Looked After Children (LAC) are a potentially vulnerable population who are at risk of negative outcomes such as increased rates of exclusion from school linked to challenging behaviour. Although pupil behaviour may have negative implications for teachers, the literature on staff support suggests that group problem-solving approaches may be a useful mechanism of peer support which can consequently have direct and indirect effects for the school staff and pupils, respectively. One such approach is the ‘Circle of Adults’ (CoA) (Wilson & Newton, 2006) and was the focus of evaluation in the current study. Existing literature suggests CoA can enhance teacher capacity to respond to difficult behaviour. It was hypothesised that the CoA process would have positive effects upon teacher self-efficacy and causal attributions. A mixed-method design was employed, which combined a quasi-experimental component, to quantifiably measure any changes which occurred for the school staff, with a qualitative element to determine the participants’ views regarding the process and perceived outcomes. The study compared the participants’ outcomes from the four CoA sessions (n=10) with those attending two Personal Education Plan (PEP) meetings (n=5). The findings indicate that participation in the CoA intervention has no statistically significant effect upon school staffs’ causal attributions or perceived self-efficacy. However, there is some evidence to suggest that participation in the CoA leads to statistically significant increases in the perceived success of actions. Additionally, through a series of focus groups, participants reported that they valued the structure and visual representation of the CoA. However, school staff also highlighted functional difficulties in arranging support processes for LAC young people: in ensuring that relevant staff were present at the meetings and challenges associated with supporting LAC who often experience rapidly changing circumstances.

This study is set in the context of the acknowledged debate, highlighted by the work of Lunzer and Gardner's Schools Council project (1979), concerning the theoretical issue of whether reading comprehension is a unitary competence or consists of identifiable discrete subskills. This long- standing polarised theoretical debate can be traced as far back as the sixties and seventies in the position taken by reading experts such as Spache and Spache (1969), Davis (1971) and Thorndike (1973). Spache and Spache and Thorndike concluded that reading comprehension was a unitary competence, not consisting of separate skills that can be practised in isolation. On the other hand, Davis viewed reading comprehension as composed of separate identifiable skills and abilities. The polarised arguments pose a question as to the nature of reading comprehension. Is there such a thing as discrete reading comprehension sub-skills that can be built up hierarchically and can promote the understanding of texts? With the question in mind this study set out to test whether reading comprehension is a unitary competence of sub-skills or one that can be broken down into separate sub-skills. The research involved the rigorous testing of a series of reading comprehension tests in two languages using four texts taken from the work of Lunzer and Gardner (1979). The texts were modified to suit the socio-cultural context of the students. All of the chosen texts were translated into Bahasa (L1) which is the mother-tongue of the students. In principle, the focus of the study in Part I is centred on replicating the work of Lunzer and Gardner (1979) in some selected Malaysian primary and secondary schools. It seeks to understand whether the main hypothesis holds that reading comprehension is unitary in nature and cannot be broken down into a number of distinct subskills. A selected 300 primary school pupils aged 12 were required to read and answer four comprehension tests written in L1. Another selected 150 secondary school students aged 15 were required to perform the same tasks on material written in L2. Each test has about 30 comprehension questions which are divided into eight categories of subskills. The two groups produced a total of 1,636 valid comprehension tests which were marked rigorously. Factor analysing the data yielded a number of important findings concerning whether reading comprehension subskills are unitary or hierarchic in nature. These findings may suggest some recommendations for improving reading for learning across the Malaysian primary and secondary schools curriculum. In Part I the outlined five chapters discuss the background information which led to the testing of the 450 students, the related literature review, the chosen research design and analysis, the findings and the research implications for the Part II study. The study reported in Part II is an extension of the work done in Part I, in that the remaining five chapters explore the justification of conducting the indepth interviews, the review of the related literature, the design of the interview, the findings and the educational implications of the study. This part explores the reading comprehension strategies that were used by the students in answering the comprehension questions. The second study was successfully made during the summer of 1994. A total of 16 students aged 15 were selected from several secondary schools in Johor Bahru, the capital state of Johor, Malaysia … … The thesis ends with a discussion of the implications from both studies especially for the reading curriculum, instruction, pedagogy, classroom practice and future research.

The thesis explores the potentially problematic nature of transitions and the implications for the way students engage with (and disengage from) the process of learning. Although studies in the field of student experience, learning approaches and transitions have examined the relation between learning and contextual factors, there has not been an in-depth examination of the ways students cope with the changes at personal and academic level they are confronted with at university. This study draws initially upon the theories of Lave & Wenger to develop a theoretical model for conceptualising students' experiences of learning at university. The study is therefore able to provide additional insights into the way individual identity; institutional communities and the interaction between the personal and the social elements can play a role in students' experiences of their transitions to and in university. This is developed with a very specific focus on transitions from first to second year study at university. In order to explore the nature and range of transitions that students experience, the methodological design of the study is based upon a qualitative methodology including classroom observations, semi-structured interviews of nine undergraduate students along with non-participant observation of two modules within one pre-1992 HE institution. The data are analysed to explore the research participants' perceptions, meanings and practices as these are negotiated and enacted in the various communities before and after their transition to and within university. The research findings suggest that the process of transitions involves a rich interplay between roles, relationships and participation. As students strive to develop higher order skills and become part of their communities, they seem to be confronted with changes in perceptions, positions and attitudes. These changes can be seen as deriving from the interactions between students and their institutional and wider communities. In essence, therefore, the thesis offers a model for understanding students' transitions to and within university. This model suggests that underpinning students' experiences at university are a range of transitions within various communities that influence the way identities, knowledge, and practices are constructed.

