Teachers' perceptions of the school psychologist as a function of teaching experience,amount of contact,and socioeconomic status of the school

Teachers from eight schools responded to an extensive questionnaire designed to reveal their perceptions of the roles, functions, and helpfulness of school psychologists. Responses of teachers grouped according to degree of teaching experience, amount of contact with school psychologists, and socioeconomic status of the school were compared on three sets of variables pertaining to the psychologist's role and functions. Results indicated that teachers from upper income schools reporting high contact with the school psychologist viewed the psychologist as most helpful to a greater variety of children. Other statistical analyses revealed several interesting and relevant findings. Implications for future research are discussed.     

The cultural gap hypothesis as an explanation for the achievement patterns of Mexican-American students

This study investigated the hypothesis that the academic achievement of Mexican-American students could be explained in part by a conflict in the values of Mexican-American and Anglo-American cultures. Mexican-American and Anglo-American students, their parents, and teachers reported their adherence to traditional school values and their view of the importance of field independent behaviors to success in school. Differences in perceptions and values were observed between cultures and between high-achieving and low-achieving students. The greatest attitudinal differences were observed when high-achieving students were compared with parents and teachers. High-achieving students were less traditional in their attitudes toward school and more field independent than were parents, teachers, and low-achieving students.     

Elementary school parent engagement efforts: Relations with educator perceptions and school characteristics

School efforts to engage parents are posited to influence whether and how they are involved in their children's schooling. The authors examined educators' engagement efforts in beginning reading, their subjective evaluations of engagement practices, and beliefs about parent involvement, in two stratified samples of New Zealand elementary school educators. They explored whether educators' ratings supported multidimensional and multitiered theoretical models of engagement. The authors invited responses from elementary principals and teachers, given their different roles in the nested ecology of schools and relationships with parents, and examined associations between pairs of principals and teachers working in the same school. Finally, the authors examined relations among educators' engagement efforts, evaluations of engagement practices, and beliefs about involvement, and school characteristics including community socioeconomic status, size of school population, ethnic composition of school population, community size, and geographic region.     

An evaluation of the impact of an inter‐agency intervention programme to promote social skills in primary school children

This paper describes a social skills programme run in one primary school designed to promote children's cooperative skills and anger management. The programme was staffed by Child and Adolescent Mental Health professionals with educational psychologist and school support. Eight children with severe emotional and behavioural problems participated and completed the 20‐week programme. Pre and post data were collected for the children, parents and teachers. Parents were supported by regular meetings and domiciliary visits from an assistant psychologist. Teaching staff met regularly with the team and had frequent supportive contact with the assistant psychologist. Two educational psychologists‐in‐training made an independent qualitative evaluation of the programme, interviewing the children, their parents and teachers, as well as members of the multi‐agency team. After attending the group, the children showed a significant reduction in their anxiety, parents reported a significant reduction in oppositional behaviour and teachers a significant reduction in attention‐deficit hyperactive difficulties type behaviour. All measures showed a significant or positive trend, although there was some disappointment in the level of parent participation in the school‐based parent meetings. Reasons for this are discussed and the case for multi‐agency social skills interventions is made, along with a broader discussion of the role of the educational psychologist.     

School consultation: The training needs of teachers and school psychologists

This paper describes the roles of teachers and school psychologists and presents an overview of current and prospective methods of providing services to special needs children. On the basis of the literature and professional experience, it is suggested that changes are needed in the provision of special education services. The consultative relationship between teachers and school psychologists is viewed as the key to successful classroom intervention for special needs children. Although each profession brings expertise into the consultative relationship, better training is needed for teachers and school psychologists to ensure that effective intervention strategies are developed.     

The hyperkinetic child: What do teachers know?

School personnel are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperkinetic children in many important ways: (a) schools identify and refer the hyper-kinetic child to the physician, who then relies on behavioral reports provided by teachers and parents in making a formal diagnosis and in evaluating treatment; and (b) more recently, schools have begun to administer behavioral intervention programs which may well be as effective as drug treatment in reducing the off-task classroom behavior of many hyperkinetic children. There are many hyperactive children in classrooms who are not referred for medical evaluation and treatment. A group of teacher-identified hyperactive boys was rated significantly higher on the Hyperkinesis Index of the Conners Teacher's Questionnaire than a group of non-hyperactive classmate control boys, but the mean Hyperkinesis Index scores of teacher-identified hyper-actives and clinic-diagnosed hyperkinetics did not differ from each other. The teacher-identified hyperactive boys were observed to be off-task 33% of the time in their classrooms, and the clinic-diagnosed hyperkinetic boys were off-task a comparable 37% of the time. It was suggested that if school personnel use their expertise to identify hyperactive children in the classroom and begin behavioral intervention programs at the earliest possible time, medical referral and treatment will be unnecessary for many children.     

