The attitudes of mainstream teachers towards pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews a selection of the literature relating to the attitudes of mainstream teachers to different types of emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBDs) in the classroom. It discusses the variables influencing these attitudes, including gender, age and ethnicity of teachers and pupils; national context; between‐ and within‐school factors; within‐classroom factors; and the availability and quality of support services. The literature shows that many mainstream teachers have negative perceptions of, and limited tolerance for, problem behaviour in the classroom, and the barriers to modifying these attitudes are considered. Examples of projects designed to overcome these barriers are given.     

Speech and language therapy support for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) – a pilot project

Current research highlights the prevalence of potentially undetected communication difficulties, often associated with major difficulties in literacy and learning, among pupils identified as having behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). In this article, Sarah Heneker, who is a speech and language therapist working mainly with adults with learning disabilities in a Primary Care Trust in Surrey, reports on a pilot project that provided speech and language therapy to a group of pupils in a pupil referral unit (PRU). The research involved formal assessment of 11 pupils aged between five and 11 years. These assessments confirmed that ten out of the 11 pupils experienced some degree of difficulty in communication. Six of these pupils, whose significant difficulties warranted the intervention, were offered speech and language therapy for one term. All these pupils made progress in the areas targeted for intervention and gained confidence generally in their communication. The pupils who worked on word knowledge made the greatest measurable progress. Sarah Heneker reports on these and other benefits to the pupils involved and reveals that the success of her pilot project has led directly to a sustained programme of speech and language therapy input for the pupils in this PRU. This may be a response that education providers in other localities will wish to emulate.     

The inclusion of pupils perceived as having social and emotional behavioural difficulties in mainstream schools: a focus upon learning

This article focuses upon the relationship between social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and learning. It argues that, while inclusion is desirable in principle, it can be highly problematic in practice. Further, it explores the contested nature of the concept of SEBD and the nature of support for pupils categorised as such. The article draws upon a case study which evaluates a group work approach devised by the author to support pupils experiencing SEBD within a mainstream secondary school, within a deprived area. The study (N = 69) established benchmark measures relating to pupil attendance, discipline sanctions, attainment and pupil attitudes and followed the progress of the pupils until one to two years after completion of the intervention. The findings indicate that the intervention did not reduce the differential in performance in National Tests between the Support Group pupils and comparator groups but it did impact positively upon dispositions towards learning.     

RESEARCH SECTION: The self‐esteem of pupils in schools for pupils with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties: myth and reality

The self‐esteem of pupils has long been regarded as a key variable affecting both pupils' learning and behaviour, although the relationship between the two may not be as strong as many in education have always assumed. In this article, Jeremy Swinson, an educational psychologist and honorary lecturer in educational psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, reports the findings from a study in two parts. Firstly, an examination was made of 35 Statements written by officers from seven different education authorities in the north‐west of England for pupils attending two independent schools that specialise in working with pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). It was found that, of the 35 Statements examined, 34 included self‐esteem as one area of special need. The second phase of the study examined the self‐esteem of 60 pupils in four specialist schools for pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The results showed that the average scores for self‐esteem for both the primary and secondary sample were very similar to the scores obtained by previous researchers in mainstream schools. However, it was apparent that more pupils than expected appeared to have either very low or very high self‐esteem. In terms of locus of control, it was found that a large number of secondary pupils had a high score although this was not found to be the case for the primary pupils in the sample. Jeremy Swinson discusses these results and presents his analysis of their implications for teachers, educational psychologists and education officers.     

Personalised learning for young people with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties

Limited research evidence pertains to the inter-related themes of personalised learning and curricular reform with young people who are disaffected with school or experience social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The Extended New Directions (END) project aimed to provide flexible and individualised education to help re-engage secondary school-aged young people. A mixed method research design evaluated the project. Quantitative data were gathered in respect of attendance, exclusion and achievement for the entire cohort of 30 young people. Self-report measures (focus group, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) were used with randomly selected young people, parents and all stakeholders (n = 52). Analysis suggested that END was generally achieving its aims, and implications for future research, policy and practice are discussed.     

