bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing and teaching children who have difficulty learning arithmetic
Authors: Gervasoni Ann , Sullivan Peter
Published: January 2023

Arithmetic difficulties have long captured the attention of teachers and researchers, but intervention programs for assisting children are seldom successful for all. Recent Australian research suggests that this is because we have failed to recognise the complexity of arithmetic difficulties. Analysis of some 30,000 oneon-one clinical interviews conducted over three years during the Early Numeracy Research Project provided rich data for charting the pathway of young children’s number learning in four domains (Counting, Place Value, Addition and Subtraction Strategies, and Multiplication and Division Strategies), and for identifying children who were having difficulty. We describe such children as being vulnerable or at risk of not being able to take advantage of everyday classroom experiences. The data show that the combinations of domains in which children were vulnerable were diverse, and suggest that there is no single ‘formula’ for describing children who are vulnerable in number learning, or for describing the instructional needs of students. Indeed, children have learning needs that call for teachers to make individual decisions about the instructional approach for each child. Further, the diversity of children’s mathematical knowledge in the four domains suggests that knowledge in any one domain is not necessarily prerequisite for knowledge construction in another domain. This finding has implications for both intervention programs and for the way in which school mathematics is introduced to children. It seems likely that children may benefit from concurrent learning opportunities in all number domains, and that experiences in one domain should not be delayed until a level of mathematical knowledge is constructed in another domain.
Assessing pupil knowledge of the sequential structure of numbers
Authors: Ellemor-Collins David , Wright Robert
Published: January 2023

Research on children’s mental strategies for multidigit addition and subtraction identifies two categories of strategy. Collections-based strategies involve partitioning numbers into tens and ones, and can be modeled with base-ten materials. Sequence-based strategies involve keeping one number whole, and using the sequential structure of numbers. They can be modeled as jumps on an empty number line. Studies have found sequence-based strategies to be more successful, and to correlate with more robust arithmetic knowledge, particularly among low-attaining pupils. Studies also suggest that sequence-based strategies and sequential structure are not explicitly developed in many primary mathematics classrooms. This report draws on results from a three-year project which has the goal of developing pedagogical tools for intervention in the number learning of low-attaining 3rd- and 4th-graders (8- to 10-year-olds). These tools include assessment tasks to inform intervention. The report focuses on four groups of assessment tasks that collectively enable documenting in detail, pupils’ knowledge of the sequential structure of numbers. Tasks and pupils’ responses are described in detail. Some examples follow. When asked to count back from 52, pupils said, ‘52, 51, 40, 49, 48, and so on’. When asked to count back by tens from 336, pupils had difficulty continuing after 326. Thus teen numbers in the hundreds (316) presented particular difficulties. Pupils had difficulty saying the number that is ten less than 306. Pupils had difficulty with locating the numbers 50, 25, 62 and 98 on a number line on which zero and 100 were marked. The report provides insight into assessing knowledge of sequential structure and argues that this is important basic number knowledge.
Teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and the implementation of practices around the teaching of writing in inclusive middle years’ classrooms: No quick fix
Authors: Moni Karen B. , Jobling Anne , van Kraayenoord Christina E. , Elkins John , Miller Robyn , Koppenhaver David
Published: January 2023

This article examines teachers’ knowledge and attitudes and their implementation of practices around the teaching of writing to students with developmental disabilities and learning difficulties in inclusive classrooms in the middle years (Years 6 to 9). As part of a larger study undertaken in Queensland, Australia, we used evidence from a range of data sources to argue that teachers have knowledge about learners in the middle years, about the abilities and needs of students with developmental disabilities and learning difficulties, and support inclusive philosophies and practices. However, it is evident that this knowledge and these attitudes do not necessarily lead to the implementation of inclusive practices that are responsive to individual students. The findings from this study revealed that it was difficult for teachers to use and sustain practices around the teaching of writing that effectively included students with developmental disabilities and learning difficulties. Specifically, teachers know and understand the abilities and needs of their students, and have positive beliefs about inclusive education, but struggle to implement the practices of differentiated instruction that respond to these students as individuals. Reasons for this knowledge/attitude–practice gap are suggested.
Special teaching for special children? Pedagogies for inclusion
Authors: Lewis Ann , Norwich Brahm
Published: January 2023