西部农村留守儿童学业心理特点及其学校管理对策研究

引导和帮助留守儿童获得良好的发展是我国农村教育与学校管理的重要任务。对西部10个省市自治区的8627名农村小学生进行调查,重点考察留守儿童的学业自我概念、师生关系和学校态度等学业心理特点,并以此为依据探讨学校管理对策。研究结果发现:非留守儿童的学业心理状况表现最好;父母都外出留守儿童的学业心理状况好于父母单方外出的留守儿童;父母单方外出留守儿童的学业心理状况表现不佳,尤其是仅母亲外出留守儿童的学业心理状况最为不佳,值得关注。     

Identifying and promoting social competence with African American preschool children: Developmental and contextual considerations

School psychologists and teachers are frequently asked to assess the level of social competence of preschool children as one indicator of their academic readiness. However, many assessment instruments available to psychologists working in early childhood settings fail to consider important contexts where children acquire social competencies. This study presents a comprehensive picture of multiple constructs that play a role in understanding African American preschool children's social competence. Domains of temperament, language, self‐regulation, and peer play were assessed within a classroom context for a sample of 139 low‐income African American children attending Head Start. Findings support the importance of considering both children's developmental stage and their gender when evaluating aspects of social competence, particularly temperament and interactive peer play abilities. As a group, younger boys experienced the greatest difficulties with initiating and sustaining play activities with classmates. Language abilities and self‐regulation were significantly greater among older preschool children. Implications for school psychologists conducting preschool assessment, intervention, and outreach to parents and teachers within early childhood settings are discussed. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Parental refusal to consent for evaluation: A legal analysis with implications for school psychologists

The decision to begin the process for special education eligibility has complexities impacting children, parents, teachers, and schools. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) eligibility provisions specify the need to obtain consent prior to evaluation and options when consent cannot be obtained. School psychologists may encounter parents who are reluctant to provide consent or parents who may seek to condition their permission. The reasons for parent refusal to consent to evaluation are analyzed in a review of administrative and judicial decisions published in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Law Report between 2004 and 2008. Possible parent reactions to the request for evaluation are discussed, and guidelines for school psychologists encountering reluctant parents are provided. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teacher contact with parents of children with special educational needs: a comparison over two decades

The paper addresses aspects of teacher contacts with the parents of children with special educational needs in the broader context of parent–teacher relations. Data are presented from a large-scale survey of teachers of Key Stage 2 children (7–11-year-olds) in England in 1998 and are compared with data from a similar survey in 1981. Levels of consultation with parents have increased across the two surveys and it is very unusual for a teacher not to have had a meeting with a parent of a child with SEN during the current school year. There is a tendency for levels of contact with the parents of ethnic minority pupils to be lower than that for other pupils. There is also a markedly higher level of non-contact in schools serving areas of poverty compared with more affluent schools. A tension is identified between an agenda of home–school partnership and a set of attributions for the causes of children's difficulties which locates these in deficiencies in the home. However, teachers in the later survey were less likely to identify the home as the source of problems than were teachers in 1981. The paper suggests that considerable progress has been made towards fulfilling the conditions for home–school partnership, but that there remain areas of concern.     

Minority Voices: A Case Study of Children and Parents in a Manchester Primary School

Presently, there are a growing number of ethnic minority students in the primary schools in northwest England. Through sociocultural theory, this paper examines student and parent perspectives of their experiences in the schools. Using a qualitative methodology, including observation, in-depth interviews, and field notes this case study focused on children of ethnic minority parents from a primary school in the northwest of England. Specifically, this study investigates the perspectives of ethnic minority students and their parents while identifying the pedagogical knowledge and strategies already being used by teachers and schools who work with ethnic minority students. Foundational to this research is the belief that ethnic minority families and teachers need to make concerted, intentional efforts to engage in and acquire appropriate knowledge for building effective, communicative relationships in order to benefit student achievement.     

Home learning environment and development of child competencies from kindergarten until the end of elementary school

Literacy and mathematical competencies are essential for a successful school career and precursors of these abilities develop in kindergarten. In addition to children’s early cognitive abilities, family characteristics such as the socioeconomic status and the home learning environment (HLE) are predictors of early child competencies. However, few studies outside the US and the UK have analyzed long-term effects of the early HLE on child development, simultaneously considering various explanatory factors. In this longitudinal study, data of 920 German children were obtained in kindergarten some 18 months before school entry (child mean age: 4;10). At this point, precursors of reading, spelling and mathematics were assessed. In addition, parents were asked to complete surveys on family characteristics. Child assessments were repeated with standardized measures of mathematical and literacy abilities at the end of Grade 1 and in the middle of Grade 4 (child mean age: 9;9), the final grade in German elementary schools. In Grade 4, teachers were also asked to provide their recommendation for children’s secondary school track (“Hauptschule” for lowest secondary school track, “Realschule”, or “Gymnasium” as highest secondary school track). HLE was not only a good predictor of early abilities, but also directly predicted competencies at the end of elementary school when precursors, former academic achievement and child and family characteristics were controlled for. In addition, children living in more favorable HLEs were more likely to be recommended for higher secondary school tracks by their teachers.     

