The present study seeks to address issues which have so far been lacking in research: how children who have used The Place2Be (TP2B) individual services in their schools have experienced the service long term and whether they feel that TP2B experience has produced personal change for them. Although this area is under-researched, it is of consequence for therapeutic work with children and for understanding how socioemotional work can be done in schools. The sample consists of nine primary school children (three for the pilot research and six in the main study) from a range of ethnic groups from Year 3 or above who did not have child protection concerns raised about them at the time of the study. Some were reported to have developmental delay or difficultly in one or more of the following areas: learning, emotional regulation, attention control, language, and social communication skills. All were recruited through TP2B school project managers and with the co-operation of their parents. The present research draws on an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach and used both visual and playful interview methods. Accounts from the six children in the main study are presented idiographically, yielding rich analyses of the participants perceptions of the experience and notions of personal change. Idiographic emphasis allows for idiosyncratic meaning-making of the experience to be fully explored. Further, key aspects of the idiographic analysis across cases are identified. These are: the therapeutic play process is highly valued and engendered strong senses of autonomy, control, relatedness, self-expression, learning, relationship building and the processing of emotional experiences. Furthermore, the participants valued the room itself and the play materials inside, and is conceptualised as a space absent of perceived social, gender or cultural assumptions. Three of the participants are able to locate complex processes of personal, positive change. These included increased confidence with peers and parents; increased quality in peer relationships; a decrease in significant anxiety levels; enhanced emotional well-being; and better access to learning. It is argued that the success of the intervention can be usefully framed by Deci’s (1975) theory of intrinsic motivation. That the experience fulfilled the participants’ needs for a sense of competence, autonomy and relatedness are strongly present in the findings of this study. This study supports theoretical principles of therapeutic play and the theoretical model of TP2B, as well as extending understanding about why this is so. TP2B is demonstrated here to be relevant and valuable cross-culturally. Professional implications for TP2B include the importance of secure onward referral mechanisms to ensure continued support for children who would benefit from therapeutic input beyond one year; and organisational conceptualisations of sustainable efficacy. Throughout the present study, play is argued to be fundamental in supporting emotional well-being in children. As such, implications for primary educational provision and policy include the need for greater time and emphasis on a range of children’s play choices in school. Further opportunities to experience autonomy, competence and relatedness are argued to support children’s mental health and well-being and has implication for teaching practice. Implications for EP practice include a greater intersubjective emphasis regarding practitioner reflexivity with relevance to the current EP supervisory process. The current study develops understanding about the use of child-centred, phenomenological methodology and could feasibly be incorporated into core EP practice of assessment and intervention.

This research discusses selective focus in reading a text in relation to the philosophical guidelines of critical education. To pursue this question a model for critical reading is initially sketched, and the literature on selective focus in text reading is reviewed. The existing literature analyses selective focus under the framework of two perspectives: reader-based and text-based. This thesis proposes a third possibility: a social-based perspective. A socio-cognitive conception of selective focus is delineated on the basis of theories that explore the effect of social factors on literacy, language use, and higher cognitive processes. The issues raised at the theoretical level are also investigated in an empirical study. Expert reader's insights about their own reading practices are taken into consideration. Three studies are reported. Two exploratory studies - designed to refine methodological procedures - analyse the response of two groups of four readers. The interview questionnaire that guides the main data collection is based on the results obtained in these initial investigations. The main study considers the data provided by fifteen structured interviews. The sample include readers from three type of course in higher education: initial teacher training for pos-graduate students, master degree students, and doctoral students. A qualitative analysis describes in detail how reader-based, text-based and social-based factors interact within the context of these readers' reading practices. Considering the empirical evidence, the thesis proposes that neither the reader nor the text should be investigated without an appreciation of the social context. However, socio-cultural context is shown not only to provide a further set of variables but also to permeate the development of text-based and reader-based factors. This has important theoretical and educational implications. The final argument of this study is that classroom practices that aim to promote critical reading should give a proper emphasis to the socio-cultural aspect of selective focus.