Staff that manage students presenting with challenging behaviour are thought to experience higher levels of burnout and difficulties regulating negative reactions to students (Fiorilli, Albanese, Gabola and Pepe, 2017). The ability to regulate emotions in a professional capacity and portray emotions contrary to what is felt has been theorised by Hochschild (1983) as emotional labour, and is thought to be prevalent within the teaching profession (Kinman, Wray and Strange, 2011; Edwards, 2013). In order to counter the negative impact of emotional labour, researchers have suggested a reference group be created, to provide a reflective space for teachers to better understand how pupil behaviour impacts on their own emotions (Miller, 2003, Hargreaves, 2000). Group process consultation research has identified it as useful for staff to reflect upon their practice, the emotional impact of their role and develop additional behaviour strategies (Nolan and Moreland, 2014; Stringer and Hayes, 2016; Davison and Duffy, 2017). This research explored group process consultation sessions as guided by Farouk (2004). Weekly consultation sessions were held during school hours for a group of staff that worked with a child presenting with challenging behaviour in Key Stage (KS1), consisting of the class teacher, teaching assistant, lunchtime teaching assistant and school SENCo. Semi structured interviews were undertaken to establish staff members' experiences of working with a child presenting with challenging behaviour and of their participation in group process consultation. Transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) resulting in two master themes for each research question. The group's experiences of working with the focus student reflected an importance in taking a professional approach that was in harmony with participants' morals and values, as summarised by the themes 'guided by values, pressured by systems' and 'responsibility of advocacy'. Participants' experiences of group consultation incorporated two master themes of 'space for reflection' and 'empowered team'. The implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Consultation is an increasingly common model of delivery in psychology services (Leadbetter, 2006; Sheridan et al., 2017). It provides group members with a chance to discuss, reflect and learn about shared hopes and concerns for an identified child (Farouk, 2004). While teachers' positive ratings of consultations are consistent across much of the research (O'Farrell and Kinsella, 2018), there is a limited evidence indicating that group consultations impact positively on the focus child or reduce disruptive behaviours (Wilkinson, 2005; Garbacz et al., 2008; Upshur, Wenz-Ross & Reed, 2009; and Sheridan et al., 2012; Sheridan et al., 2017). However, much of the research that exists focused on the impact of consultation for children as a group rather than discussing its impact on the individual child (O'Farrell & Kinsella, 2018). The aim of this current study is, therefore, to investigate whether a series of group consultations, including parents and school staff, could improve the behaviour of three primary school children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. A case study design, incorporating a multiple baseline single case experimental design (SCED) was implemented. Repeated observational measures were taken to assess if there was an "indirect" impact of the consultations on the individual children's classroom behaviour. The data was triangulated with pre-and post-measures of teacher perceptions of behaviour, assessed using Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 1997) and Child Behaviour Rating Scale (CBRS; Bronson et al., 1990). Following the conclusion of the consultations, interviews were held with members of staff and two of the pupils to offer supplementary qualitative data. This was analysed using thematic analysis in an attempt to explore how the consultations may have influenced the outcomes observed in each case. Drawing on the repeated observation measure, the results of the SCED demonstrated improvements in aspects of classroom behaviour for all three participants. In addition, this was supported by a positive change in SDQ and CBRS scores for two of the participants. School staff interviewed, also perceived there to have been a reduction in challenging behaviour. Staff also reported that the consultation process was helpful as a collaborative and supportive process. The study concluded that key school staff attending a series of group consultations can have a positive impact on classroom behaviour.

Educational settings are required to differentiate for students with special educational needs which may now include social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEND Code of Practice, 2014). Educational psychologists are often called upon by schools to support them in meeting the needs of vulnerable children. When aiming to build capacity in schools and facilitate change, educational psychologists increasingly opt to use consultative methods (Ingraham, 2000). Circle of Adults is a tool used by educational psychologists to facilitate group problem solving (Grahamslaw and Henson, 2015). Yet despite its growing popularity, little is known about what yields successful outcomes (Bennett and Monsen, 2011). To understand the efficacy of the intervention, psychological theories of group interaction have been consulted. Though there is a consensus that groups interact in predictable ways (Wheelan, 1994), there are contrasting explanations for what actually happens within groups. Thus, the group dynamics within a Circle of Adults are not yet fully understood. This research aimed to enhance the existing evidence base by exploring the interactional patterns occurring within the group during Circle of Adults. Five Circle of Adults were observed and coded using Bales' Interaction Process Analysis (IPA, 1951). Sequence analysis showed that 27 first order event pairs were found, indicating that Circle of Adults facilitates predictable group interaction. Findings also demonstrated that the intervention enables discussion which is functional in nature and that within the group, there is a balance between task and emotional interactional processes occurring. Implications of this research are considered, particularly focusing upon how this research can be used by educational psychologists and local educational authorities. Through critically considering the methodology used, recommendations for future research are made.

