The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) initiative for secondary schools was launched in England in 2007 as part of the Secondary National Strategy for School Improvement. Designed as a universal, whole-school approach for the development of key social and emotional skills, SEAL was expected to improve behaviour, attendance, attainment and the emotional health and well-being of all members of the school community (DfES, 2007a). Research studies examining the implementation of school-based interventions have revealed, however, that they are rarely implemented as intended by the programme developers (Berman and McLaughlin, 1976) and that this is likely to negatively impact upon the achievement of the expected outcomes (Durlak and DuPre, 2008). Implementation is typically variable between settings due to local adaptations or modifications (Blakely et al, 1987) and challenges to implementation at a range of levels, including programme, classroom and school (Greenberg et al, 2005).This longitudinal study examined the processes of implementation of SEAL in five case study schools in the north-west of England. The primary aims were to: (i) identify both positive and negative factors affecting implementation so that any necessary improvements to SEAL may be made prior to its broader dissemination; (ii) support future practitioners in the implementation of SEAL by highlighting effective strategies and potential challenges; (iii) expand understanding of the processes of implementation of school-based interventions in English educational contexts. Schools were visited five times during the first two years of the implementation of SEAL; lessons were observed, relevant documents reviewed and interviews conducted with a range of staff, pupils and Local Education Authority representatives. Data was analysed thematically using a combination of a priori and emergent themes. As anticipated, implementation was variable between schools; this was in the detail of implementation, however, and broader convergences were seen in the barriers presented and the non-implementation of key processes and elements. None of the schools were able to fully implement SEAL. Challenges to implementation were identified at all levels examined (programme, classroom and school) and included programme characteristics, staff resistance, insufficient training, lack of time and competing initiatives. The interaction of negative and positive factors both within and between levels suggested, however, that no one factor may be considered dominant. This study concluded that until programme level issues and shared contextual factors such as initiative overload are addressed, then the full implementation of SEAL in secondary schools is unlikely to be achieved.

Objectives: Coordinated School Health (CSH) is a systematic approach to improving the health and well-being of school-age children. It is recommended for its potential to promote healthy weight in adolescents through strategic programming. Resources and programming for adolescent obesity prevention varies among schools, thereby limiting the intended benefits of CSH. The purpose of this study was to understand gaps in schools approaches to healthy weight promotion and support for overweight/obese students. We evaluated perceptions of adolescent obesity and environmental factors and programs facilitating healthy weight in high schools in Appalachian Tennessee. Methods: In 2012, 17 key school personnel from 5 randomly selected high schools were interviewed. Questions addressed their perceptions of adolescent obesity, school-based physical activity and nutrition programming, and support available to overweight/obese students. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify emerging themes. Results: Participants consistently identified adolescent obesity and/ or associated risk factors as major health problems within their schools. Barriers to physical activity and healthful eating were identified at multiple levels. Because of the sensitivity surrounding overweight/obesity, no particular programs or curricula targeted overweight/obese adolescents specifically, but they were available to all students. Support is not explicitly available; therefore, overweight/ obese students must seek out these resources. Conclusions: Findings suggest that although school personnel are concerned about the impact of adolescent obesity on health outcomes, there is wide variation across schools on the types and quality of programming available to address the issue. Results can be used to encourage school-based strengths and identify gaps in the CSH infrastructure in school systems.

No description available.

No description available.

Overweight and obesity in Mexican children substantiates the need to identify effective strategies and policies to address this problem. Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (INSP) designed and implemented a randomized control trial (RCT) to assess an ecologically-based intervention program to modify the school environment to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours in children. The objectives of this thesis are to describe the design and impact of this RCT, to examine the program content through an ecological approach, and to examine policy activities that have been informed by the RCT findings. Four manuscripts address these objectives. Manuscript one is Promoting a Healthful Diet and Physical Activity in the Mexican School System for the Prevention of Obesity in Children: Rationale, Design and Methods. It describes the rationale, design, and methods of the two-year INSP-Secretaria de Educacion Publica (Secretary of Public Education, SEP) RCT. Manuscript two is Impact of a School-based Intervention Program on Obesity Risk Factors in Mexican Children. It reports on the environmental impact of the INSP-SEP intervention by comparing 16 intervention schools with 11 non-intervention schools. Results showed increased availability and food intake of healthy foods with a concomitant decrease in unhealthy food availability in intervention schools/children. Manuscript three is An Ecological and Theoretical Deconstruction of a School-based Obesity Prevention Program in Mexico. It reports on an assessment of the integration of ecological principles and theoretical constructs in the school-based behavioural change/obesity prevention intervention carried out by the INSP-SEP. Results showed that 32 intervention strategies were implemented in the school setting to engage target-groups; the most used SCT construct was Reciprocal Determinism. Manuscript four is titled Quality and Implementation of the Nutrition and Physical Activity School Policy Guidelines in Mexico City. It assesses the quality and implementation conditions of a policy and reports on the implementation and the uptake of the national school policy to prevent obesity in Mexico city through a policy analysis, WHO School Policy Framework (SPF) and indicators informed by the national policy. Findings showed that not all of the 10 implementation pre-conditions were met; School Guidelines mostly complied with SPF but were not fully implemented within our sample. / Thesis (Ph.D, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-30 17:05:33.787

