Big Book’ were significant gains in graphemic awareness found. We suggest the multimedia features of highlighting words and an auditory cue, built into the Clicker software, support the acquisition of written word recognition and rhyming skills, respectively.
Developing the practice of educational psychologists through theory and research
Authors: Solity Jonathan , Shapiro Laura R.
Published: January 2023

Recent research in literacy acquisition has generated detailed programs for teaching phonological awareness. The current paper will address three issues that follow from this research. Firstly, much of the past research has been conducted under conditions that are divorced from the classroom. As a result, it is not known whether the suggested teaching strategies will lead to an increase in children’s attainments when integrated into a broad reading curriculum implemented by teachers in mainstream classrooms. Secondly, these phonological interventions have been designed either to prevent the occurrence of reading difficulties or to meet the needs of failing readers. Therefore, it is not known whether the same methods would advantage all children. Thirdly, teaching children to read takes a minimum of two to three academic years. We therefore need to develop a reading curriculum that can provide the progression and differentiation to meet a wide range of needs over several academic years.

We report two studies that have addressed these issues through monitoring the impact of a reading curriculum, implemented by teachers, which integrated children’s acquisition of phonological skills with broader aspects of teaching reading over three academic years. The attainments of children at all levels of ability in the experimental group were raised relative to controls, and importantly, these gains were maintained after the intervention was withdrawn. These results demonstrate that phonological awareness training can be successfully integrated into real classroom contexts and that the same methods raised the attainments of normally developing children, as well as those at risk of reading failure.
Developing an intervention for pupils with writing difficulties: Conceptualisation and analysis
Authors: Dunsmuir Sandra , Thomas Claire , May Rebecca , Monroe Joyce , Roiter Tamara , Wellman Simon
Published: January 2023

This study involved evaluating the success of a writing programme that was delivered to 91 pupils in eight urban primary schools. This involved a partial replication of an intervention demonstrated by Berningeret al.(2002) to be effective at improving both spelling and composing. The intervention comprised phonemic awareness training, an element designed to support the development of compositional skills through teacher scaffolding and a cued spelling strategy. Pupils were randomly allocated to an experimental group and a waiting list control group. Sessions of 50 minutes duration were delivered four times a week for 10 weeks to Year 4 children experiencing difficulties in writing. Pre and post measures of the children’s written expression, spelling, metacognition, self perception as a writer and teachers’ attitude towards the children were obtained. The results indicated that, although there was an improvement in the children’s written expression, spelling and metacognitive skills, there was no significant difference in this improvement between the intervention and control groups. Some children, however, made greater progress than others. The factors that predicted which children were likely to make the best progress with writing compositional skills were Year 3 optional Standard Assesment Task (SAT) results, vocabulary score, teacher assessment of the pupil’s attitude to writing and spelling ability. Significantly fewer pupils in the experimental group obtained standard scores that either declined or stayed static following the intervention, when compared to the waiting list control group. The implications in terms of conducting evaluative studies and organization and delivery of interventions are discussed.
Young people growing up in rural communities: Opportunities for educational psychologists to work with emerging adults
Authors: Hayton Rachel
Published: January 2023

In this paper consideration is given to issues affecting young people growing up in rural communities. Aspects of young people’s identity and aspiration are explored from a psychological perspective. Suggestions are then offered which may inform the thinking and practice of educational psychologists working across adolescence and early adulthood, particularly around post-school transition. It is suggested that using positive psychology to look at the successful elements of transition could be a way of empowering young people to help themselves.
Play, narrative and learning in education: A biocultural perspective
Authors: Jarvis Pam
Published: January 2023

