2405 research outputs found
Sort by
An investigation into collaborative practice between the class teacher, special education teacher (SET) and speech and language therapist to identify and meet the needs of students with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD) in Irish primary schools
Get PDFThe number of students presenting with Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties (SLCD) represents a significant cohort of the student population nationally and internationally, according to the literature. These students require specialised in-school support from school staff as well as support from external professionals such as Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs). This research set out to investigate the nature and extent of collaborative practice in Irish primary schools to identify and meet the needs of students with SLCD.
A social constructivist paradigm was adopted for the investigation to ensure that the various perspectives and multiple realities of principals, class teachers, SETs, and SLTs were identified and validated. The study adopted a qualitative approach and the researcher employed semi-structured interviews as her primary data collection method. The research was conducted in four main cluster groups in the greater Dublin area, which enabled the researcher to examine the lived experiences of the participants. The researcher utilised the theoretical framework of Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice (CoP) (1991), as a lens for analysis. Thematic analysis of the dataset, guided by the theoretical framework, unveiled a number of significant findings.
In summary, findings suggest that while the value of collaborative practice is acknowledged as necessary in meeting the needs of students with SLCD, participants reported common issues that challenge effective collaborative practice. The nature of these challenges was identified as being a lack of time to engage, the absence of a shared knowledge and the limitations of current Continued Professional Development (CPD) around curricular change, such as the introduction and implementation of the Primary Language Curriculum, by the Department of Education in 2019. The study suggests that due to these impediments, effective collaborative practice has been hindered and thus, the needs of students with SLCD are not being appropriately identified or addressed. Finally, this study argues that collaborative practice and the development of CoPs are required to effectively meet the needs of students with SLCD in inclusive classrooms, which are increasingly diverse.
This study offers some key recommendations which may inform future policy and practice, in relation to multidisciplinary collaboration in schools, approaches to Initial Teacher Education and CPD. Frameworks, emerging from the data, are provided which may usefully guide the establishment of meaningful CoPs, enhanced ITE and approached to CPD, so that stakeholders can effectively identify and meet the needs of all students, particularly those with SLCD in their own context of practice.N
The hypothetical imperative as an indicator of irrational will: the case of the 2018 Toronto van attack
Get PDFThe categorical imperative inherent in Kant's ethics has had indubitable historical influence on societies worldwide whether in the form of laws, democracy or public deliberation. The Toronto Van Attack of 2018 and its subsequent legal trial is a case example that shows how the categorical imperative can be applied to assist in understanding the reasoning for the case's guilty verdict. This paper will convey the applicability of the categorical imperative for examining criminal case studies by closing the gap between ethical theory and practice. Such closure will be shown to assist in understanding why a perpetrator of a crime can be found guilty of following a hypothetical imperative to base their actions. The rationale for the verdict in this case will be shown to be based on the perpetrator's responsibility in the form of maintaining autonomy despite having an autism diagnosis. The perpetrator will be shown to have acted on an irrational will and yet was treated in the legal sense as a rational individual. Such rationality was maintained despite complications with their autonomy in the form of relativism and ethical solipsism.Ye
An introduction to local and global health behaviors using a Collaborative Online International Learning exchange
No full textCollaborative Online International Learning (COIL) uses technology to facilitate the
engagement of students from different countries in collaborative coursework and
sharing of cultural perspectives. This practice paper describes an original COIL
exchange between students enrolled in health psychology modules at higher education
institutions in Ireland (n = 35), and the United States of America (n = 20). The exchange
consisted of a ten-week initiative, during which students engaged in synchronous and
asynchronous coursework. This paper provides course instructors with strategies for
designing and implementing a COIL virtual exchange as well as strategies for increasing
student engagement. We believe COIL is a valuable teaching approach that helps students
learn module specific material, understand multicultural viewpoints, and enhance their
professional skill set.Ye
Exploring the influence of teacher professional learning on classroom teachers’ understanding of their role and professional practice within ‘The Special Education Teacher Allocation Model’
No full textThe Department of Education announced to schools through Circular 0013/2017 (DES 2017a) a revised funding model for the allocation of Special Education Teachers to mainstream schools. A greater autonomy in identifying students’ needs and in deploying additional teaching supports was entrusted to schools. With a growing population of students with diverse needs in mainstream classrooms (McCoy et al. 2016; Casserly and Padden 2018) the opt-in approach to teacher professional learning (TPL) on ‘The Special Education Teaching Allocation Model’ (SETAM) (DES 2017a) is concerning. This study captured the collective voices of classroom teachers, key stakeholders in the policy text. In doing so a gap in the dearth of literature on the model was addressed. The research explored the influence of TPL on the classroom teacher’s understanding of his/her role and professional practice within the model, adopting a sequential mixed methods approach to the investigation. Participants responded to a web-based survey, engaged with a researcher designed TPL activity and then participated in semi-structured interviews unveiling SETAM’s (DES 2017a) enactment and impact in Irish classrooms. Findings indicated significant variation in classroom teachers’ understanding and practice across contexts. An increased confidence to initiate, write and review Classroom Support Plans was reported following TPL. Findings confirm that an emphasis on TPL at classroom level is imperative for the classroom teacher to lead, communicate and collaborate, confidently and effectively, to contribute impactfully to a ‘universal response’ (Fitzgerald et al.2021, p.18) to inclusive education.N
"Nothing about me without me": exploring how educational psychologists in Irish disability, educational and primary care services elicit and represent the voices of school aged children and young people with special educational needs
Get PDFBackground: National and international policy stipulate the importance of listening to the voices of children and young people (CYP) with special educational needs (SEN). During consultation, educational psychologists (EPs), as key stakeholders in the lives of CYP with SEN, are required to use evidence-based approaches to ensure that CYP’s voices are listened to and heard.