This paper considers one of the most basic and perplexing questions in the education of learners with disabilities and difficulties: how specialised is the teaching of this group? This is a highly significant international question for the current context of education policy and practice. Centrally prescribed curricula in many countries are supposed to be inclusive of those with disabilities and difficulties. There has been a growing awareness of the need for universalising curricula; however, there have been few attempts to clarify the nature, rationale and evidence base for particular modifications. In this paper, we summarise the findings that have emerged from two successive strands of critique focused on our opening question: first, a review and conceptual analysis of relevant literature and second, a series of critical reviews across different special educational needs areas that built on the prior work by widening the scope of coverage. We argue that research-led understanding and explication of ‘special’ pedagogies need to integrate teacher knowledge (about learning processes and about the nature of disability), curriculum and pedagogic strategy.
Analysing and interpreting spoken discourse: Educational psychologists as reflexive practitioners
Authors: Pomerantz Kathryn Anne
Published: January 2023

This paper proposes the need for educational psychologists to develop tools to assist us in viewing educational practice and our role as research-practitioners within it differently. In order to promote the rights of children and to reconstruct our professional identities, we need to embrace approaches that enable us to become critical social psychologists and reflexive practitioners. Where better to start than by looking at the very nature of discourse itself? This article outlines the main approaches to analysing and interpreting spoken discourse and the applications of these approaches. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis is upheld as one approach that encourages reflexive practice.
Emotional literacy and the ecology of school wellbeing
Authors: Roffey Sue
Published: January 2023

School connectedness is increasingly identified as significant for enhancing young people’s resilience, prosocial behaviour and learning outcomes (Benard, 2001; Libbey, 2004; Cunningham, 2007). Connectedness encompasses how students feel at school, their participation and engagement with learning, and the quality of the relationships they experience (Bond et al., 2001; Whitlock, 2006). Emotional literacy is defined here as relational values and competencies at individual and whole school levels, and as such is the basis of relational quality and social capital.

This paper is based on a qualitative research project exploring processes and practices in six Australian schools. These schools, across ages and sectors, were promoting values of respect, acceptance and care, and actively working to develop emotionally literate learning environments.

An eco-systemic analysis of the data illustrates how elements of school systems interact with others over time to create school wellbeing. This highlights what is both useful and challenging in promoting and sustaining good practice in developing a caring school ethos. The findings include the centrality of the vision, skills and resilience of school leaders, a focus on valuing each member of the school community, the development of a positive discourse and high relational expectations. Positive changes in school culture are maintained by shared relational values, a belief in inclusive practices and by maximum ownership by the whole school community in the change process. Sustainability is threatened by negativity from members of staff who may perceive the leader’s vision for students as counter to their own wellbeing.
Using embedded words to kick-start phonological awareness in a seven-year-old child with persistent phonological difficulties
Authors: Phillips Laura , James Deborah
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to determine if using embedded words in a speech and language intervention could help a seven-year-old boy with persistent phonological difficulties to segment words into syllables. Single subject research design was carried out with pre and post intervention assessments. Intervention consisted of twelve, 60 minute, individual speech and language therapy sessions over a six-week period. Assessment prior to the onset of therapy showed that the participant had no awareness of linguistic units at syllable, onset/rime or phoneme level. The intervention consisted of an identification task where short words, like gate, were embedded in longer words, like alligator. The results showed that there were significant improvements in syllable segmentation at the end of therapy and this improvement was maintained after a period of 3 months during which time no speech and language therapy was given. There were additional signi ficant improvements in phonological awareness at the onset/rime level and significant improvements in word finding ability. Conclusions are that more research is needed on the effectiveness of interventions for children who have persistent difficulties with the phonologically-based aspects of speech, language and literacy.
Defining reading disorders and evaluating reading interventions: Perspectives from the response to intervention model
Authors: Duff Fiona J.
Published: January 2023

Following a well-documented dissatisfaction with the IQ-discrepancy method of defining reading disability, an alternative approach has emerged in the United States. The present article provides an introduction to the Response to Intervention (RTI) model and its conceptualisation of reading disorder. A complementary strand to this research concerns the exploration of individual variations in response to reading interventions, with a particular emphasis on children who fail to benefit from treatment. The prevalence and characteristics of such treatment nonresponders will be outlined, and implications for practice will be discussed.
Issues in the development of a homosexual identity: Practice implications for educational psychologists
Authors: Robertson Lucy , Monsen Jeremy
Published: January 2023