Existing research investigating the reading abilities of children with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) has consistently identified reading comprehension difficulties in this group alongside well-developed word recognition (decoding) skills. However, this is currently an underresearched area, particularly in relation to identifying impairments in component discourse level comprehension skills involved in the complex task of deriving meaning from text, and developing interventions to improve reading comprehension for children with an ASC. Study One investigated the reading, cognitive and receptive language abilities of 24 children (10 - 12 years) with a clinical diagnosis of an ASC. All children attended a mainstream primary or secondary school in an outer London Local Authority. Children were involved in the research during the period of primary to secondary transition, either in the final term of primary (Year 6) or first two terms of secondary school (Year 7). Standardised measures of reading accuracy, reading comprehension, word reading, cognitive ability and receptive language abilities were obtained and a number of discourse level comprehension skills assessed: comprehension monitoring, anaphoric reference, knowledge of story structure, identification and agreement of pronouns, prediction, text-connecting and global coherence inference. Semistructured interviews were carried out to gain an insight into children with ASC's as "readers". Findings highlighted the heterogeneity of reading and cognitive profiles and receptive language abilities in children with ASC's. The majority of the sample scored within the average range for both standardised measures of reading accuracy and comprehension, however a discrepancy between standard scores for the two component skills (accuracy > comprehension) characterised the sample. Measures of verbal abilities and receptive language abilities were found to be significantly associated with both reading comprehension, reading accuracy and word reading. Individual differences were found in relation to strengths and weaknesses in component comprehension skills, however common difficulties with comprehension monitoring, global coherence inferences and prediction were apparent within the sample. Study Two involved the development of a reading comprehension intervention involving three children from Study One, in their first term of secondary education. Analysis of the children's component comprehension skills informed the development of an individually tailored intervention; facilitating the children's awareness and development of skills and processes involved in reading comprehension. The intervention utilized a think-aloud procedure and incorporated the "Fab Four" strategies from the reciprocal teaching approach. Individual case synopses illustrated areas of competence and difficulty, approaches to learning and use of strategies to facilitate the development of metacognitive skills. Pre and post intervention measures indicated gains for all children in reading comprehension, but to differing degrees. Findings are discussed with reference to the theories of autism and implications for parents, teachers and Educational Psychologists supporting the learning of children with ASC's. Opportunities for future research in this field are discussed.

Otitis Media (glue ear) delays reading (Kindig & Richards, 2000) by impacting on phonological processing, and may affect working memory development (Mody et al, 1999). Reported links between working memory capacity and school success (Bourke & Adams, 2003; Gathercole, Pickering, Knight & Stegman, 2004), suggest that working memory has a crucial role in learning. Deficits have been linked to anxiety during task performance (Hadwin, Brogan & Stevenson, 2005) and low self-esteem (Alloway, Gathercole, Kirkwood & Elliott, 2009). Sixteen children aged seven to ten with a history of early onset Otitis Media, together with a comparison group of twelve children were assessed on a range of measures of phonological processing, single word and non-word reading, non-verbal reasoning and working memory, and an attitude to self and school rating scale, before and after working memory training. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations of learning behaviours were used to elaborate the findings from the quantitative data. Significant differences were found between the groups before training in verbal and visuo-spatial short term and working memory, and non-word reading. Following training these differences were no longer significant. Performance in reading and phonological tasks was found to improve for both groups following training. Mean scores for responses to the learning attitudes rating scales were not significantly different before or after training, but large individual differences were found for children in both groups. Case studies are presented of individual children in the Otitis Media group. The results indicate that, as found in previous studies, a history of Otitis Media can result in weaknesses in phonological processes, memory and literacy development, and the original contribution of this study indicates that these may be ameliorated by a working memory intervention. Improvements in working memory did not appear to affect children’s overall learning identities but more positive feelings were found after training for several children.

This thesis explores the experiences of both early school leavers and their teachers when a group of eight young people were invited to have greater involvement in their learning. The study is based in a literacy programme within a youth service setting in rural Ireland. The research is situated outside the mainstream school system and this affords a unique chance to see how the young people managed when they were given the chance to have more involvement in their learning, once they had rejected mainstream education. My previous research within the organisation indicates that young people consider that they are capable of taking on more challenging curricula and are keen to pursue higher level qualifications. The study took place between September 2010 and May 2011. The study aimed to develop and evaluate a new approach to a current literacy programme using constructivist teaching strategies which, while supporting increased learner involvement, also offered a higher level literacy certificate. An action research design was used and this thesis follows stages two, three and four of the first iterative cycle. Building on a conceptual framework which links the literatures of early school leaving and the learning theories of constructivism and self-determination, a qualitative analysis was undertaken comprising in depth interviews with young people and staff, field diaries, learner journals, questionnaires and participant observation. Findings show that despite early school leavers having difficult backgrounds, they respond positively when they are offered greater involvement in their learning. This is further enhanced by teacher support and expectation. Findings also suggest that early school leavers have gaps in their literacy skills that need to be addressed when preparing for higher level qualifications. Along with the need for greater learner involvement, it is essential that teaching institutions provide these young people with access to higher level programmes and a structured route to achieving relevant and more useful qualifications. In this way, it is possible to instill the confidence needed to attain significantly higher levels of learning.

