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A qualitative 'real world' research project was carried out to explore the views of children with special educational needs, their parents and teachers on one aspect of educational psychology practice; the Dynamic Assessment of cognitive skills. The research was carried out in a highly diverse and fully inclusive borough in East London by an educational psychologist employed by the local authority. The views of nine children were sought through semi-structured interviews regarding the process of Dynamic Assessment, supported with innovative tools and techniques to facilitate discussion. The views of eight parents and seven teachers were sought through semi-structured interviews and focus groups regarding the psychological reports produced from Dynamic Assessment. It was found through thematic analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006; Roulston, 2001) of the data that the Dynamic Assessment of cognitive skills provides valuable and useful information for teachers, parents and children with special educational needs themselves. Dynamic Assessment was found to be a positive experience for children with special educational needs due to being child centred, focussed on the process of learning, and giving an experience of success and improvement. It was perceived to impact positively upon the child's emotional well being, self perceptions, learning, behaviour and social relationships directly and through the subsequent intervention of parents and educators. It was also found that Dynamic Assessment goes beyond providing instructionally useful information for parents and teachers to encourage them to move beyond locating the problem and their concerns within the child, to re-conceptualise the child and their special educational needs in context. As a result they become more positive and optimistic about the child and the situation. Dynamic Assessment also impacts upon, and itself supports, changes in parenting and the development of inclusive practice in the classroom and whole school. It is concluded that Dynamic Assessment forms a worthwhile and valuable part of educational psychology practice. Further implications of the findings for educational psychology practice and teaching and learning generally are discussed, whilst methodological issues arising from the research paradigm and involvement of children with special educational needs are explored. Suggestions for future research are presented and the original and distinctive contributions of the research are described.

This research used a mixed method sequential design to investigate the experiences of parents of children on Essex school action and school action plus of the Special Educational Needs register (DfES, 2001 b) who had received PPS support. The research explored the impact of PPS support on parents' confidence in understanding SEN procedures and in their relationships with schools. It also looked into outcomes for the children and used systems theory (Dowling and Osborne, 2003) as the underpinning psychology, alongside a critical realist paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were administered and a thematic analysis was conducted with the aim of building two questionnaires to further inform the research questions. This research acknowledged a number of limitations, namely the small sample size used and time constraints that did not allow for a longitudinal design to be implemented. Findings indicated a perceived increase in parental confidence and understanding of SEN procedures following PPS support. Qualitative data generally revealed a lack of partnership between home and school, though there was some evidence of changes towards partnership with positive outcomes for children following PPS interventions. Questionnaire data showed a perceived increase in the confidence of parents working in partnership with schools to support their children after PPS support, with mean scores on relevant measures ranging between 3.28 and 3.44 (3 = 'same' and 4= 'more confident') There was also evidence of some impact on parental empowerment in their relationships with school staff, with mean scores of 3.92 and 4.00 on the two questionnaire measures. Thematic analysis suggested that mothers did not feel their views were listened to by school staff and that they were in a 'fight' with the school. Political language was reconstructed in two instances, and the claim was made that: 'Every child doesn't matter'. Qualitative findings revealed some positive findings around parental perceptions of children's academic progress and behaviour following PPS support. Implications for EP practice were considered and the researcher emphasised the importance of EPs applying psychology to facilitate partnership between parents and education professionals in their casework, in an attempt to ensure positive outcomes for children.

This study examines the mechanisms of class disadvantage in educational processes in Hong Kong by focusing on mothers’ secondary school choice-making and everyday educational involvement. My study is located within the context of local neoliberal education reforms in which parents are expected to rely on their own resources to support their children’s learning and all-round development and to exercise school choice. I have drawn upon cultural capital theory and applied to the local context in order to explore how patterns of persistent class differentials in educational outcomes despite expanded educational opportunities are produced in micro-level processes in the local school market. I have also drawn on the insights of the Western literature about how ‘ethnicity’ and gender complicate class processes, and used these to address these issues in the local Hong Kong context. To achieve this, I interviewed 34 local-born and mainland Chinese immigrant mothers, with children aged 11-15, who mostly come from working class and intermediate class backgrounds. My findings about mothers’ educational practices show that class mechanisms generate disadvantage by restricting the access of more disadvantaged mothers to the ‘right’ cultural capital as stipulated by the particular ‘rules of the game’ of the local educational ‘field’. At the same time, my study sheds light on the diversity of the structural and moral contexts in which cultural capital mobilization is embedded and the myriad ways that ‘ethnicity’ and gender interact to aggravate, mitigate, or ameliorate class disadvantage. I underline the need for local researchers to spell out and problematize the institutionalization of class privilege and disadvantage within the education system. At the same time, the study makes a novel contribution to the wider literature by offering an account of class reproduction in Hong Kong which is different in important respects to that found in many other generic accounts which take as their focus advanced ‘Western’ capitalist societies. My findings also highlight the importance of examining the contextual contingency of how cultural capital ‘works’ and so stress the indeterminacy of class processes.