‘Sexual identity’ has been defined by Savin-Williams (1995b) as ‘… the enduring sense of oneself as a sexual being which fits a culturally created category and accounts for one’s sexual fantasies, attractions and behaviours’ (p.166). This paper considers some of the ways that an individual arrives at his or her own unique sexual identity. It explores some of the implications for young people of developing a gay, lesbian or bisexual sexual identity and discusses the possible role that educational psychologists (or similar practitioners) may have in challenging some of the causes of the psychological damage endured by gay, lesbian and bisexual young people.
Play, cognition and self-regulation: What exactly are children learning when they learn through play?
Authors: Whitebread David , Coltman Penny , Jameson Helen , Lander Rachel
Published: January 2023

This paper explores the particular aspects of learning which might be supported through playful activity and reviews research and theory which link children’s play, and particularly pretence or symbolic play, to the development of metacognitive and self-regulatory skills.

Three studies are reported, one observational and two experimental, which have explored this relationship. The observational study involved the video-recording of 582 metacognitive or self-regulatory ‘events’ within Foundation Stage settings. The two experimental studies replicated in different learning domains the classic study of Sylva, Bruner and Genova (1976), which contrasted the problem-solving performance of 3- to 5-year-old children who had experienced a ‘taught’ and ‘play’ condition.

Evidence from the present studies reported and other studies supports the view that play, and particularly pretence or symbolic play, which might be with objects or other children, is particularly significant in its contribution to the development of children as metacognitively skilful, self-regulated learners. Evidence from the observational study indicated that child-initiated playful activities, in small groups without adult supervision, supported the greatest proportion of self-regulatory behaviours. The experimental studies suggested that the experience of the ‘play’ condition was particularly effective in preparing the children for effortful, problem-solving or creative tasks which require a high level of metacognitive and self-regulatory skill.

Metacognitive and self-regulatory development is crucially important in the development of academic skills which involve intentional learning, problem-solving and creativity. An understanding of the relationship between pretend or symbolic play and self-regulation is also helpful in providing clear guidelines for adults working with young children as regards their role in supporting and encouraging play in educational contexts.
‘Don’t enter – it’s dangerous’: Negotiations for power and exclusion in pre-school girls’ play interactions
Authors: Evaldsson Ann-Carita , Tellgren Britt
Published: January 2023

Instead of focussing on the implications of children’s play for individual development, this study explores children’s play participation and their appropriation of cultural resources, as collective cultural productions. In short, we are interested in the communicative competencies involved in the collective processes of social exclusion in girls’ play, and how these processes are part of children’s emerging peer culture and their place in the adult world. Data are drawn from ethnographic research in children’s peer groups in a pre-school setting in Sweden. The approach taken combines ethnography with studies of talk-in-interaction. As demonstrated the girls in foci display complex communicative competencies (rejections of request for access, oppositions, ignorance, justifications, directives). In addition, the girls creatively draw on cultural resources provided by the organistion of the play activity (pretend characters, play-script, etc.) to build social hierarchies, strengthen alignments of power, claim authoritative stances, casting some peer group members into more subordinate positions and excluding others. In so doing, the girls creatively appropriate educational agendas and institutional rules of conduct, creating a locally shared peer culture, through appropriation and resistance, in the midst of play episodes.
Obtaining the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties
Authors: Harding Emma
Published: January 2023

Obtaining the views of children including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and involving them in decisions surrounding their life and learning has become an increasingly relevant issue. Enabling ‘every child’ to make a positive contribution is high on the list of government priorities. However, work in the complicated area of establishing the views of children with more severe and complex needs such as those with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) appears to be in its initial and investigative stages and there is an apparent dearth of literature in this area.

This review presents the available literature in an attempt to explore the extent to which it is possible to ascertain the views of children with PMLD. A comprehensive literature search revealed two main themes within the literature incorporating the ethical and conceptual issues associated with ascertaining/not ascertaining the views of children with PMLD and the methods and tools that are effective in accessing the views of children with PMLD.