A substantial body of research suggests that both teachers and students frequently find teaching and learning within the confines of the English National Curriculum a frustrating and alienating experience (Wood, 2004). Interviews were undertaken in five English secondary schools to explore aspects of both teacher and student constructions of the teaching and learning process. The resulting thematically analysed data supported Wood’s (2004, p.371) proposals of ‘impoverished’ learning. It is subsequently proposed that if we view human beings as ‘storying animals’ (Lyle, 2000, p.55) making sense of their world through cohesive narratives within Wittgensteinian ‘language games’ (Wittgenstein, 1953) via collaborative play and discovery activities, we can more readily define problems emerging from heavy reliance upon ‘transmission’ teaching practices resulting from the demands of the English National Curriculum. It is proposed that such a pedagogy does not adequately recognise human primate styles of learning, in particular the need for to-be-learned material to be embedded within cohesive narratives.
The effects of accuracy feedback during a text comprehension test
Authors: Golke Stefanie , Dörfler Tobias , Artelt Cordula
Published: January 2023

The aim of this experimental study was to investigate the effects of accuracy feedback on text comprehension. A total of 198 sixth-grade students (M = 11.78 years; 50% girls) participated in the computerised experiment in which an accuracy feedback condition (treatment group) was contrasted with a feedback-free condition (control group). Results showed that the overall performance of the control and treatment group children did not differ, neither as part of the dynamic test nor in a subsequent post-test. Measures based on Rasch model estimates were introduced to evaluate the effects of accuracy feedback on item-level performance indicating potential benefits of accuracy feedback. Implications for applying feedback on text comprehension in assessment settings are discussed.
A group for the parents and carers of children with severe intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour
Authors: Hames Annette , Rollings Chris
Published: January 2023

There is evidence for the effectiveness of parent–training programmes in improving parents’ mental wellbeing and parenting skills and their perceptions of their children’s behaviour. Group-based parent-training programmes are regarded as particularly cost-effective, though need to be supplemented with individualised work for highly-stressed families, and there is little evidence for their long-term effectiveness. There have been no evaluations of such programmes for parents of children with intellectual disabilities. This paper describes the content and long-term evaluation of a group-based parent-training programme for parents and carers of children with severe and complex learning disabilities, presenting with challenging behaviour.

The programme uses videotaped modelling of children with their parents and teachers, with feedback from the group facilitators and other parents in the group. Parents often join groups expressing feelings of loneliness and guilt and with little confidence in their parenting skills. A postal evaluation questionnaire to parents who had attended groups over an eight-year period identified that 64 per cent thought that the groups had made a difference to their children’s behaviour and almost 90 per cent thought that the groups had made a difference to them. Most commonly, parents reported that the groups helped them to feel less alone. Inspection of referral rates to the local clinical psychology service indicated that only 31 per cent of parents who attended groups, subsequently required any further individual help with behaviour. It is hypothesised that the groups were particularly popular and effective as they reduced social isolation of carers.
The development of a sense of identity in deaf adolescents in mainstream schools
Authors: Hardy Julia
Published: January 2023

This study posed the question, ‘What awareness and ideas do adolescents (age 13 to 16) with severe and profound hearing loss, attending mainstream schools, have about their developing deaf identity?’ Semi-structured interviews with 11 pupils were videotaped and transcribed. All the pupils were educated for the majority of their time with hearing peers, with exposure to Signed Supported English (SSE) at school, but all their parents were hearing. The interview transcripts were analysed using Grounded Theory methodology, which produced a local theory about the development of deaf identity for this specific group. The codes were grouped into broad categories: facts about deafness; facts about adolescence; feelings and thoughts about deafness; perspective on inclusion; perspective on disability; family issues; friendships; school issues. The emergent core variable in this study of deaf identity was group alignment. The analysis proposed that ease or difficulties with communication, together with the pupils’ previous experiences of friendship and current preferences, combine in influencing their choices regarding group alignment. The pupils identified themselves within one of three groups: deaf aligned, hearing aligned or the ‘bridge between two worlds’.
Video Interaction Guidance as a method to promote secure attachment
Authors: Kennedy Hilary , Landor Miriam , Todd Liz
Published: January 2023

This paper discusses Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) as a highly effective intervention to help develop secure attachment between parents and young children. What is important in bringing about change is shown to be a focus not on the behaviours of child or infant by themselves, or on the parent’s internal understanding or representation of attachment, but rather on the interactional relationship between them. Theoretical ideas underlying both VIG and attachment theory are drawn upon to explain this. Research evidence relating to interventions that focus on concerns of attachment, that are relationship-based, or that focus on parent sensitivity or video feedback, and those looking at the effectiveness of VIG itself, are discussed. A tentative conclusion is drawn from a pilot study that VIG has been successful in increasing maternal sensitivity as measured by the CARE-Index when compared with a control group (Robertson & Kennedy, 2009). It is proposed that VIG is a sensitivity-focused intervention where the underlying theory of ‘intersubjectivity’ permeates the method at every level, from the selection of clips of attuned interaction, and the therapeutic learning process in the shared review, to the supervision of guiders delivering the intervention.

