What is wellbeing, and how does it develop? What situations and experiences in the first three years help to build resilient wellbeing in adolescence and young adulthood? This mixed-method research study investigated the development of resilient wellbeing from birth to three. A review of the literature established that children’s very early environments and relationships make a lasting impact on their long-term development. The review generated an ‘a priori’ set of constructs as the components of wellbeing. Three studies were undertaken, with three main objectives: to put to the test the ‘a priori’ constructs, and in the process to elaborate them; to identify situations and experiences from birth to three which facilitated the development of the foundations of wellbeing; and to identify implications for research, policy and practice in relation to the wellbeing of the youngest children and their families. Study 1 was a survey in which one hundred mothers of children under five were interviewed; Study 2 involved nine case study families over a period of twelve months, collecting video and audio data; and Study 3 was a series of focus group seminars in which researchers, policy makers, managers and practitioners were consulted. The ‘companionable’ approach taken in the research was found to be a fruitful process, with the ‘voices’ of the babies and very young children being an important aspect of the video data. The proposed conceptual model was found to be a robust framework within which to explore the development of resilient wellbeing. Among the situations and experiences that were found to be fundamentally important in the development of individual wellbeing were companionable learning, or ‘diagogy’; and companionable play. Wellbeing was found to be not only individual but also collective, in families and in communities.

This study aimed to explore school staff’s, parents’ and children’s understanding of mental health and identify what risk and protective factors affect children’s mental health. The key aims were to gain information about how mainstream primary schools promote children’s mental health, and to explore children’s, parents’ and school staffs’ understanding of children’s mental health and factors which promote or demote development. All of the schools who responded to the questionnaire considered that mental health promotion should be carried out by specialist. The findings from this initial survey suggested that to achieve the active involvement of school staff, further support was required to enable school staff to feel competent, confident and knowledgeable in this field. The participants in the action research phase of this study identified a number of factors within the individual, the micro, exo- and the macro-systems which they believed affected children’s mental health. The integrated MacDonald and O’Hara Ten Element Map (1998) and Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model (2005) which consider the individual to be at the centre of and embedded in a number of environmental systems, afforded effective frameworks for exploring the school community’s understanding of children’s mental health, for conceptualising the findings from a bioecological perspective, and for planning action steps through which to enhance the impact of schooling on children’s mental health.

Building on a small body of research, the present study explores the perceptions of teaching staff about their work with Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) children and young people. Specifically the research is concerned with participants’ views about the relationship between GRT children and schools in relation to attainment, social inclusion, the GRT culture and lifestyle and wider systemic factors. Existing literature and research about the educational experiences of GRT children and young people is explored. Situated within a critical realist epistemology, the present study utilises semi-structured interviews with 13 members of teaching staff across five schools in Greenshire County Council (pseudonym). Transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis following the model proposed by Braun and Clarke (2006). Six superordinate themes (educational outcomes; barriers to education; GRT parents; social inclusion; cultural dissonance and inclusive practices) were identified. Findings are explored in relation to previous research. One key finding concerns the views participants expressed about GRT children’s reports of bullying or racism. Implications for practice and future research are considered.

The Children and Families Act 2014 defines a young carer as anyone under the age of 18 years old who provides, or intends to provide, care for another person of any age. The literature has empirically and anecdotally identified that young carers are a population more vulnerable to poorer outcomes in educational attainment, employment opportunities, and psychological wellbeing. (Becker and Becker, 2008; Warren, 2007; Lloyd, 2010). This thesis is an account of real-world research drawing on qualitative research methods such as semi-structured interviews to gather the views and perspectives of young carers; young carer project workers; and safeguarding and student welfare officers to identify the systemic factors (Bronfrenbrenner, 1979; 2001) that strengthen the educational inclusion of young carers with additional needs. Findings suggest the important factors at different systemic levels around the carer, such as the role of the key person within the educational setting, the role of external support and social support in strengthening a young carers inclusion in their educational setting. The implications arising from the findings are also discussed, in relation to the role of local authority services and, specifically the role of the educational psychologist.

At a time where national budget cuts and changes in Government policy have reduced Local Authority budgets and workforce numbers, many Educational Psychology (EP) services across England and Wales are undergoing a period of rapid change and transition. Within this context many EP services have begun to develop traded service delivery models. This study utilised Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to gain EPs’ perceptions of some of the problem situations arising from working within a ‘traded’ EP service in order to understand the implications of this new model of service delivery on the activities and the role of the EP. This study utilised SSM to gain EPs’ views through two focus group discussions, focus group A (n= 5) and focus group B (n=4). Thematic analysis highlighted ‘job insecurity’, ‘not knowing budgets’ and ‘increased workloads’ as problem-situations arising from working in the traded model. Systems underpinning these themes related to ‘judging EP performance’, ‘schools as power-holders’ and ‘marketing’ the EP service. SSM enabled EPs to view actions to improve practice which were focused on developing ‘capacity within the team’ and working to clarify the ‘expectations of EPs’.