It is estimated that there are over 200,000 children in the United Kingdom affected by parental imprisonment each year. Research indicates that these separations are likely to have profound consequences for both parent and child; indeed it is now accepted that in most cases, continuing family contact is a major positive force in the process of rehabilitation and in the well-being of the children of prisoners. There is a growing field of research developing in relation to the families and children of prisoners, highlighting good practice in how schools and other support groups can work with this group to ensure they are full involved in school life. This research however does not consider the extent to which imprisoned fathers are informed about or able to participate in the education of their primary school aged children. This study seeks to examine the facilities and systems in place to allow fathers to keep abreast of the academic progress of their primary school aged children, to participate in their education and therefore be involved in a crucial part of their development. Semi-structured interviews are carried out with three groups of stakeholders– 5 headteachers of primary schools, 10 mothers of the children of male prisoners and 10 male prisoner fathers. The data from these interviews is then analysed and the key themes identified both within stakeholder groups and between them. The study reveals that ‘fatherhood’ is developing; and demonstrates that our social expectations of the role and responsibilities of fathers is moving in an increasingly ‘participatory direction’. There is no work which explores the issues surrounding parental participation by imprisoned fathers in the education of their children. Schools demonstrated that whilst they have developed policies directed to meeting the needs of a wide range of pupils and families, children of imprisoned fathers are, with rare exceptions, neglected. Mothers have a pivotal role to play in any policy directed towards imprisoned fathers’ involvement. Whilst realistic in their expectations, they are not unwilling to facilitate participation and they recognise the potential benefits for their children – not least for the legitimacy it can bring to the school experience. Imprisoned fathers were very positive in their attitudes to the prospect of increased levels of involvement. The study highlights that the barriers to a policy initiative in this field are significant; in addition to the obvious resource implications, the responses of the headteachers interviewed clearly demonstrate considerable hesitation at the prospects of classroom teachers engaging directly (even if remotely) with imprisoned fathers. To have any real prospect of success, the teaching profession would be required to embrace the enterprise and acknowledge its obligations to children whose special needs and indeed rights, have been overlooked.

Although statistics imply that youth crime is falling, fear of crime amongst young people is prevalent. Young people living in high crime neighbourhoods are more likely to become involved with crime - as victim or offender - and to experience increased psychological stressors such as fear. Even though schools have almost universal access to young people, in the UK their role in crime prevention is in its infancy. In contrast, the positive impact of crime prevention interventions in countries including America and Australia are well documented. By analysing the perspectives of a range of young people and adult stakeholders in an inner-city community, this study contributes to knowledge about how to strengthen the role of the school in youth crime prevention. A qualitative mixed-methods design was used to allow full exploration of the topic. Young people in Years 5-9 took part in mixed gender, school-based, focus groups. Adult stakeholders, including primary and secondary school staff, the police and youth workers, shared their views in semi-structured interviews or focus groups. Each participant lived or worked in the research ward. Each interview and focus group was transcribed and analysed along three thematic analyses; ‘context of crime for young people’, ‘context of youth crime for adult community stakeholders’ and possible future ‘ways of working’. Various themes and subthemes allowed for further exploration of the topic. The findings highlight how regularly young people in high crime inner-city communities are exposed to crime, and how aware they are of it. Participants report that young people are not getting enough crime prevention support in school, and that schools could and should be doing more. The limited support available to young people is piecemeal, and tends to be reactive not preventative. This study highlights the need for increased joined-up working between youth services and education. There is also a need for a wider range of provision and better use of existing resources in such communities to better meet the holistic needs of young people and protect them from crime. Although there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to improving crime prevention support in schools, the findings can be applied to other contexts. The study outlines the implications for professionals in these communities, including the possible role for educational psychologists.