Denna uppsats är en utvärdering av en metod där socialtjänsten i Haninge kommun arbetar behandlande med familj- och skolsystemet. Behandlingsformen kallas korttidsbehandling och följer en manual som behandlare skapat utifrån inspiration av Barn och Ungdomspsykiatrin (BUP) i Östersund. Metoden är inte tidigare utvärderad. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes med fyra föräldragrupper och respektive fyra skolpersonalgrupper som deltagit efter en relativt kort prövotid av metoden. Det övergripande syftet med studien var därför att få en ökad förståelse för vilken betydelse korttidsbehandlingen har för familj respektive skolpersonal. I intervjuerna beskrivs att processen under behandlingen påminner om nätverksspiralen i nätverksterapi. I boken Nätverksterapi beskriver Svedhem nätverksspiralen. Den beskriver olika faser i ett möte: Retribalisering, polarisering, mobilisering, depression, genombrott och hänförelse/ utmattning (Forsberg & Wallmark (1998). Studien visar också att korttidsbehandling passar för föräldrar och skolpersonal när man vill stärka samarbetet mellan de olika systemen. Ett annat fynd är att mötets struktur och behandlarnas förhållningssätt ”jämnar” ut en ojämlik situation och bidrar till att förståelsen mellan skolpersonal och föräldrar ökar. Slutligen visar studien att förälder och skolpersonal tycker att de fått stöd i att hitta en gemensam plan för att skapa förändring för det utsatta barnet. Om behandlingen haft positiva effekter för barnet behöver studeras mer. En randomiserad studie där man jämför ”treatment as usual” med korttidsbehandlingen skulle behöva göras för att mer säkert kunna påvisa att behandlingen har den effekt som deltagarna vittnar om.

With the high prevalence of mental health disorders among children, there is a growing need for effective mental health interventions that will enhance overall wellness and functioning while meeting the developmental needs of children (Stagman & Cooper, 2010). In addition, there are increasing demands from policymakers, managed-care organizations, and educators to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs), or treatments that are supported by strong research (Kratochwill & Shernoff, 2004). One treatment that shows promise as an effective, developmentally-appropriate intervention that meets the mental health needs of children is play therapy (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005; Landreth, 2002; Ray, 2011). Although results of play therapy studies have shown some significance in improving a variety of issues for children, the body of research has been criticized, primarily due to inconsistent or inconclusive results across studies or compromised research designs and methods (Phillips, 1985; 2010; Read, Hunter, & McMillan, 1999). In addition, the field also lacks differentiation among various theoretical play therapy approaches across the research base (Phillips, 2010). To address these gaps in the literature, this study utilized a strong research design to examine the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on the challenging behaviors of three kindergarten students. A single-case multiple baseline design was used to maintain a high level of control with rigorous data collection methods (Kennedy, 2005; Ray and Schottelkorb, 2010). Research methods were designed to meet the What Works Clearinghouse pilot standards for single-case designs, which use stringent criteria in evaluating quality of research (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). The integrity of the CCPT intervention was assessed to ensure accurate implementation. Results from direct observational data suggested a relationship between CCPT and the improvement of classroom behaviors. In contrast to direct observational data, teacher ratings did not indicate improvements in behavior. Ratings by parents yielded significant results for improving behaviors at home. This study made valuable contributions to the literature by utilizing a strong research design and demonstrating promising findings for CCPT. Practical implications include using as few as eight sessions of CCPT as a behavioral intervention at school and engaging in ongoing teacher consultation to supplement CCPT.