Successive governments have afforded high priority to improving school attendance (DfE, 2012). However, inter-agency collaboration to address non-attendance has been hindered by disparity in the literature and among practitioners regarding terminology, definitions, assessment and intervention practices (Kearney, 2008). The current research offers ‘Complex Extended School Non-Attendance’ (CESN-A) as a broader conceptualisation of the issue and seeks to explore and analyse inter-agency working between Educational Psychologists (EPs) and Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) regarding supporting pupils who experience CESN-A. The research adopts case study design and offers a contextualised account within one Local Authority (LA) that has embraced multi-agency working and where EPs and EWOs work together in multi-agency support teams (MASTs). Activity theory (Engeström, 1987) is employed as a theoretical framework and methodology for: examining the socio-cultural processes that mediate the current models of working; analysing and comparing EP and EWO activity systems; surfacing contradictions and proposing new ways of working. The research utilises semi-structured interviews and Developmental Work Research (DWR) to explore the professional learning required to improve inter-agency collaboration. The findings illustrate the multi-layered nature of inter-agency working. Suggested improvements include fostering shared understanding, clarifying role demarcations, establishing structures for collaborative problem-solving and building capacity in schools regarding both understanding the complexities of CESN-A and developing strategies which support attendance. Finally, the research illuminates the value of utilising socio-cultural activity theory as a tool for understanding, analysing and exploring practice and promoting professional learning to facilitate organisational change and ultimately improve service delivery.

This longitudinal study explored the experiences of six dyslexic nursing students, in their final six months of their nursing course, re-visiting them again in their first six months as registered nurses. The study also explored the experiences of those who support them from student nurse to registered nurse, namely their tutors and their mentors and preceptors in practice. A semi-structured interview method was used to interview each participant additionally adopting an iterative interview method. An interpretative case study design was adopted for this study using interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze the data. The nursing students expressed degrees of negative self-perceptions of themselves, some carried these negative self-perceptions as registered nurses. Some of the mentors, tutors and preceptors lacked knowledge and understanding of dyslexia with some expressing concerns over the safety of a nurse with dyslexia in practice. The results presented evidence of a dyslexic self-stigma and the fear of others perceptions surrounding dyslexia amongst the nursing students, but also evidence of a full acceptance of dyslexia amongst some of the nurse participants. Dyslexia was perceived differently amongst the tutors and preceptors showing a positive understanding amongst some, but also that dyslexic is misunderstood and linked to concerns surrounding patient safety.

This study explored the nature of classroom interactions in which teachers and learners from a Mexican university engaged to practise speaking. Throughout a five-year programme, learners in this context are trained to become EFL teachers or translators, and are also expected to learn the language skills to an advanced proficiency level. In a previous study conducted in the same context (Garcia Ponce, 2011), learners were found to obtain passing grades in speaking tests, but were perceived to develop a low oral competence which deters them from communicating. Through a quantitative and qualitative analysis, the study draws attention to the role of teacher and learner ideologies in language learning outcomes, showing how the teachers' and learners' diverse and sometimes conflicting beliefs shaped the nature of classroom interactions and speaking practice. In particular, the teachers' and learners' interactional- and teaching and learning-related choices and beliefs were found to influence three aspects of learner talk: oral performance, discourse functions, and negotiations of meaning. This study concludes that the teachers and learners need support from inside and outside their classrooms to break away from existing pedagogical beliefs and interactional behaviour to try new approaches which might be more beneficial for developing learners' speaking skills.

Building on a small body of research that conceptualises unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people (UASC) as "active survivors" despite their vulnerability, this study aimed to: 1) investigate processes by which UASC develop and maintain resilience within the specific context of a rural county; and 2) develop understanding of the context-dependent nature of resilience, in terms of interactions between UASC coping styles and environmental variables. A narrative approach was adopted to explore UASC experience and meaning making. Three male UASCs aged 17-19 years participated in narrative interviews and completed The Resiliency Scales self-report questionnaires. Transcripts were subject to detailed thematic and structural narrative analysis. Five coping strategies were identified in UASC narratives: appreciating the positive; cultural distancing; suppression of reflection; externalising locus of control; and seeking personal agency (which itself included negotiation, non-compliance, being proactive, perseverance and having ambition). Key environmental influences were: school and relationships (which itself included social support and key adults). Two key findings were the interactions between agency and relationships, and between suppression and coherence. Recruitment and sample issues in research with 'hard to reach' groups are highlighted. Implications for professional practice with UASC based on an increased understanding of dynamics of resilience are discussed.

This study reviews the evidence for commonalities in the behavioural presentation and functioning of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and attachment difficulties. A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate current practice, assess the scale of misdiagnosis, and identify areas of differential presentation. Teacher-ratings of the frequency of behaviours were collected for two groups of primary school children matched for age, sex and school: one with recent diagnoses of ASD (n = 12) and a control group without diagnoses (n = 12). Three children with ASD diagnoses had higher ratings for attachment difficulties than ASD, at a level approaching significance. However, within-group analysis showed no significant difference between the median ASD and attachment difficulties ratings in the group with ASD diagnoses. A between-group comparison revealed significantly more behaviour suggestive of attachment difficulties in the ASD. Finally, the measure, based on ‘The Coventry Grid’ (Moran, 2010), was found to have acceptable reliability and good face and content validity. However, while the literature suggested good construct validity, analysis of dimensionality raised questions about how we construe the aetiology and mechanisms that constitute the phenomenology that informs the diagnosis of ASD and attachment difficulties. Implications for the ASD diagnostic process are discussed.