This research was designed to explore the ways that Muslim schools are dealing with the tensions arising from the diversity presented to them within their own religious group and how this then shapes individual schools as they operate within a post 9/11 and 7/7 social context. The work was carried out in six case study schools located within four different geographical contexts in England. Giddens’ notion of “double hermeneutics” informed the theoretical and conceptual frameworks driving the research in its aim to analyse the relationships between structure and agency operating within these schools and to understand them as social phenomena. To a lesser extent, these frameworks were also influenced by Gadamer’s interpretation of the “practical wisdom” concept which is used as a conceptual tool for data analysis. In setting out to provide a nuanced picture of these schools and explore their trajectories, four traditional theoretical typologies of Islamic education underpinned the analysis. These typologies were identified as important in understanding the dilemmas presented to Muslim schools in constructing themselves as “academically successful institutions” without compromising on their “Islamic ethos”. More so, as these schools deal with the tensions arising from maintaining an Islamic ethos while competing in an era where consumerist parental attitudes and academic achievement in the league tables are important to their future. The critical question that these schools’ leaders are facing is: How can the right balance be struck between “Islamic ethos” and the market dynamics of quality schooling? In resolving this dilemma, the concept of “what constitutes being a good/practising Muslim” was found to be key to how the case study schools managed this balance. This thesis argues that Muslim schools in Britain are being diversified by a continuously changing process that is shaped by internal factors as they try to balance the everyday dilemmas presented to them with the external factors that impact on them as they compete and operate within a wider educational context. As they grow in experience and confidence in their educational achievements Muslim schools are less influenced by “imported” factors. This then frees them to work on “tailoring” the education they offer more specifically to their own needs and challenges while taking into account and balancing this with their wider British influences. This has implications for those social debates such as multiculturalism, inclusion and exclusion and community cohesion that are now necessarily being influenced by a late modern social context.

This is a comparative study about secondary teachers’ understandings of dyslexia in England and Greece. Specifically the study focused on English and Greek teachers’ professional training related to dyslexia, the influence of politics and cultural context, the history of dyslexia in England and Greece, the different definitions (meanings) of dyslexia and the legislation related to dyslexia. The main goals of the study were to find out how dyslexia is conceptualised in the Greek and English educational systems and the implications of these understandings for training and professional development in both countries. The sample consisted of ten teachers of secondary schools (five English and five Greek) who had experience of dyslexic students in their classrooms. An illuminative approach was used to compile and explore these two fields, teachers and dyslexia in England and Greece. Narrative analyses were undertaken culminating in individual portraits and an analysis of the role of the teacher in both countries, the influence of the educational system and the social and cultural habits and outcomes. The findings showed that English and Greek teachers had similarities and differences in their understanding about dyslexia. However, they had more similarities than differences, even if they were educated, trained and worked in two different educational systems. Both English and Greek secondary teachers were feeling unprepared to define, diagnose and support dyslexic students in their classroom, as both lacked power, autonomy and a clear picture of their role in relation to supporting students with learning difficulties.

The school holds particular functions for society; to credential, to contain and to shape the citizens of the future. One much discussed function is the influence of school on the morality and behaviour of young people. This thesis explores the nature of the bond between pupil and school, how it affects behaviour and how it is shaped by the school culture. The focus is derived from an integration of different disciplinary and theoretical paradigm in three previously separate fields; criminology, education and psychotherapy. This thesis is practice-based, using mixed methods research centred on a case-study school and encompasses pupil questionnaires (n=189), pupil interviews (n=5) and extensive ethnographic research. Furthermore, the study is unusual due to the 'insider' status created by my professional role within the school. In this thesis, Hirschi's bond to conformity (1969) is developed to incorporate a pupil's perceptions of the bond. This is defined as a sense of belonging. Findings indicate that a pupil's sense of belonging is significantly linked to pupil behaviour. Furthermore, elemental strands of the sense of belonging signify that the pupil's perception of the school's bond to him, are of key importance. This foregrounds the significance of a school's cultural Character (Berne, 1973) on shaping a pupil's perceptions and sense of belonging. The purpose of this study is to generate useful findings that will support academics, practitioners and policy-makers in attending to a pupil's sense of belonging and a school's culture. The findings that emerge have important implications for professional education and training, and for school development.