Aims: Emanating from a rights-based social justice theoretical perspective, the current study sought to explore how EPs in three psychological services in Ireland elicit and represent the voices of CYP with SEN.
Sample: The sample comprised EPs practicing in Irish disability, educational and primary care services in Ireland that work with school aged CYP with SEN. A total of 83 EPs from the three services took part in the online questionnaire. A subsample of 11 EPs participated in the subsequent online semi-structured interviews.
Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was utilised, involving two phases. In phase one, quantitative data was obtained from an online questionnaire completed by EPs to provide an overview of their practice in eliciting and representing the voices of school aged CYP with SEN. Descriptive approaches were used to analyse the quantitative data. To garner qualitative data in phase two, interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of EPs to gain further insight into their professional practice. Framework analysis was applied to the qualitative data, with results extending and elaborating on the initial quantitative findings.
Results: The quantitative results conclude that EPs most commonly elicit voice using discussion-based and indirect approaches. Qualitatively, four key themes were identified regarding how EPs working across the three services elicit voice: Unique Role of the EP, Utilising a Range of Supports, Child-Led Process and Adapted Practice. EPs most frequently represent voice in psychological reports and during meetings with parents and school personnel. Two main themes were generated qualitatively in relation to how EPs across the three services represent voice: Responsibilities and Competencies of the EP and An Array of Mediums.
Conclusions: The study offers new insight into EP practice and extends on findings from other contexts. Implications of the findings for the field of educational and child psychology are presented in terms of practice, policy, and research.N
Evidence-based practice to develop social communication competency: listening to the voices of teachers of autistic children
Get PDFIn education research, there is a firm belief that reflecting on inclusive pedagogy is imperative for teachers, as effective inclusion means considering the child’s needs on all levels and adopting appropriate practices to meet these needs in schools (Lerner and Johns 2015). The appropriate practices, recommended for teachers of autistic children should have a research base, with evidence of their effectiveness to show what works to support learning. Such practices are termed evidence-based practices (EBPs). The 2016 Review of Autism Spectrum D[ifference] (ASD) Provision, commissioned by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), has identified that in Ireland there are ‘significant gaps in our knowledge of interventions for supporting children and young people with ASD, at different ages and in different educational settings’ (Bond et al. 2016, p.139). Despite global efforts, an upsurge in the availability of literature on ASD and the existence of high-quality experimental research, recommendations from empirical studies are not always transmitting into effective practice (Joyce and Cartwright 2020). The researcher sought to document the EBPs, that teachers report as most effective in early years’ classrooms, to facilitate social communication competency (SCC), which is acknowledged, nationally and internationally, as significant for autistic children. The research study utilised a detailed systematic literature review to provide an authentic evidence-based foundation that informed data collection, for teachers to use to reflect on their practice. The research adopted a cross-sectional survey as the data collection instrument, which was completed by a purposeful sample of teachers nationally across Ireland. A mixed methods approach to data analysis was embraced, whereby quantitative and qualitative analyses were combined to yield rich data (Creswell and Guetterman 2021). The study adopted Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory as its theoretical framework for analysis. It unveiled the perspectives of teachers in relation to EBPs, which they employ to teach SCC to autistic children in early years’ classrooms. Emerging from the voices of the teachers, seen as key stakeholders in the provision of education for autistic children, several recommendations are suggested for policy and practice, nationally and internationally.N
Exploring the influence of early screen use in the home on psychological development from an ecological perspective
Get PDFThe present research focuses on the influence that early screen use in the home has on young children’s psychological development. While a large body of research has been conducted on the influence that screens have on physical health factors, there is a paucity of literature focusing on early psychological development. Furthermore, the little research that has been conducted in this area has not considered early screen use from a fully ecological perspective. To explore this topic, the current research draws on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model while using a nationally representative birth cohort study, as well as primary data, to assess the unique contribution early screen use has on developmental outcomes.