The prevalence of psychiatric disorder in children attending a school for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties

The research presented in this article suggests that young people attending schools for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties are more likely to experience concurrent psychiatric disorders (comorbidity) than their peers in mainstream schools. Dr Cassidy (Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), Dr James (Consultant and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) and Dr Wiggs (Research Psychologist) used questionnaires and interviews with parents and teachers, together with pupil self-reporting, to gather their data. The two-stage investigation suggested that 89% of the adolescents in one school for pupils with EBD met established criteria for the diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. Conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) emerged as the most common psychiatric difficulties, but emotional disorders were also prominent in the data. These untreated problems are likely to have significant long-term implications for the psychological and educational development of the pupils concerned, and the authors speculate on some of the ways in which psychiatric and education services might work together in order to improve the outlook.     

Supporting the inclusion of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the primary school: the role of teaching assistants

During the past ten years in the UK there has been a considerable increase in the number of teaching assistants (TAs) appointed to work alongside teachers in schools. A significant number of these colleagues are appointed to support pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This paper reports on the ways in which the role of the teaching assistant in supporting pupils with SEBD has been developed in schools for pupils aged 7–11 years in one English Local Education Authority (LEA). It suggests that there are several models of support emerging and that the role of the teaching assistant is perceived as crucial to the effective inclusion of pupils with SEBD in mainstream classrooms.     

The contribution of a 'Quiet Place' to early intervention strategies for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in mainstream schools

Bob Spalding, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education, University of Liverpool, outlines the nature of a holistically oriented therapeutic intervention ('Quiet Place') developed in some mainstream primary schools on Merseyside. It offers a focus for a variety of therapeutic interventions, as well as an environment conducive to a sense of well-being and relaxation. An evaluation of the first cohort of children to complete the programme is analysed in comparison with a control group, and the key factors in the success of the provision are identified.     

Promoting inner stillness: the value of a self-discovery programme for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Dr Lesley Cullen-Powell and Professor Julie Barlow are both chartered health psychologists and both work at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Health at Coventry University where Lesley Cullen-Powell is a research fellow and Julie Barlow is a director. In this article, they assess the benefits of a 'self-discovery programme' for children aged six to seven years attending one mainstream primary school. Staff at the school selected 18 pupils, many of them considered to be at risk of exclusion, to participate in the study. The children were allocated either to an 'intervention' or 'non-intervention' group. The children in the intervention group experienced the self-discovery programme over two terms.
Results suggest that the programme was well received by the children. They became more confident, respectful and calm and they displayed less aggressive behaviours during the self-discovery programme. Lesley Cullen-Powell and Julie Barlow are cautious in the interpretation of their findings, but suggest that the self-discovery programme has the potential to help children to feel more positive about themselves and their peers and to re-engage with learning. The authors argue that a wider implementation of the programme, with a controlled study, is now required to evaluate the self-discovery programme in more depth and detail.     

Helpful and unhelpful practices in meeting the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties: a pilot survey of staff views in one local authority

The emotional and behavioural problems experienced by pupils continue to be a key concern for educationalists. In this article, Peter Lloyd Bennett, an educational psychologist, reports on his research into the views of staff about this important area of work. Questionnaires on meeting the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties were circulated among professionals in one local authority as part of the development of the authority's behaviour support plan. Respondents were asked to identify the practices and forms of additional support which, in their view, resulted in successful and less successful outcomes for pupils. Peter Lloyd Bennett analysed these responses and presents here ideas about staffing, strategies, training, multi-agency work, provision and the role of parents. Interestingly, staff working with primary-aged pupils frequently referred to whole-school behaviour policies as contributing to successful outcomes. Professionals involved with both primary- and secondary-aged pupils suggested that the constraints of the National Curriculum can contribute to pupils' emotional and behavioural difficulties. The results of this survey were used to inform developments in Peter Lloyd Bennett's local authority and will be directly relevant to colleagues grappling with similar issues in other contexts.     