There is an apparent need for more research to establish effective ways to enable the views of children with PMLD to be heard. EPs are well placed to become involved in enabling children to have a voice in decisions surrounding their education at many levels and a number of implications for EP practice are included in the review.
Who goes to SLD schools in England? A follow-up study
Authors: Male Dawn B. , Rayner Matthew
Published: January 2023

This paper describes the results of a national survey of schools for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) in England which aimed to obtain a profile of the characteristics of children and young people attending these schools. It is a follow-up to a previous study conducted by Male (1996). A postal questionnaire was sent to head teachers of all SLD schools in England which sought to elicit their perceptions as to the proportion of pupils in their schools with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), life limiting conditions and challenging behaviours. Head teachers were also asked to supply information about pupil numbers, proportions of boys to girls, staff numbers and characteristics. One-hundred-and-sixty-seven head teachers replied, giving a 52 per cent response rate, representing in excess of 10,000 pupils. The results indicated perceived increases in the number of pupils with PMLD, ASD, life-limiting conditions and those showing challenging behaviours. Teacher: pupil ratios appear to have remained stable over time but TA numbers relative to pupil numbers have increased. The proportion of teachers in SLD schools possessing relevant additional qualifications appears to be decreasing. A particular challenge identified by head teachers was the increasing need to cater for a widening ability range of pupils.
Integrating evidence-based behavioural teaching methods into education for children with autism
Authors: Grindle Corinna F. , Hastings Richard P. , Saville Maria , Carl Hughes J. , Kovshoff Hanna , Huxley Kathleen
Published: January 2023

An educational provision for young children with autism that offers intensive behavioural intervention based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), within an early years mainstream school setting in the UK, is described. The ABA Class at Westwood School is a collaborative project between the School of Psychology, Bangor University, two Local Education Authorities in North East Wales (Flintshire and Wrexham) and the local NHS Trust. Using two case examples, two important features of mainstream education for children with autism are considered: access to the National Curriculum, and inclusion with peers in mainstream settings. Standardised test data on outcomes for these children over the initial 12 months of their educational placements are also provided.
Relationship influences on students’ academic achievement, psychological health and well-being at school
Authors: Murray-Harvey Rosalind
Published: January 2023

A generally accepted indicator of the quality of a student’s experience of school is academic performance but other indicators that include psychological health and social/emotional adjustment have also been shown to have an impact. For this study, data were collected from both students and teachers about students’ social/emotional adjustment and academic achievement and motivation. Data were obtained for 888 students across Years 5 to 9 from 58 classes in 21 South Australia schools. Students reported through a questionnaire on the extent to which they perceived relationships with family, peers and teachers as sources of stress or support at school; their psychological health; feelings about and sense of belonging to school; and their academic performance. Teachers reported on randomly selected students in each of their classes regarding their Academic Achievement and Motivation, and their Social/Emotional Adjustment to school. The significant associations revealed from correlation analysis between the Relationship, Psychological Health, and Social Adjustment variables, and Academic Performance were further investigated using path analysis. This analysis confirmed the strength of the connection between the student’s social/emotional and academic experience of school, and highlighted that both academic and social/emotional outcomes are unambiguously influenced by the quality of the relationships between teachers and students which, when compared with that of family and peers, exert the strongest influence, on well-being and achievement outcomes for students.
Measuring attachment in large populations: A systematic review
Authors: Lim Kim , Corlett Lauren , Thompson Lucy , Law James , Wilson Philip , Gillberg Christopher , Minnis Helen
Published: January 2023

Objective:Measures of attachment for use in non-specialist settings where limited time is available for assessment, or for large study populations, have eluded researchers. This systematic review summarises measures of infant-parent attachment validated against the Strange Situation Procedure and evaluates the practicalities of their use in non-specialist settings and large scale studies.

Method:We searched multiple bibliographic databases to identify references (from 1 January 1966) describing measures of attachment. Six alternative measures of attachment were identified. When the logistics of these measures were evaluated, none were suitable for use in a large scale study or non-specialist settings.

Conclusion:There are no measures in current usage suitable for the measurement of attachment in infants in non-specialist settings or in large scale studies and there is a need to develop such a measure.
Enhancing the attachment relationship: A prenatal perspective
Authors: Rackett Penelope , Holmes Bjarne M.
Published: January 2023