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder of known genetic origin. A characteristically uneven cognitive profile in WS, with a marked contrast between poor small-scale visuospatial ability relative to stronger verbal ability, is well documented. Recent findings demonstrate visuospatial deficits pervade to large-scale navigation abilities in this group. Experimental studies presented in this thesis investigate the nature of large-scale visuospatial impairment in WS at the level of behaviour, as well as the genetic contributions to the WS visuospatial profile. As an important basis on which to understand the nature of atypical development in WS, the thesis also examines the development of large-scale spatial cognition in typicallydeveloping (TD) children. Developmental changes in the use of different spatial frames of reference to mentally represent spatial information both on small-scale tasks and during navigation in large-scale virtual environments were observed in TD children between 6 and 8 years of age, with an adult-like pattern of performance acquired between 8 and 10 years. The findings in TD children provide novel insight into the nature of processes underlying the use of different aspects of spatial knowledge for navigation. In WS, impairments in both egocentric and allocentric spatial reference frames result in severe detriment to spatial processing at both small- and large scales. However, the data suggest that not all aspects of large-scale spatial knowledge are equally impaired in WS, highlighting the multifaceted nature of visuospatial cognition, and extending our understanding of the profile of relative strengths and weaknesses within the visuospatial cognitive domain in this disorder. An examination of the genetic contribution to the WS visuospatial phenotype from two individuals with partial WS genetic deletions further highlights the diverse nature of visuospatial cognition. These findings provide insight both into the dynamic development of visuospatial cognition in typical development, and the atypical visuospatial phenotype in WS.

The importance of research on the unique nature of the communication supporting environment in nurseries has been heightened by growing evidence of the significance of early language skills for later academic and social development. This study focussed on children’s language use during small group times. Opportunities to hear and practise language were examined, to uncover variation in conversational experiences for children with differing language needs. Participants were a nursery key worker and 19, three- to four-year olds in two cohorts. In this mixed-method study, different measures were used to examine the relationship between participation and language level. Quantitative analysis of interaction rates was made from video recordings of small group conversations. This was followed by detailed qualitative examination of talk during episodes of more sustained conversation. Children’s language levels were measured using the CELF Pre-school (2) UK and a narrative assessment. Questionnaires about children’s verbal participation were also completed by practitioners and parents. Differences were revealed in affordance of opportunity for children according to language level. Children’s interaction rates were positively correlated with scores on the CELF Pre-school (2) UK at the start and 18-months later. Topic of conversation, patterns of turn-taking and repair were associated differently with participation for children according to language level. Analysis showed patterns of both formal and informal talk. Combining features from each was found to be associated with episodes of sustained conversation. Questionnaire responses confirmed differences in children’s likelihood of participation in small group conversations. Findings support the role for small group times as a forum for development of speech, language and communication, facilitating opportunities for children differently according to their language needs. This has important implications for practice in supporting children to make the transition from informal to formal talk in the educational setting.

This study evaluated a short-term Cognitive Behavioural Intervention (CBI) delivered by school staff to whole classes, designed to promote self-esteem. The research had a practical purpose, as the intervention had been implemented within multiple schools without being evaluated. A mixed methods design was employed to assess the impact of the CBI and to explore why this impact was occurring, to inform future use. 171 pupils in years 5 and 6 from three mainstream schools were criterion-sampled, 108 in the intervention group (4 classes selected by school staff) and 63 in the wait-list control group (3 classes, matched by school and year). All pupils completed scales from the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Children’s Automatic Thoughts (CAT) scale at pre-intervention and post-intervention. One class also completed the scales for a third, follow-up occasion. Qualitative data were collected through semistructured interviews with 3 school staff and 6 pupils. In addition, school staff were observed delivering the intervention to ascertain implementation fidelity. Results suggest that the CBI had no impact on pupils’ global self-esteem or peer related self-concept, but it had a negative impact on pupils’ school self-concept. There were no immediate impacts on Negative Automatic Thoughts (NATs), except for pupils with below-average academic attainment who showed reductions in NATs at postintervention. Follow-up data showed positive impacts on NATs, peer and school selfconcept two months after the intervention, although this lacked a control comparison. Thematic analyses of the qualitative data revealed factors influencing the impact of the intervention included its universal design, the involvement of school systems and individual pupil differences. The study concluded that the intervention has value as a psycho-educational learning tool, but does not directly improve global self-esteem. There are implications for the role of educational psychologists in supporting schools to critically select and implement interventions.