The impact of working memory training in young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

This study examined the impact of a working memory (WM) training programme on measures of WM, IQ, behavioural inhibition, self-report test and trait anxiety and teacher reported emotional and behavioural difficulties and attentional control before and after WM training and at a 3 month follow-up. The WM training group (N = 7) showed significantly better post-training on measures of IQ, inhibition, test anxiety and teacher-reported behaviour, attention and emotional symptoms, compared with a non-intervention passive control group (N = 8). Group differences in WM were also evident at follow-up. The results indicated that WM training has some potential to be used to reduce the development of school related difficulties and associated mental health problems in young people. Further research using larger sample sizes and monitoring over a longer time period is needed to replicate and extend these results.     

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,behavioural and emotional problems in children excluded from mainstream education: a preliminary study of teachers' ratings

The aim of this study was to measure the rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and behavioural and emotional problems in children attending Behavioural Support Units (BSUs), as rated by teachers. Children (N=45) were selected from two Behavioural Support Units (primary and secondary education). Teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the ADHD Rating Scale. The levels of hyperactivity and emotional problems were high among primary school age children. Children attending primary school age BSUs had significantly higher hyperactivity and emotional scores than their older counterparts. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on ADHD and other mental health problems in children. The implications for the provision of services for children excluded from mainstream education are also discussed.     

RESEARCH SECTION: Provision in further education colleges for 14‐ to 16‐year‐olds with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties

Previous research set out to identify and examine practice and provision for young people exhibiting behaviour problems who may have been placed in colleges of further education for a variety of reasons. In this paper, Natasha Macnab, John Visser and Harry Daniels explore some of the implications faced by college staff and examine some of the key themes that emerged from this previous study. The first of these themes concerns ‘college culture’, which is seen as being ‘adult orientated’ and therefore more likely to appeal to young people who are tired of school. Indeed, college staff suspect at times that schools are using the transition to college as an alternative to exclusion for some young people. This form of ‘managed transfer’ raises real issues in colleges, especially when some members of college staff do not yet appreciate the ‘appeal of teaching young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD)’, regarding them as ‘disaffected’ and ‘switched off’ from education. The authors of this article note the need for ‘skilled and committed adults’ to build relationships with these young people in order to promote their social inclusion. They argue that this work will require professional development for staff but will have real benefits for the young people concerned.     

Planning, teaching and assessing the curriculum for pupils with learning difficulties: a response from EQUALS

EQUALS is a national organisation that has a major concern for the development of a curriculum that promotes the inclusion of all pupils. The EQUALS movement has, in the past, published its own materials in support of curriculum development for pupils with learning difficulties. In this article, Keith Humphreys, EQUALS' quality assurance manager, provides a response to the publication of the QCA/DfEE guidelines. He discusses EQUALS' response to these guidelines and proposes a way forward for schools already using EQUALS materials. While acknowledging that the implementation of the QCA/DfEE guidelines will lead to an evolution of good practice, he articulates a concern that staff should continue to appreciate and value their own development work. Keith Humphreys details the ways in which EQUALS intends to support this process of evolution in the future.     

Pause, prompt and praise – peer tutored reading for pupils with learning difficulties

Eila Burns undertook the enquiry that is the subject of this article while studying for her MEd degree at the University of Birmingham. She is now a lecturer in teacher education at Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences in Finland. The project she describes here aimed to assess the effectiveness of peer tutoring and the advantages of the structured 'pause, prompt and praise' reading method in improving reading skills among pupils working in Key Stage 4. Action research was undertaken in a secondary level special school catering for pupils with moderate learning difficulties (MLD) in order to explore the benefits of establishing such interventions within special school environment.
The pause, prompt and praise reading sessions were conducted at the beginning of lessons, employing same-age peer tutors and using subject-based texts. The findings reveal that, after a slow start, the tutees' rates of self-correction began to rise, indicating improvements in reading skills. Eila Burns also reports growing skills and confidence in the tutors, suggesting benefits for all involved in the peer tutoring process. She describes, in detail, interesting differences between outcomes for the different tutor-tutee pairings in her work and proposes a number of ways in which her small-scale enquiry could be taken forward. The implications of this study are, however, very encouraging for practitioners considering the use of peer tutoring in their own environments.     