There is now a wealth of research to validate Bowlby’s (1969) idea that the attachment relationship is crucial to development (for a review, see Schore, 2001). In particular, we know from longitudinal studies just how damaging the insecure attachment relationship can be, above all when it is disorganised (e.g. Dutra et al., 2009; Lyons-Ruth & Jacobvitz, 2009). From this increased understanding of long-term harm has come a desire to develop and implement programmes that impact as early as possible on the infant-carer relationship. Although it is debatable whether the word ‘attachment’ can be applied during pregnancy in strict Bowlbian terms (Walsh, 2009), there are an increasing number of studies that indicate how vital the prenatal period is to the future development of the attachment relationship. This article provides a review of current antenatal assessment and interventions, exploring what is being measured and which factors in antenatal care are conducive to enhancing the post-birth attachment relationship. There is a clear role here for educational psychologists: the profession deals with the consequences of insecure attachment on a daily basis but there is also an opportunity to be engaged in truly preventative work.
Maltreated children: Finding the right attachment relationship
Authors: Minnis Helen , Bryce Graham
Published: January 2023

Maltreated children are at high risk of both family and school-based difficulties which may be related to emotional and behavioural problems. New research on brain development and attachment has demonstrated that these difficulties may be rooted in maltreatment that occurred during the first few months and years of life. Interventions likely to prevent these difficulties throughout the life-course need, therefore, to be targeted at this early stage of development. This paper describes an intervention developed in New Orleans that aims to provide intensive assessment and intervention to families in which a child has been maltreated in order to give the family the best chance of having the child returned. A group of clinicians and social workers in Glasgow are attempting to implement and test the intervention in the Scottish context.
Built-in: Meaning and the reproduction of socio-historical characteristics in public schools buildings in the US
Authors: Durán-Narucki Valkiria
Published: January 2023

The aim of this article is to prompt thinking about the complex role of the built environment of the school to academic outcomes and to the reduction of social disparities. To this end the paper explores the issue of the condition of public school buildings expanding from traditional empirical research to include a sociohistorical perspective. The benefits of using ecological psychology are described in conjunction with sociohistorical analysis to understand the role of the built environment of the school in academic outcomes.

Inspiration for this paper comes from the work of the author’s advisor and mentor, Susan C. Seagert.
Space Makers or Space Cadets? Exploring children’s perceptions of space and place in the context of a Dublin primary school
Authors: Loxley Andrew , O’Leary Barry , Minton Stephen James
Published: January 2023

This paper discusses two interconnected themes: (1) the variegated role of space in primary school architecture; and (2), the perception of this space as a lived phenomenon from the perspective of pupils. In this context, space is not seen as being synonymous with the physical properties of a school (although this does exert an influence), but as an ‘active ingredient’ through which a particular social order is produced and sustained. Echoing the work of Lefebvre’s (1991) triadic conceptualisation of space, Markus’s (1993) meshing of architecture and power (via Foucault, 1991a, 1991b), certain extensions of ecological/ecosystemic theories of child and adolescent development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Deboutte et al., 2006; Deklerck et al., 2003), and Burke and Grosvenor (2008) on pedagogic practices and space, we argue that space, far from being a Cartesian ‘bucket’ to contain social action, is a fundamental dimension of any teaching and learning environment. More specifically, what we refer to as ‘space’ is structured (i.e. produced and organised) by the social actions of agents (pupils, teachers, parents and administrative staff) within the school environment, which is refracted back onto these agents and, in turn, structures them. By applying a predominately visually-orientated methodological approach, namely graphic elicitation and participant-generated images, the study focused on a cohort of 17 pupils in a senior primary school in Dublin. The discussion of the data explored how the pupils categorised space(s) in the primary school environment, and how their act of ‘structuring the structure’ generated complex and competing meanings. The results of this visual study indicated that it was pupils who maintained the power to appropriate spatial and social relations, creating possibilities of performance, repetition and regulation, contest and conflict within the school environment. Discussions of these results directed learning towards conceptions of space as a subject of ineluctable importance in educational and psychological research.
Creating an individualised learning situation using scaffolding in a tangible electronic series completion task
Authors: Henning Julia R. , Verhaegh Janneke , Resing Wilma C.M.
Published: January 2023