The current study evaluates a group consultation intervention, led by an Educational Psychologist (EP) within a Midlands Educational Psychology Service (EPS). The intervention was designed to support school staff in their work with a Looked After Child (LAC) in a UK Primary School setting. A literature review was conducted, and indicated that the current body of research examining group consultation in schools was outcome focused. Group consultation is a complex social programme and therefore the current study aimed to examine the mechanisms and complex psychological processes that address why the intervention may work within the current context. In order to achieve insight into such processes, a realist epistemology was adopted and a Realistic Evaluation (RE) methodology (Pawson & Tilley, 1997) was applied using a case study approach. The RE methodology highlights intricate processes within the intervention through identification of context, mechanism and outcome configurations (CMOCs). Six outcome themes were developed from the literature review and CMOCs within each outcome theme were collated into an Initial Program Theory. The CMOCs were further refined through three evaluation cycles. In evaluation cycle one, data was gathered through an observation of the group process and a Realist Interview (RI) with the facilitating EP. In evaluation cycle two, data was gathered through semi structured interviews with participants and a focus group was conducted in evaluation cycle three, which required participants to categorise final program theories according to perceived importance. Analysis of data was conducted using a thematic analysis that offered a framework to support the refinement and development of CMOCs. Findings suggest that according to participants, the most critical elements of the process were the opportunity to develop a whole group approach to working with the LAC and the skills of the EP facilitator in guiding exploration of the problem. The current research contributes in-depth insight into the critical mechanisms, which supported the perceived outcomes of a group consultation intervention involving the adults working to support a LAC. Limitations and implications for EP practice are considered to conclude the research.

The present research explored the impact of interacting with, and reading to, a dog on the classroom behaviour of seven primary school aged children. Relevant literature and theoretical underpinnings are discussed in line with the overarching themes of classroom behaviour and Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI), focusing on the research which employs dogs as the chosen therapy animal. Reports from the past 27 years have shown low-level disruptive behaviour to be a cause for concern for teachers and parents (Elton, 1989; Steer, 2005; Ofsted, 2014). The literature also explores the possible theoretical unerpinnings of AAI, with a particular focus upon Attachment Theory (Bowlby, 1959). The literature considers how this theory may be applied to Human-Animal Interactions and what impact this may have for children bonding to animals in school. Currently, no research exists which explores the impact of AAI on behaviour once the child has returned to the classroom and the current study wished to address this. A single-case experimental design (SCED) was implemented with seven participants. Weekly data was collected through observational measures regarding classroom behaviour. This data was split into four categories: on-task behaviour (where the participant was actively or passively engaged in learning); off-task motor behaviour (the participant was out of their seat unnessarily, swinging on their chair or fiddling with equipment); off-task verbal behaviour (talking out of turn, calling out or making unnessary noises); off-task passive behaviour (staring out of the window, watching another peer). The results indicated positive effects in at least one area for six participants. The highest gains were demonstrated in off-task verbal behaviour, where improvements were observed in the behaviour of four participants. The present research provides tentative further evidence for the impact of interacting with and reading to a dog as an intervention for classroom behaviour. The discussion considered the nature of the design as a limitation, as SCEDs limit the generalisability of the findings. Furthermore, the limitations around observational measures are discussed, alongside the variables which may have affected the results, including the variability of the intervention itself between participants and differences between predisposiitons towards dogs. The conclusions recommend additional research into the use of canine-assisted interventions in schools and the Educational Psychologist’s place within this.

No description available.

There has been a general reluctance within education, and in particular physical education, to involve the child proactively in the research process. Assessments of children's experiences have occluded possibilities for the development of understanding by the proclivity to employ restrictive methods of research. Herein potential is confined to accessing only those categories deemed to be of significance by the researcher. This study aimed to expand upon existing studies by opening potential for accessing new possibilities through the involvement of children directly in the exposition of research issues and development of theory. An interpretive approach, adhering to a grounded theory methodology, was taken over a three-year period of data collection and analysis. Following an initial year of familiarisation with the research field, through observations in four secondary schools, a case study formed the basis of the main body of research. Diaries, group and individual interviews formed the essential basis of data that was supported by observational study. Children involved in this study were found to have the capacity for reflection and analytic acumen to cast their experience meaningfully and constructively for interpretation. Therefore, although superficially findings supported many more general issues studied to date within the subject area, analysis revealed more specifically that children's experience of physical education was organised around certain domains of awareness. These configurations formed what I have termed a 'working consciousness' in given situations. 'Physical education' as a practical, spacial and social phenomenon heightens the significance of experience through the multiplicity of sentient possibilities that it creates for the child. However, in particular, the presence of 'significant' peers was found to be a predominant determinant of actual working consciousness, on occasion overriding 'curriculum' itself.