‘If they don't listen I shout,and when I shout they listen’: Hearing the voices of girls with behavioural,emotional and social difficulties

Young people, particularly girls, constructed in the education system as having behavioural, emotional and social difficulties are amongst the least represented voices in research. Frequently denied a place to speak from, we direct attention to the importance of hearing girls, who are troubled and troubling—deviating from the rules of school and the norms of their gender—speak about their dis/engagement in education. We argue that participatory research methods can provide meaningful ways for girls to construct and better understand their own narratives. In so doing we draw on our ongoing research in England with teenage girls excluded from mainstream provision. Findings from analysis of their narratives are discussed in relation to voice, space, audience and influence. This process reveals the significance of hearing and responding to the multilayered complexities of girls’ voices in purposeful ways.     

Looking back on school – the views of adult graduates of a residential special school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties

The authors of this article, Garry Hornby and Chrystal Witte, conducted a follow-up study with adult graduates of a residential special school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in New Zealand. Twenty-one graduates were located and interviewed ten to 14 years after they had left the residential school. The interviews focused on various factors related to the graduates' quality of life (reported elsewhere) and on their views of their education, both at the residential school and at mainstream schools, which are reported in this paper. It was found that these adult graduates were overwhelmingly positive about the support they received while at the residential school. They talked, for example, about the help they received in addressing their learning and behavioural difficulties. However, they were consistently negative with regard to their experiences of mainstreaming. For example, respondents noted the lack of understanding that they experienced from mainstream teachers. In drawing out the implications of the findings from this study, Garry Hornby and Chrystal Witte suggest that one factor which could result in improving outcomes for these students is better special needs training for teachers in mainstream schools.     

Responses to bullying and use of social support among pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream schools: a qualitative study

Increasing numbers of pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending mainstream schools. However, the available evidence suggests that they face a number of barriers that may prevent them from making the most of their education. In particular, recent research has suggested that they are more likely to be bullied, and typically report receiving more inconsistent social support than children with other or no special educational needs. In light of this, the aims of the current study were to identify the role social support plays in determining pupils' response to bullying and to identify barriers to the development and utilisation of social support when bullying occurs. Thirty‐six participants with ASD (age range 11–16 years), drawn from 12 secondary mainstream schools in the north‐west of England, were interviewed as part of a larger study examining inclusive education for this particular group of learners. Data were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis, and a theoretical framework for understanding the responses to bullying and use of social support among pupils with ASD was subsequently developed. Key themes in the framework included the role played by potential advocates and their perceived efficacy in providing support, pupils' relationship histories and a lack of trust in other people. These findings are discussed in relation to the growing literature on inclusive education for pupils with ASD.     

Are the needs of children and young people with social,emotional and behavioural needs being served within a multi‐agency framework?

This article discusses the effect that recent policy and legislation has had on services for children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural needs (SEBN), particularly ‘Looked After Children.’ The article highlights the Government's overarching plan to promote social inclusion and effective multi‐agency collaboration and discusses the confusions arising from the use of ‘multi‐agency’ terminology. Two case studies of individual children then illustrate the manner in which collaborative working is either supportive of, or hinders, positive intervention. Finally the article discusses how general policy issues impact on practice with children with SEBN.     

The mainstream primary classroom as a language-learning environment for children with severe and persistent language impairment – implications of recent language intervention research

Many UK children with severe and persistent language impairment (SLI) attend local mainstream schools. Although this should provide an excellent language-learning environment, opportunities may be limited by difficulties in sustaining time-consuming, child-specific learning activities; restricted co-professional working, and the complex classroom environment.
Two language intervention studies in mainstream Scottish primary schools showed children with SLI receiving intervention from speech and language therapists (SLTs) or their assistants made more progress in expressive language than similar children receiving intervention from education staff. Potential reasons for this difference are sought in the amount of tailored language-learning activity undertaken; how actively school staff initiated contact with SLTs; and the language demands of the classroom. Tailored language learning appears to be a differentiating factor.
A language support model, reflecting views of teachers and SLTs about encouraging language development for children with SLI within the ecology of the mainstream primary classroom, is also outlined.