This research explores the content of group supervision sessions for Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) to further understand ‘what is really going on’. There has recently been a re-emergence of interest in group supervision and Educational Psychologists are increasingly involved in this work (Dunsmuir, Lang and Leadbetter, 2015, p.9). There is currently a paucity of research in the UK that has directly explored the content of group supervision sessions; research to date has tended to survey supervisory practice or focus on eliciting the views of participants about supervision through the use of questionnaires and focus groups. This research addresses this gap and begins a process of exploration into what really happens within group supervision sessions. Within the local authority in which this research was carried out, group supervision is regularly provided to ELSAs by Educational Psychologists (EPs). The core aims are to support ELSAs with their professional development and to ensure that they practice safely and appropriately. This research involved the recording and subsequent transcription of three group supervision sessions. Themes within the data were then identified using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. This allowed for a rich and complex picture to emerge allowing an insight into what was actually happening within the group supervision sessions. Eleven main themes and forty-six sub-themes were identified whilst exploring the contributions of both the ELSAs and the EPs. The identified themes were found to be consistent with Hawkins and Shohet’s (2012) functions of supervision which is a commonly used framework for supervision within educational psychology in the UK (Dunsmuir et al., 2015, p.9). The findings were then considered in the light of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984) along with an approach to support this process – ORID (Marsick and Maltbia, 2009) and a psychodynamic understanding about group processes (Bion, 1961). The research suggested that within the group supervision sessions ELSAs were exploring their skills, knowledge and understanding of the casework in which they were involved along with experiencing a degree of emotional support. It was also evident that both the ELSAs and the EPs were exercising an element of ‘quality control’ within their work. The research also highlighted the need for a greater attention to group processes, particularly those of an unconscious nature, in order to develop the supervision that ELSAs receive. It is suggested that a psychodynamic perspective may be helpful in achieving this goal.

This research explores how mothers home educating a child with special educational needs (SEN) experience their relationship with their child. As home education is gaining in popularity it is important to understand this learning relationship in more detail, particularly as the profession of educational psychology is largely driven by knowledge of more traditional educational settings. A review of the literature indicated that there is minimal existing research examining this particular relationship, with even less exploring the experiences of mothers home educating children with SEN. As the research is exploratory in nature a qualitative approach was taken with interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as the choice of methodology. Six mothers home educating children with SEN were recruited to take part. Each was interviewed individually using an unstructured approach and audio records of these interviews were transcribed and analysed following the guidelines outlined by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). Results indicated six overarching themes within the mothers’ experiences; (1) Empowering Child, (2) Attunement and Connection, (3) The Super Mother, (4) Threats: Past, Present and Future, (5) Transformation and Growth and (6) Issues of Control. The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and implications for educational psychologists are explored. Intersectionality is proposed as a useful theoretical context from which to apply the findings. It encourages the professional to examine the learning relationship as it is experienced rather than through the lens of inaccurate stereotypes or assumptions thereby helping to avoid oppressive practices as emphasised in professional guidance and literature. It is suggested that transferability to real life case work within the context of intersectionality can be facilitated by the Home Education Learning Relationship Framework (HELRF), created to provide a clear, visual illustration of the overarching themes and the role of the professional. Limitations of the findings and the research process itself are discussed and avenues for future research identified.

The UK is a highly diverse country which over the last 10 years has seen a vast increase in immigration with the majority of migrants being from Eastern Europe. The aim of this research was to increase our understanding of Eastern European, migrant students' experiences of transition from their home country to the UK and their experiences of starting secondary school here. The research also aimed to explore how these students experienced a sense of belonging to secondary school. By conducting this research, I hope to add to the psychological understanding of the experiences of this specific group of young people, by giving them a voice that may not otherwise be heard. Semistructured interviews were carried out with five Key Stage 4 students, from four different Eastern European countries. All students were first generation migrants and had arrived in the UK from their home country within the last three years. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the interview data. This led to the emergence of subordinate and superordinate themes for each participant. This was followed by the development of six overarching themes: 'adjusting to change'; 'a journey towards a sense of belonging'; 'a time of vulnerability'; 'the power of self-belief'; 'identity in a new place' and 'a need for support'. Findings are discussed in relation to previous research and relevant psychological theory. Implications of the findings for Educational Psychologists and school staff are also considered.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2009. / Adviser: Edward S. Shapiro.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1965. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-67). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