‘Considered developmentally, the field of interventions to enhance early attachments might be viewed as adolescent.’(Berlin, 2007, p.25)
Students’ perceptions of their school environments and the relationship with educational outcomes
Authors: Edgerton Edward , McKechnie Jim , McEwen Sharon
Published: January 2023

In recent years there has been a substantial investment in the school estate within the UK. This investment has been accompanied by a debate on the quality of these new school buildings and the role that they may have within the education system. The view taken in this paper is that this debate is constrained by the paucity of research on school environments and the subsequent lack of an effective evidence base. In order to address this problem, this study aims to understand and measure how secondary school students perceive their physical school environments and identify how these perceptions relate to key educational outcomes. Data was collected through a combination of focus groups and a large scale survey of three different year groups of students across seven secondary schools in Scotland. The results indicated that students’ perceptions of their physical school environment are related to key educational outcomes and the way in which they interact with their environment. However, the findings also indicate the danger of considering school students as a homogenous group. The implication of these findings for understanding the impact of school environments will be discussed.
The ‘late effects’ of paediatric brain tumours and the implications for education settings
Authors: Satariano Stephanie
Published: January 2023

Aims:

The survival rates of childhood brain tumours are increasing, with a larger proportion of children surviving five years or more. Although a fortunate and intended outcome, this presents a range of difficulties that must be addressed by the community, including education settings. The focus of this review is to increase awareness and understanding of the difficulties faced by such children, with an emphasis on their inclusion in an educational setting and the facilitative role of an educational psychologist.

Methods:

To provide a greater appreciation of the complexity of the situation, research and literature in this area was thoroughly reviewed. The paper outlines a review of the aetiology of late effects and the range of late effects presented amongst brain tumour survivors, and concludes with a review of interventions and suggested next steps relevant to education settings, as well as future researchers.

Findings:

The research is clear: tumour-related late effects have a wide-ranging impact. Childhood brain tumour survivors experience changes and difficulties in the areas of neurocognition, as well as in social, emotional, physical and environmental domains, all of which impact their development and wellbeing. Furthermore, there is a negative association between time since diagnosis and overall adjustment patterns, which is a key consideration point for education settings. Interestingly, there is a high degree of heterogeneity amongst survivors’ developmental trajectories for which educators must account within the framework of typical developmental, so as to provide adequate support and promote their development and wellbeing.
Children’s progress in solving figural analogies: Are outcomes of dynamic testing helpful for teachers?
Authors: Touw Kirsten , Vogelaar Bart , Verdel Roel , Bakker Merel , Resing Wilma
Published: January 2023

Background:

Static test results reflect what children have learned up to the moment of testing. Dynamic tests, on the other hand, aim to examine children’s potential for learning. The information obtained during dynamic testing has the potential to be helpful for teachers. However, studies examining the opinion of teachers regarding the usefulness of dynamic testing outcomes are scarce.

Aim:

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the advantages of dynamic testing for education. We aimed to provide insight into the potential for learning of first grade children in weak and strong functioning groups, as indicated by the teacher. The present study also sought to provide teachers with dynamic test results to enable individualised educational practices for the participating children.

Rationale/approach:

Thirty children, either weakly or strongly performing in the classroom were tested dynamically by means of a pre-test, two training sessions, and a post-test. This procedure enabled a detailed examination of children’s learning processes while solving figural analogies. The practical value of dynamic testing was examined by asking teachers and educational consultants to what extent the dynamic test outcomes could contribute to instruction plans.