In the socio-ecological perspective, human behaviour is regarded as determined by the characteristics of an individual, the characteristics of his/her environment and their reciprocal interactions. This perspective assumes that situational factors play a significant part in these interactions. The present study was based on this perspective and sought to investigate environmental factors associated with EBD (emotional and behavioural difficulties). It aimed to provide evidence of the need to take EBD seriously in Korea and to find out environmental factors in families and schools which are associated with EBD. The low agreement usually found between parents' and teachers' ratings of children's EBD has been explained in terms of the 'situation-specificity' of EBD. Another aim was, therefore, to explore the extent of the situation-specificity of EBD. Two studies were carried out. The first study was to investigate the prevalence rate of EBD through an epidemiological approach in Korean primary school children and to examine the relationships of EBD to structural factors in family and school. The second study examined relationships of EBD to family and classroom psychosocial functioning in conjunction with the exploration of the low agreement between parents' and teachers' ratings. There were 840 children aged from 7 to 12 in the first study and 448 12-year-old children in the second study. Children's behaviour was rated by their parents and teachers using Rutter's Child Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ) in the first study, using a Korean version of CBQ in the second study. Family functioning was assessed by children and their mothers using a Korean version of Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale-III. Classroom functioning was assessed by children and their teachers using a Korean short version of Classroom Environment Scale. The Korean versions of CBQ, FACES-III and CES were developed in the pilot study for the second study. A significant number of Korean children were screened as having EBD: 29% with English cut-off points, 17% with Korean cut-off points. However, children with EBD pervasively in both settings were relatively few: 4.3% and 2.1% respectively. More boys showed EBD than girls. EBD was associated with children's academic achievements, existence of siblings, family style, fathers' education, parents' involvement in their child's education, and class size. EBD tended to be higher with lower levels of family cohesion, adaptability and classroom interpersonal relationships; and the relationships appeared to be stronger when EBD was severe or environmental functioning was extreme. However, no relationship was found between EBD and classroom control. Teachers' behaviour ratings were more consistently and highly related to family functioning as well as classroom functioning in comparison with mothers' ratings. This finding supports the concept of open systems, which assumes that what happens in one context may affect behaviour in other systems, and the view that there may be some continuity across situations as well as some specificity to a certain situation in children's behaviour. Furthermore, this finding calls into question a strong version of situationspecificity in regard to the low agreement between teachers' and parents' behaviour ratings. It might be due partly to the difference in the validity of ratings rather than due only to the 'situation-specificity' of EBD. The possibility of higher validity of teachers' ratings was also found in the first study: the percentage of children who were identified as having EBD on CBQ and as needing professional help was much higher by teachers than parents. Compared with adults, children's perceptions of environmental functioning were more consistently and highly associated with EBD. This finding may suggest that how children perceive their environment is as important for their emotional and social development as the actual functioning. Children with EBD would like their families to be more cohesive than non-EBD children. This study leads to further questions about the validity of FACES-III and CES as instruments to assess family and classroom functioning in Korea. The necessity of investigating whether there are other aspects of family and classroom psychosocial functioning which are more related to children's EBD than the affective and control aspects was also suggested. In addition, the results indicate the importance of examining the threshold of EBD when an instrument is used in different cultures. This study also underlines the need to examine environmental factors associated with EBD jointly in both family and school settings.

This thesis focuses on perceptuo—motor competence in children born prematurely. The cohort, now 6 years of age, was highly selected and consisted of 183 children whose early cranial ultrasound appearance was well documented. In the literature review issues regarding the detection and classification of brain lesions, the outcome of follow up studies, and the description, identification and sub—grouping of children with perceptuo— motor problems are discussed. This is followed by an outline of the study undertaken and the results obtained. Overall differences in the performance on the neurological, perceptuo—motor, cognitive, behaviour and self—concept measures between the premature and reference groups are described. Prematurely born children showed more minor neurological signs and were less competent in age—appropriate perceptuo—motor tasks. Cognitive ability was generally lower in this group, but no differences with respect to the behaviour and self— concept measures were found. The relationship between early brain lesion and later perceptuo—motor competence was explored. Major haemorrhagic and/or ischaemic lesions were related to poor outcome. The prognosis of children with minor haemorrhagic and/or ischaemic lesions was more favourable although these children are clearly at an increased risk for more subtle perceptuo—motor problems as they grow up. The analyses suggested that among the group of children with perceptuo—motor problems six separate sub—groups existed. In addition to two sub—groups whose profile showed either average or below average performance across tasks, there were four sub— groups who showed specific problems with dynamic or static balance, ball skills or constructional tasks, respectively. Finally, the characteristics of children with poor constructional ability were examined in more detail. Using performance on a specially for this study designed form board task as an example, it was shown that in addition to quantitative profiles, qualitative descriptions of performance are important to gain a better understanding of subtle perceptuo—motor impairment in individual children.