We present an exploratory experimental study investigating an adaptive form of scaffolding implemented in an electronic tangible console (TagTiles) to test children dynamically. Fifteen children, 7- to 9-years-old, participated in an exploratory experiment consisting of three trials. The participants were placed in one of two conditions: the treatment condition received scaffolds during the second and third test trial, whereas the control condition only received scaffolds in the third trial. The task the children had to execute was a visual-spatial series completion task using tangible objects on the console. The type of scaffolding provided was tailored to the type of mistakes that the children made. The console gave prompts (visual, auditory or both) to the children which were based on evaluations of the children’s actions. Results show that children in the treatment group progressed significantly more in their ability to complete levels and needed less time to complete the levels than the control group who received scaffolding only once. However, no significant difference was found in their accuracy and number of moves made. It can be concluded that many children benefit from this type of scaffolding, although practice to understand and use the provided prompts seemed necessary for most children. Findings demonstrate the potential value electronic dynamic testing can have in the future. Extensive pre-testing and refinement of scaffolding procedures is necessary, however, in order to achieve support structures that can be optimally tailored to a child’s specific needs.
Overweight and obese children’s weight-related behaviours and cognitions: Assessment and intervention
Authors: de Sausmarez Eleanor , Dunsmuir Sandra
Published: January 2023

The prevalence of childhood obesity is continuing to rise internationally, with over 30 per cent of children aged 2 to 15 in the UK classed as either overweight or obese. This trend is as a result of unhealthy diets, over-eating and inadequate exercise levels. Being overweight during childhood is a significant risk factor for adult obesity and mortality, and is associated with several medical and psychological co-morbidities in adolescence and adulthood. There are many resources currently available to help promote healthy living in schools, but many children are continuing with unhealthy lifestyles. In light of these concerns, recent attention has been placed on identifying the psychological influences behind unhealthy eating behaviours and weight management practices amongst overweight children. Through investigation into the risk factors behind the unhealthy practices which lead to obesity, the relationships between overweight children’s behaviours and cognitions can be better understood. Some of the known external risk factors for obesity include unhealthy parental behaviours, parental attitude, poor family cohesion and adaptability, low peer status and victimisation. Assessment of these risk factors for obesity in children includes the use of standardised instruments, observations on individual children, and input from parents, teachers and the child themselves. Subsequent planning and evaluation of interventions should be based on clear, agreed assessment information and the views of the child. There should also be a strong focus on input from parents and the school.
Fostering a sense of belonging and community as children start a new school
Authors: Sancho Michelle , Cline Tony
Published: January 2023

Previous research has demonstrated that transfer between schools can have negative effects on children’s learning. Some factors have been identified which influence transfer such as individual motivation, intelligence, and a shift in the focus of goals in the different school settings but little research has addressed how a sense of belonging may contribute to children’s experience of starting a new school. In this study children’s views and experiences were explored through individual interviews after their first few weeks at their new school. The transcripts were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Descriptions of belonging centred on aspects of the new school context which children described as fostering a sense of belonging in them. A model of the process is presented. Peer acceptance emerged as an especially salient factor for participants. The findings have implications for how schools create a sense of belonging and community for new pupils. The analysis also provides some support for the concept of ‘valued involvement’, which is a key element in the model of a sense of belonging developed by Hegarty et al. (1992). However, the children’s accounts of their experiences did not support those authors’ conceptualisation of another key element in their model – the notion of ‘fit’.
Educational psychologists in the community: Supporting parents of children with Down syndrome through times of transition
Authors: Byrnes Zoe
Published: January 2023

The evolution of psychology services in the current climate of change for local authorities (LAs) will lead to a move towards the implementation of creative, collaborative initiatives and ways of engaging with parents.

This paper discusses the role of educational psychologists (EPs) in engaging with parents of children with complex special educational needs (SEN) during times of transition and uncertainty in one LA. The involvement of EPs in early years transition planning is considered as a model of successful parental engagement. The positive outcomes of a collaborative project between the Educational Psychology Service (EPS) and a Down syndrome (DS) support group for parents and carers are presented. The project, undertaken in 2010/11, is referenced as a case study in the SEN and disability green paper (DfE, 2011).

Evaluative comments and project outcomes emphasise the value of providing well co-ordinated and family focused services for children and their families at times of transition. EP partnerships with parent support groups impact positively on parental confidence and support professionals in allaying parental concerns at pivotal moments in children’s lives. Greater parental engagement is currently a key element of service delivery, and it is concluded that there are far-reaching benefits of EPs engaging with parent forums focused on a range of complex SEN. As support services professionals consult on how they can work most effectively to support children and young people and their families, and consider the resulting implications of this for local commissioning and EP service delivery, the outcomes of this work represents a good example.
Educational psychology practice as research: A little regarded aspect of Cyril Burt’s legacy
Authors: Parker Richard
Published: January 2023

The educational psychology profession has repeatedly, and perhaps to little real effect agonised over its purpose and manner of working. This paper wonders whether some of this continuing difficulty may arise from what the profession seems to pay little obvious attention to, an understanding of issues of truth, the nature of the world in which we live and how we can know about it, all of which have clear consequences for how we shape and carry out our professional duties.