High school pupils operate in a macro (country-specific), meso (school-specific) and micro (personal) context and their information needs are always experienced in a context - sometimes as imposed school assignments or else self-generated, e.g. as everyday life information needs. Pupils source their information through various information channels and there is sometimes a perceived risk to acting on incorrect information. Compared to adults in information-intensive professions, researchers have found that pupils tend to be unconcerned about the credibility of information. Based on a literature survey, a trust model was compiled from a number of other models and adapted to serve as an information channel credibility model portraying the pupil in context with his/her perception of information channel credibility. The model was used as a framework for a study on high school pupils’ perceptions of information channel credibility and factors influencing their perceptions. The study was guided by the following research problem: How can school pupils’ perceptions of information channel credibility inform school-based interventions? In order to find answers, the following sub-questions were addressed: • What has been reported on perceptions of information credibility and information channel credibility, with specific reference to school pupils, students and adults, as well as professionals in information-intensive environments? • How can trust models guide a study of pupils’ perceptions of information channel credibility? • What factors influence school pupils’ perceptions of information channel credibility? • What school-based interventions could be recommended to address the shortcomings in the perceptions of pupils that can prepare them to meet the information requirements of adulthood? A self-administered print questionnaire was used in May 2015 to survey the perceptions of 548 South African high school pupils from three different schools covering the range of the socio-economic spectrum from wealthy through to pupils from poor, unemployed home environments. The study was conducted with grade 8 and grade 12 pupils (entry and exit grades for South African high schools) from a city in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the principals of the three schools. The results are reported as descriptive statistics supported with inferential statistics and qualitative analysis where relevant. The findings are that pupils’ perceptions of information channel credibility are affected by the perceived risk of acting on incorrect information, their previous experience and the context (i.e. type of information need, whether the need is imposed or self-generated and pupil demographics) in which the information need occurs. Pupils used a level of metacognition with regard to information channel credibility. The model proved useful to guide data collection that can guide school-based interventions. It holds potential to be further adapted to actually reflect school-based interventions. School-based interventions are suggested to encourage responsible assessment of information channel credibility, including the simulation of risk by means of mark allocation for metacognition about information channel credibility, intentional exposure of pupils to a wide range of information needs and exposure to highly credible as well as less credible information channels. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Information Science / PhD / Unrestricted

With the increase in the prevalence rate of children with autism in the U.S. there is a growing need for empirically based treatments to address the many deficits that children with autism manifest. Social Stories™ is one such treatment that has grown in popularity to address social deficits in children with autism. However, no meta-analysis done in recent years has found Social Stories™ to be an effective treatment, stating weak and inconsistent research methodologies as one of the primary issues in the studies examined. The current study sought to examine the use of Social Stories™ using best practice research standards for single subject design. A total of 4 elementary aged students with a special education eligibility of autism participated in the study. Results of the study revealed an increase in pro-social skills for all 4 participants and a promising future for further Social Story™ research and the quest to recognize it as an effective, empirically based treatment for children with autism. Furthermore, teachers reported that they found Social Stories™ to be an effective, feasible intervention, that helped them to better understand their students’ social deficits.

The effects of long school breaks, such as summer vacation, on students' achievement has been an area of interest among educators and researchers for many years (e.g. Austin, Rogers & Walbesser, 1972; Ballinger, 1987, 1988; Borman, Benson & Overman, 2005; White, 1906). Research specific to children and youth with disabilities and the level of regression over summer months, however, is sparse. On the whole, both researchers and special educators have agreed that students with more severe disabilities tend to regress more than students with mild disabilities (Cornelius & Semmel, 1982; Edgar, Spence & Kenowitz, 1977; Shaw, 1982). These challenges can make extended breaks from school particularly detrimental for these children. A group of students that may be especially affected by a long break in schooling are children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These children often have slower rates of skill acquisition and more difficulties with maintenance/generalization of skills across time (Arnold- Saritepe, 2009). The current study explored the extent to which students with ASD maintained cognitive, behavioral and social skills over the summer vacation months with differing levels of summer programming. Additionally, this study examined whether students of varying functioning levels differed in their maintenance of skills during the summer. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was utilized in which the May assessments were treated as baseline data and September assessments for the following academic year were treated as outcome data. Participants included 139 students aged 5-9 years with an ASD diagnosis given by their school district. Three different groups of Extended School Year support were compared, including students who received no ESY support, students who received standard ESY support from their school district, and students who received ESY support along with individualized programming. Overall, students maintained skills from pre- to post-test in most key areas. When group comparisons were made between children who attended ESY (ESY group and ESY with individualized support group) and those who did not receive ESY programming few differences were found. While students who received the most intensive level of ESY support were found to decrease significantly in the presentation of hyperactivity and noncompliance, ESY was generally effective in maintaining skills over the summer break. / School Psychology