bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
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

BackgroundUK 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.MethodsCollection of national and local data and analysis of key features of EducAid schools that could, and could not, transfer to other schools.FindingsThe 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.ConclusionsTo 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.
Is implementation of evidence-based interventions in schools related to pupil outcomes? A systematic review
Authors: Killerby Paul , Dunsmuir Sandra 
Published: January 2023

AimsThe growing influence of implementation science has resulted in educational researchers exploring what occurs within schools to support intervention effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of existing research so that practitioners can understand the extent to which measures of implementation are associated with the outcomes of school-based interventions.MethodThis paper systematically identified studies which correlated or directly compared the implementation of school-based interventions with pupil outcomes. Effect-sizes are reported and the strength of evidence appraised using a weight-of-evidence framework.FindingsThe 13 studies reviewed reported 32 quantified effect sizes which represented the strength and direction of the relationship between measures of implementation and intervention outcomes in schools. The review also identified gaps in current evidence which have implications for further research and practice.LimitationsThis review did not explore factors which supported staff to implement interventions effectively. As such, this review focusses on the effects of implementation, rather than detailed practices.ConclusionsThis review found that educational researchers rarely measured fidelity of programme implementation. When fidelity is measured, there are indications that proper execution and co-ordination of evidence-based interventions is positively related to pupil outcomes. However, the measurement of implementation fidelity can be undermined when data is transformed into arbitrary categories, such as ‘good’ and ‘bad’. The practicalities of effectively transporting evidence-based interventions into school settings are discussed.
Bridging the gaps in mathematics and numeracy: Supporting schools in practitioner research
Authors: Morrison Susan , McLafferty Lyn 
Published: January 2023

AimThis project aimed to explore the effectiveness of a model of service delivery to enhance practitioner research skills, focusing on the identification of interventions to bridge attainment gaps in mathematics and numeracy.MethodSixteen practitioners from 13 schools attended 12 sessions across an academic year. The sessions incorporated a combination of research skills and learning and teaching pedagogy to support mathematics and numeracy attainment (the term mathematics is used throughout to incorporate mathematics and numeracy).FindingsFour diverse projects were developed and led by the practitioner researchers. This paper focuses on an evaluation of the methodology used to enable practitioners to develop research skills and apply these to identify evidence-informed interventions. The findings suggest that this methodology is effective in developing practitioner research to apply to the task of bridging attainment gaps. Additionally, practitioners increased knowledge and application of effective evidence-informed pedagogy to close attainment gaps.ConclusionsThis approach to service delivery may assist educational psychology services to build capacity, enhance practice and ultimately improve attainment.
The immorality of education: A position paper for educational psychologists
Authors: Gibbs Simon 
Published: January 2023

AimIn this paper I start with the premise that democratic education (as a service to the future) is under threat. For educational psychologists to consider where they might stand in relation to their professional future, therefore, I set out to provide indications of psychological factors implicated in answering the question ‘Can education in a troubled world help us become human and more inclusive?’ContextIn the current socio-economic and political climate and the increasing commercialisation of schools, educationalists can find it hard to sustain a positive role and purpose. As teachers’ identities and sense of efficacy are eroded, the recruitment of teachers is becoming increasingly problematic and attrition rates are rising. Simultaneously the rate of exclusion of young people from mainstream education is not decreasing and several subgroups are over-represented amongst those excluded. I argue that this has major implications for educational psychologists.MethodTo provide a basis for a reformulation of psychologists’ work I examine the philosophical and psychological basis of the professional identity of teachers and the effects of misunderstanding and mistreating teachers’ beliefs in themselves. This requires consideration of inter- and intra-personal dialogues and, particularly for psychologists in their work with teachers, the nature of relationships with others.FindingsI argue that only by reaffirming teachers’ sense of creativity, autonomy and agency can education cease to be a mechanistic exercise in social engineering with no fixed goals and rediscover the simpler and more profound purpose of helping people to be human. I conclude that there are ways that educational psychologists might seek to change in order to challenge the dehumanisation of education.
No outsiders in our school: Neglected characteristics and the argument against childhood ignorance
Authors: Moffat Andrew , Field Lewis 
Published: January 2023

Aims:The present article seeks to explore the historical context of relationships and sex education (RSE) and examine the positioning of ‘No Outsiders’ within this. Consideration is given to the credibility of arguments against the implementation of No Outsiders in education settings and examination of whether diversity strands of ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ deserve the disproportionate amount attention they receive.Method:The paper utilises Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development (1950, 1963) to interpret the capacity of understanding of children and young people (CYP) in relation to an RSE curriculum. Contemporary research outlines the need for an environment which enables exploration. Further consideration deconstructs the argument for childhood innocence as a reason for not providing an informed RSE curriculumFindings:The paper reports on the inherent difficulties of delivering an RSE curriculum, which may require the reconciliation and compromise of personal and societal values. Equally, there is a clear need for schools, institutions and society to remain steadfast and resolute in the face of discriminatory views.Limitations:The challenges in unifying groups who divide themselves on core issues is recognised, however a legislative backdrop frames the foundation for how this can be achieved.Conclusions:The ‘No Outsiders in Our School’ resource offers a fresh approach to the teaching of relationships education in primary schools (Moffat, 2015). Despite its seemingly harmonious early existence, the programme has suffered significant scrutiny, precipitating protests, vilification and condemnation by some sections of society. Matters of sexual orientation and gender reassignment deserve equal recognition as protected characteristics under the Equality Act (2010). Too often, the legitimacy of these protected characteristics are questioned or presented as ‘other’ within the context of equality. The move towards a more inclusive RSE curriculum should be brave in its embodiment of legislative policy.
Lego Therapy: Building social skills for adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Levy Jemma , Dunsmuir Sandra 
Published: January 2023