In 1964 Sir Cyril Burt, as Patron of the Association of Educational Psychologists, gave a speech to the Association’s conference. In it he covered many aspects of his work, including that which ultimately led to the widely reported and much discussed furore. Hidden deep within this speech is a phrase, which has much significance for the modern profession of applied educational psychology. Burt said: ‘… all my work … was of the nature of research. Even the individual cases … had each to form the subject of a small intensive investigation’.

This article argues that educational psychology work, how it arises and is determined, can be considered through the lens Burt has provided in this short phrase, and that there are strong parallels between effective research practice and appropriate professional applied psychology practice. The aim of this paper is to share this thinking through considering how professional practice can be shaped by our views of what the world is, how we can know about it, what forms of practice that makes available for us, what we choose to do, and what it is to work ethically.
Practising Psychology in Challenging Times: Schools and the Ferguson crisis
Authors: Stiles Deborah A. , Moyer Jeff M. , Brewer Sonja , Klaus Lauren M. , Falconer Jameca , Moss Linda
Published: January 2023

Aim:The United States has seen a recent increase in racial violence in urban communities. This paper described how a Missouri-based graduate program in applied educational and school psychology responded to the shooting and death of Michael Brown on 9 August 2014.

Method:An analysis of available curriculum materials and school responses underline persistent racial and social inequalities that may have exacerbated the riots that followed from the shooting.

Findings:Most of the 54 schools studied did not seem to provide psychologically beneficial responses to the Ferguson crisis. This paper focuses on the schools and individuals who ‘got it right’ by using the crisis as an opportunity for learning, healing, and community building.

Limitations:The sample of schools was a sample of convenience rather than being a representative sample.

Conclusions:Recommendations are made for the application of psychological understanding and schoolwide approaches that could enable open discussion of young people’s own responses to crisis and unrest, be that major disturbances such as that evidenced in Missouri or in other circumstances.
Towards a nurturing city: Promoting positive relations across agencies
Authors: Kearney Maura , Williams Fiona , Doherty Fergal
Published: January 2023

Glasgow Psychological Service (GPS), as part of Glasgow Education Services, has redesigned both its service delivery model and the content of that delivery over the past eight years. With reference to the latter, the values that underpin the framework from which the Service works can be noted as being attachment and strengths based, in particular drawing on the concepts of resilience and actively avoiding the inappropriate labelling of children and young people. Importantly Glasgow Education Services has embraced the GIRFEC agenda (Getting it Right for Every Child – Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, 2014) and the legislative drive to work closely and effectively with our partner agencies in Social Work and Health. In this paper, consideration is given both to the nature of that multi-agency working as well as how a Psychological Service delivers a coherent approach which aspires to the principles of nurture to support the mental health of young people, and what that approach looks like in its applied format.
An examination of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Authors: Oxley Laura
Published: January 2023

Aim:

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the IPA methodology and how this can be used in the field of educational psychology.

Rationale:

Originating in psychology and a popular choice in the health sciences, IPA is not yet a commonly used approach in educational psychology. The use of this methodology is gradually increasing. It is a particularly appropriate method to use for case studies and focusing on the perceived experiences of individuals, which is often relevant within educational research.

Findings:

This article presents an examination of IPA as a methodology, considering the theoretical and epistemological underpinnings.

Limitations:

IPA studies tend to focus only on small samples so there is no generalisability claimed. However, it is intended that, by close examination and metaphorically shining a light on a small area, this may lead to the illumination of the whole.