<p> The goal of this dissertation was to contribute to research on practical nursing students&rsquo; self-efficacy and the sources that build self-efficacy including mastery experience, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physiological and affective states (Bandura, 1986). Specifically, the focus in this study was on students&rsquo; self-efficacy change and development through the measurement of students&rsquo; confidence in ability to engage in medical surgical simulations during the last semester of a practical nursing program. The results of this study revealed perceived self-efficacy did not change, but participants indicated an overall strong sense of efficacy to engage in medical surgical simulations. Additionally, students relied on all four sources that build self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986). In other words, students relied on personal perseverance in facing obstacles, sought the nursing faculty&rsquo;s assistance and encouragement to perform well, observed and modeled their teachers&rsquo; behaviors, and successfully managed their physiological and emotional states. Strong self-efficacy was concluded to be a key factor in the success of practical nursing students. Thus, there is a need for future experimental and theory-driven studies that utilize the self-efficacy approach to reduce student attrition and contribute to academic and professional accomplishment of practical nursing students. </p>

<p> The purpose of this project is to create a career planning guidebook for undergraduate hospitality management students. This guidebook will allow students to determine what their interests are in various hospitality careers. Students&rsquo; interests will be determined by performing a self assessment via the web based O*Net Interest Profiler&trade; instrument. The Interest Profiler report will identify students&rsquo; interests based on the six personality types adapted from John Holland&rsquo;s typology of personality types and work environments.</p>

<p> Recent research has uncovered differences in values between individuals who identify with the working class (WK) versus those who identify with the middle class (MD). WK individuals strive for interdependence, group belonging, and orienting toward others; their MD counterparts strive for independence, standing out from a group, and orient toward the self. These contrasts have been shown to influence behavior. The current study utilized a paradigm for studying socially motivated underachievement to investigate how these contrasting normative guidelines affected behavior in a situation that pitted individual achievement goals against prosocial goals. WK individuals, relative to MD individuals, were expected to perform their worst in this goal conflict situation. The anticipated pattern of means emerged for WK participants, although not significant, such that performance was worst in the goal conflict situation. However, MD participants surprisingly performed their best when presented with this goal conflict.</p>

<p> Early intensive behavior intervention programs are designed to educate children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Programs provide one-to-one instruction in highly structured learning environments, eventually moving students into less restrictive placements. General education classrooms are the placement of choice for most students with ASD. The popularity of these programs has made large gains in the last decade due to the documented success of students receiving services. The United States Surgeon General and the National Academy of Sciences Research Council provided additional support for these programs through their endorsement. However, little research exists to demonstrate if the gains made in early intervention programs are sustained over time. A cross case analysis using qualitative methods was used to examine the perceptions and experiences of parents whose children received early intensive behavior intervention services. Data were collected through participant interviews and document analysis. Findings revealed that all students had maintained their placements in general education classrooms and two students were no longer receiving Special Education services. Students had established support networks and friendships with peers.</p>

<p> In the complexity and idiosyncrasies of everyday human activity, social scientists seek patterns--first to describe, then to explain the organization of thought and action. In a natural history museum, a setting of complex activity, video-based research addresses fundamental questions: How do children use museum exhibits? How do they make sense of experience when confronted with a rich array of resources, including natural objects, environments, models, digital and mechanical interactives, static and moving images, text and sound? How does design constrain and afford different forms of engagement and meaning-making? Theories of cognition--as embodied, situated, and distributed--informed methods of analysis focused on multimodal interaction. A detailed behavioral coding scheme, applied to video of six multilingual fourth-grade children, highlights when they look, touch, talk, and gesture with exhibits. Quantitative analyses focus on behavioral frequencies and sequences. Qualitative analyses describe the forms and cognitive functions of the children's multimodal engagements. In this cognitive ecosystem, the diversity, abundance, and distribution of modes of interaction permit inferences about the role of the environment, consequences of design and the potential for learning. Children's self-directed explorations of the museum clustered around themes: objects, action, and representation. The children's activity embodied inquiry. They asked, explicitly and implicitly, What is it? What can I do? What does it mean? Children used multiple sensorimotor and expressive modalities for different functions, and they distributed and integrated cognitive labor across modalities and individuals. When children manipulated objects in the museum--opportunities for interaction that they actively sought--they achieved feats of cognitive complexity. They tested cause-and-effect relations in the physical world, created layers of narrative interpretation, and filled conceptual gaps in exhibits with their own expressions of meaning. Guided by children's behavioral and cognitive inclinations, museums and schools can, and should, create environments for meaningful exploration, imagination and expression.</p>