Aim:This research aimed to explore the impact of school-based Lego Therapy groups for adolescents with a diagnosis of ASD in mainstream schools.Method/Rationale:School staff were trained in the delivery of the social skills intervention to groups comprising one adolescent with ASD and two typically developing peers. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was employed to examine the impact of the intervention for six adolescent males with ASD.Findings:Visual analysis, PAND effect sizes and Tau-U statistical analyses demonstrated the large positive impact of the intervention on duration of social engagement and frequency of social initiations, responses and positive social behaviours for five out of six participants. The final participant withdrew from the research. Parents and teachers saw some evidence of generalisation of skill to home and other aspects of school life but this was not consistent for all participants. Fidelity of implementation was maintained, suggesting the approach is appropriate for delivery in school settings by school staff.Conclusion:The results of this study suggest that Lego Therapy groups can be an effective school-based social skills intervention for adolescents with ASD.Limitations:This research was limited by the small sample size. Future research should extend the evidence-base of Lego-based social skill groups, examining the impact of the intervention for a wider range of students with differing needs.
Dealing children a helping hand withBook of Beasties: The mental wellness card game
Authors: Jayman Michelle , Ventouris Annita 
Published: January 2023

Aim(s)Play contributes uniquely to effective learning and the development of children’s socio-emotional skills. This study investigated Book of Beasties: A school-based, socio-emotional intervention centred around a card game which aims to improve children’s emotional literacy and wellbeing through playful learning. Exploratory research was conducted to determine its potential as an effective resource for school staff and other professionals working in school settings with responsibility for supporting pupils’ mental health.MethodA single case study comprised one London primary school. Four children (aged eight to nine years; two boys and two girls) received the intervention. Qualitative data were collected from session observations, a focus group with children and semi-structured interviews with school staff (the delivery agents) and parents/carers. Data were collated and thematically analysed.FindingsIntegrated findings suggested intervention recipients had benefitted in terms of increased socio-emotional skills and wellbeing. Child and adult participants agreed that Book of Beasties was valuable and acceptable and thus socially valid. Specific components which contributed to the intervention’s effectiveness were elicited. These included fantasy elements of the game and sensory-focused activities.LimitationsData were collected from a single, volunteer school. The class teacher (delivery agent) selected the children who received the intervention, potentially biasing the findings.ConclusionsExploratory research indicated that Book of Beasties was a promising resource for practitioners in schools and can contribute to the evidence-based socio-emotional literature. A full evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative methods was recommended to examine intervention effectiveness on socio-emotional outcomes, process issues and potential adaptations.
The play paradox: A systematic literature review of play-based pedagogy applied in the classroom
Authors: Paterson Annie 
Published: January 2023

AimOver the last decade, there has been growing interest in the application of play as a pedagogical approach to support the learning of children within formal education settings. However, existing literature has shown there is significant variation in teachers’ understanding of play-based pedagogy (PBP) and how it is applied in the classroom (Pyle et al., 2018; Jay & Kunas, 2018; Nolan & Paatsch, 2018). While these small-scale qualitative studies provide valuable insights, there is a need to configure findings in order to better understand what influences teachers’ application of PBP in the classroom. This study undertakes a systematic literature review of existing research addressing teachers’ perceptions of their application of PBP in primary classrooms.MethodsSix relevant studies were identified for in-depth critique, with original findings and authors interpretations synthesised, using thematic synthesis (Thomas & Harden, 2008)FindingsThree analytical themes were generated: PBP is different from the wider concept of ‘play’; PBP requires a balance between play activities and teacher-led instruction; and career long professional learning (CLPL) opportunities are essential in developing teachers’ application of PBP.LimitationsThe current review explored a specific subsection of literature regarding teacher’s experiences of implementing PBP. Therefore, the literature included in the review is limited to qualitative data and findings are based on participants’ subjective experiences.ConclusionsImplications for educational psychology (EP) practice are discussed in relation to the emerging themes. It is hoped results from this study will inform future policy and practice in order to support and develop the use of PBP as an effective approach to teaching and learning within formal education settings.
A qualitative investigation of the experiences of people with learning disabilities who have used inpatient psychiatric services
Authors: Hewitt Olivia , Merrick Kim 
Published: January 2023

Objective:Policy directives (e.g. Valuing People, 2001) require service users, including those with learning disabilities, to be consulted about their experiences of accessing health care services. However, people with learning disabilities are less likely to be asked about their experiences and find it more difficult to use traditional methods of feedback (e.g. written forms) than people without a learning disability. Furthermore, people with a learning disability who also experience mental health problems are doubly disadvantaged in terms of contributing their feedback to services. The current study aimed to explore the experiences of people who have used psychiatric inpatient services for people with learning disabilities. This would facilitate service developments and allow service users an experience of giving detailed feedback and of being listened to. It would also increase our knowledge and skills around using qualitative research methodologies with people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties.Methods:This is a retrospective, qualitative study using data collected through semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.Results:Participants’ responses focused on seven super-ordinate themes: (i) Reason for Admission; (ii) Staff; (iii) Communication; (iv) The Institution; (v) Illness Framework; (vi) Interventions; and (vii) Ideas for Improvements.Conclusions:Participants contributed a range of valuable feedback that has implications for service practice and development. Participants were able to use this methodology, and further qualitative research with participants with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties should be encouraged. Suggestions for further research are outlined.