Findings/conclusion:

The children in the weak functioning group scored, on average, lower on the figural analogies test than children in the strong functioning group. Both groups, however, benefited similarly from the training. Individual differences in reasoning progress and the type and number of prompts needed during training were also found in both groups. Children’s scholastic achievement scores and teacher ratings of school performance were both related to an equal extent to the dynamic and static test measures of the dynamic test. Lastly, the evaluations of the teachers supported the view that dynamic test results can have practical value for education.
‘Forest School is muddy and I like it’: Perspectives of young children with autism spectrum disorders, their parents and educational professionals
Authors: Bradley Katherine , Male Dawn
Published: January 2023

Background:

Forest School was introduced in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe in the 1950s and became a part of the Danish Early Years curriculum in the 1980s as a way of supporting children to understand the natural world while learning academic and practical skills. Since the introduction of the first Forest School in the United Kingdom (UK) in the early 1990s its popularity has been increasing.

Method:

The context of the study was an inner city special school catering for children with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties or autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The aim was to explore the views of young children with ASD, parents and educational professionals about their Forest School experience. Four children, their parents and two educational professionals participated. All of the children had a primary diagnosis of ASD and additional severe learning difficulties. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out.

Findings:

Common themes which emerged were learning outcomes and the benefits of engaging in challenge and risk-taking. Additional common themes were experiencing success (parents/professionals) and the opportunity to make friends (children). When asked how Forest School made them feel the children were able to articulate or depict a range of subtly differentiated emotions.

Conclusions:

The indications from this small-scale, exploratory study are that Forest School has the potential to offer positive academic, social and practical experiences to young children with ASD. The need for larger scale research is indicated and the employment of flexible and creative methodologies is recommended.
The SEN label and its effect on special education
Authors: Algraigray Hatim , Boyle Christopher
Published: January 2023

Aim:

This article aims to explore whether labelling children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities is still helpful or whether this leads to more discrimination, exclusion and stigmatisation, according to Becker’s labelling theory.

Method:

Based on reviewing Special Educational Needs literature, this study begins with an exploration of advantages of assigning labels to children and young people with Special Educational Needs, such as determining appropriate provision and extra support. Also, it investigates the tendency of Special Educational Needs labels to negatively affect individuals in various ways such as their educational and employment futures. By considering labelling theory, this paper considers a crucial question in just who has the power to establish and assign labels to children and young people with Special Educational Needs or disabilities?

Findings:

In a succinct way, findings indicate that conceptualising disability and impairment according to medical and social models allows professionals to classify people with SEN according to normalising judgements of diagnosis and identification.

Conclusion:

The paper concludes that the drawbacks of SEN labelling seem to outweigh its advantages. Thus, it suggests to change the current label to be more alleviated and harmless.
Closing the attainment gap: Collaboration between schools in Sierra Leone
Authors: Mason Miriam , Galloway David , Joyce-Gibbons Andrew
Published: January 2023

Background

UK government policy views collaboration with outstanding schools as a way of helping apparently less successful schools to close the attainment gap. However, there has been little debate about criteria for defining a school’s success or failure. Moreover it is unclear which aspects of outstanding schools could readily transfer to other schools. These questions applied when EducAid, an NGO with schools for disadvantaged children in Sierra Leone, was asked to provide a programme of workshops for teachers in neighbouring schools.

Aims

(i) To establish whether EducAid’s results justified agreeing to the request; (ii) To identify key features of EducAid schools that could be transferable to neighbouring schools; (iii) To propose key features of an evaluation.

Methods

Collection of national and local data and analysis of key features of EducAid schools that could, and could not, transfer to other schools.

Findings

The limited available data supported a decision that EducAid schools should offer workshops for other schools. Key components of the programme are identified, with a design including an ambitious evaluation framework.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first time that teachers in successful schools have been asked to provide a structured programme of workshops for teachers in neighbouring schools. Discussion focuses on the challenge of inter-school collaboration in a low-income country. This includes the tension between the models of pedagogy and interpersonal relations promoted in the CPD and the constraints imposed by the public examination system.