Conclusions:

The IPA methodology offers an approach that embraces the importance of individuals’ perceived experiences and the value in exploring the idiosyncratic accounts of small samples of ‘expert groups’. The holistic approach of IPA fits particularly well with the educational psychologists’ perspective of providing holistic support to pupils, schools, and families.
Quantitative research and the educational psychologist
Authors: Carroll H.C.M. (Tim)
Published: January 2023

The aim of this paper is to encourage more educational psychologists and trainee educational psychologists to engage in and publish the results of empirical research relating to intervention with which they have been involved. An analysis of papers recently published in two UK practitioner educational psychology journals reveals that less than 30 per cent of the papers report quantitative data. Commentaries on four quantitative research studies examining possible effects and causes of primary school pupil absenteeism are used to illustrate methodologies which though underused, may be of relevance to educational psychologists. The paper concludes with a consideration of the implications of the methodological aspects of the author’s research for educational psychologists and trainee educational psychologists.
Assessment and intervention: Bridging the gap with a practice-based model
Authors: Pameijer Noëlle
Published: January 2023

Aim:

This article describes a practice-based assessment model – Assessment for Intervention (AFI) – that aims to bridge the gap between assessment and intervention. According to this model the school psychologist is a scientist-practitioner: he formulates and tests hypotheses in close co-operation with teachers, parents and the student involved.

Method:

The seven principles (why?) and five stages (how?) of the AFI-model are presented.

Findings:

The first findings of an evaluation study are reported. Despite several limitations (e.g. low response rate), this study gives an indication of the elements of AFI that teachers, counsellors, parents and assessors find important and of the challenges assessors have to deal with in their daily practice. It also provides points of improvement for the AFI-model. Finally, it shows that most assessors work according to the seven principles and five stages.

Conclusion:

In practice the model bridges the gap between assessment and intervention and makes the assessment process more meaningful to teachers, parents and students. It is concluded that it is necessary to investigate whether the AFI-model actually leads to more ecologically valid case formulations and more effective interventions than ‘assessment as usual’.
Learning potential and executive functions in children in social exclusion: Using a mediational training programme
Authors: Calero M. Dolores , Gómez-Pérez M. Mar , Sierra Sara Mata
Published: January 2023

Aim:

Growing up in conditions of social exclusion may cause scholastic and cognitive difficulties, in executive functions as well as other areas. Given the importance of executive functions, a large number of training programmes seek to improve them. This study analyses academic performance, learning potential and deficits in executive functions in children in social exclusion (SE). It also seeks to assess a mediational training programme in executive functions, applied to the group of children in SE, and to verify whether learning potential is related to programme effects.

Methods:

A total of 53 children between the ages of 7 and 12 participated, 26 were children in social exclusion and 27 showed typical development. Measures of executive functions (cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, working memory) were administered to all participants; but only children in social exclusion participated in the intervention.

Findings:

Significant differences were found between the two groups in academic performance and executive functions. Children in social exclusion were also shown to possess high learning potential. In addition, the training programme assessment was positive, since improvements are observed in the abilities trained.

Limitations:

We recognise the need for a larger sample and a greater number of measures, and the lack of a control group in programme application.

Conclusions:

The study confirms that children who live in social exclusion present scholastic and cognitive difficulties. At the same time, it underscores the importance of assessing these children’s learning potential, and for them to receive mediational training in executive functions.
Critical reflection on peer supervision underpinning inter-agency work: EPs working experientially with a Youth Offending Service
Authors: Beal Catherine , Chilokoa Mary , Ladak Sharon
Published: January 2023

Aims:

This article offers critical reflections on experiences of peer supervision as a form of inter-agency working between educational psychologists (EPs) and a Youth Offending Service (YOS).

Method/Rationale:

Our rationale was that peer supervision could be used as a vehicle for the critical exploration of inter-agency work between two services. As EPs, our theoretical assumption was that we were developing our own peer supervision and reflective practice in parallel with our supervision of this process in the YOS. Supervision sessions included (explicit) descriptions of reflections on personal and professional engagement with reflective practice within peer supervision, from both EPs and YOS.

Findings:

Our method of engagement with critical reflection offers readers the notion that exploration of identity, within a boundaried non-hierarchical space, such as peer supervision, can act as a basis for effective inter-agency working involving mutual understanding of roles, open communication and acknowledgement of established experiences of inter-agency working.

Limitations:

This article presents critical reflections from three psychologists on the basis of their (our) own experiences of reflection and practice. The reader is offered an opportunity to reflect on these experiences and to engage with concepts and selected discourses around inter-agency work, peer supervision and reflective practice. The influence of these ideas will be particular to each reader, and may be constructed and reconstructed over time.

Conclusion:

We propose that peer supervision can be constructed as a vehicle to facilitate and support inter-agency practice in a principled and embodied way. We offer the reader theoretically informed reflections to support thinking around the future practice of EPs engaged with inter-agency work.