The empirical studies in this thesis suggest that screen use had varying influences on children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development. However, the effect sizes were small in comparison to those seen for environmental factors, such as household income or parent-child relationships. Longitudinal analyses also indicated reverse-causal effects, which suggests screen time to not be the initial causing factor for the children’s later developmental outcomes. Further ecological factors, such as parental screen beliefs and engagement during screen time were also found to be associated with the prevalence and type of early screen use, highlighting the importance of controlling for such factors in the analyses.
These findings highlight the screen use factors, and the ecological factors related to this, that are important to measure in future research to provide a more nuanced understanding of screen time’s unique role in early development. The findings are discussed within the context of the bioecological model and provide evidence-based guidelines for caregivers, educators, practitioners, and policymakers, on best early screen use practices. The findings also add to the debate on what influence, if any, early screen use has on the young developing child – an area that has been under-researched to date.N
Father engagement with disability services: the perceptions and experiences of fathers and psychologists
Get PDFBackground and Aims: This study sought to explore father engagement with disability services in Ireland by capturing the perceptions and experiences of fathers of children with an intellectual disability or developmental delay (ID/DD), and psychologists working in disability services. Disability services often consider the mothers’ perspective to be representative of both parents, which can leave fathers of children with an ID/DD feeling disengaged in their relationship with disability services (Curtiss et al., 2021; Docherty & Dimond, 2018). This contradicts the ideologies underpinning family-centred practice, which is a core principle of Ireland’s national programme of disability service reconfiguration known as ‘Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People in Ireland’.
Sample: Fathers were recruited from disability services, special schools, and social media parent groups through voluntary response sampling. Psychologists were recruited from disability services through purposeful sampling.
Method: A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design was adopted. A newly developed questionnaire on father engagement with services (FEWS-Q) was completed by fathers (n = 77), followed by semi-structured interviews with fathers (n = 9) and with psychologists (n = 8). Internal reliability analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data accrued. The bioecological model of human development (BMHD) and family systems theory were applied as theoretical frameworks to explore this multifactorial phenomenon Results: Survey and interview results highlighted feelings of exclusion from services from fathers, which were corroborated by psychologists. Fathers and psychologists described factors across all five systems of the BMHD that affect father engagement with disability services, and this was used as a framework to structure and explore the themes that were generated. Positive discrimination towards fathers, services offering father groups, and the establishment of an early relationship between fathers and services may help to improve engagement.
Conclusions: The findings of this study support previous research findings that fathers feel disengaged and unsupported by services which has implications for service delivery within the family-centred practice model and for intervention efficacy. The internal reliability and construct validity of the FEWS-Q is promising and this instrument merits further exploration with a larger sample size to determine its robustness.N
‘Getting into the nucleus of the school’: experiences of collaboration between special educational needs co-ordinators, senior leadership teams, and educational psychologists in Irish post-primary schools.
Get PDFObjective: The research explored barriers and facilitators to collaboration between National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) psychologists, Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) and Senior Leadership Teams (SLT) in Irish post-primary schools. Collaboration is intended to occur across the Continuum of Support (CoS), a multi-tiered system of support providing staged support and consultation for students with identified and diagnosed special educational needs. NEPS’ role in facilitating collaboration is uncertain, exacerbated by the absence of policy outlining the SENCO role and tensions between special and inclusive education. It is necessary to explore experiences of collaboration between NEPS psychologists and post-primary schools within this nebulous policy context.
Methods: A sequential explanatory design was used, framed by Dynamic Systems Theory; participants were NEPS psychologists, SENCOs and SLT. Phase 1 involved a bespoke online survey (n=278), based on policy and literature, which identified barriers and facilitators to collaboration using descriptive statistics. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews (n=9) were analysed using multi-perspectival Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
Results: Phase 1 provided a quantitative overview of barriers and facilitators to collaboration; Phase 2 facilitated an experiential exploration of collaboration between NEPS, SLT and SENCOs. Participants described the experience of transitioning from working in silos to collaborative hubs. Systemic and interpersonal factors facilitated the deliberate construction of evolving, dynamic, collaborative spaces between post-primary schools and NEPS. There are practical implications for NEPS psychologists in creating space for hubs rather than silos, including working collaboratively across the CoS, fostering supportive and trustful interpersonal relationships, and centring the expertise of schools and families in the collaborative process.
Conclusion: Policy gaps arise regarding consultation, collaboration, special education, and inclusion. This research begins to clarify the varied ways in which practice occurs in these gaps and indicates ways in which NEPS psychologists can collaborate with SENCOs and SLT to create active, effective hubs of knowledge to support students across the CoS.N