Parental Beliefs and Children's School Performance

Immigrant parents from Cambodia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam and native-born Anglo-American and Mexican-American parents responded to questions about child rearing, what teachers of first and second graders should teach their children, and what characterizes an intelligent child. Immigrant parents rated conforming to external standards as being more important to develop in their children than developing autonomous behaviors. In contrast, American-born parents favored developing autonomy over conformity. Parents from all groups except Anglo-Americans indicated that noncognitive characteristics (i.e., motivation, social skills, and practical school skills) were as important as or more important than cognitive characteristics (i.e., problem-solving skills, verbal ability, creative ability) were to their conceptions of an intelligent first-grade child. Parental beliefs about conformity were correlated with measures of kindergarten (5- and 6-year-olds) and first- (6- and 7-year-olds) and second-grader (7- and 8-year-olds) children's school performance (i.e., teacher ratings of children's classroom performance; Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills reading, math, and language scores; and Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test scores).     

The family-school relation and the child's school performance

Using a nationally representative sample of American households, we examine the relation between parental involvement in schooling and the child's school performance. With a sample of 179 children, parents, and teachers, we investigate 3 hypotheses: (1) the higher the educational status of the mother the greater the degree of parental involvement in school activities; (2) the younger the age of the child the greater the degree of parental involvement; and (3) children of parents who are more involved in school activities do better in school than children with parents who are less involved. In an analysis of cross-sectional data, we discover support for the 3 hypotheses. The educational status of the mother is related to the degree of parental involvement in schooling, so that parents with more education are more involved. Parental involvement is related to the child's school performance. Also, parents are more involved in school activities if the child is younger. The mother's educational level and the age of the child are stronger predictors of parental involvement in schooling for boys than for girls. We do not, however, find a direct effect of maternal educational status on school performance independent of parental involvement in school activities. We discuss these findings in light of the relation between families and schools.     

我国中小学心理教师的角色模糊及其深层次原因剖析

本文对我国中小学心理教师的角色模糊现象及其体制的原因进行了理论探讨。心理教师的角色模糊主要表现为心理教师与管理者、与德育教师及与普通教师的混淆。造成这一混淆的根本原因在于心理健康教育在德育和管理框架内运作,缺少与特殊教育的联系,现存殊教育范围的狭窄及其与主流教育的脱节等。解决混淆的根本途径在于深化目前的德育与管理体制的改革,在特殊教育框架内,以特殊儿童的服务为核心,重新整合心理健康教育资源,使心理辅导与心理测评发挥其应有作用。     

美国学校心理学家职业特点分析

学校心理学家是受过专门培训的职业工作者,他们运用心理学和教育学专业知识和技能,与教育者、家长及其他心理健康专业人员协调行动,为学生创设安全、健康和支持性的学习环境。本文从学校心理学家的界定,工作角色与职责,服务机构、对象与内容以及学校心理学家的培养等方面对美国学校心理学家的职业特点进行分析。了解和研究美国学校心理学家的职业特点对构建我国学校心理健康教育体系具有实践指导意义。     

Social Relationships and School Readiness

Definitions of school readiness tend to focus on social and academic competencies that children are presumed to need to start school ready to learn. However, a child-focused definition of school readiness is limited because it neither identifies processes that lead children to acquire these competencies, nor does it recognize children's dependence on opportunities within settings that support development of these competencies. The model of school readiness presented in this article broadly defines school readiness as a function of an organized system of interactions and transactions among people (children, teachers, parents, and other caregivers), settings (home, school, and child care), and institutions (communities, neighborhoods, and governments). We propose that the primary mechanisms through which children acquire readiness-related competencies are social relationships children form with peers, parents, and teachers. This perspective on school readiness, emphasizing the mediating role of relational processes, offers guidance for designing interventions to improve school readiness through strengthening relationships between parents and children, parents and teachers, and teachers and children.     

Educational experiences of immigrant students from the former Soviet Union: a case study of an ethnic school in Toronto

This paper explores the academic and psychosocial outcomes of immigrant students from the former Soviet Union (FSU) in an ethnic school in Toronto. Based on interviews with the principal, teachers, students and parents, together with questionnaire responses, the paper describes school programmes and practices that contribute to FSU immigrant students' high academic achievement, within the categories of curriculum, pedagogy, discipline policy and teacher–student relationships. The creation of this ethnic school suggests that Canada's educational system has not met the needs of the immigrant group. The paper seeks to further understanding of educating FSU immigrant students, and discusses the implications of ethnic schools for educating children in a multicultural society.     

The challenges of making school guidance culturally responsive: narratives of pastoral needs of ethnic minority students in Hong Kong secondary schools

Many Hong Kong schools are concerned about the growing number of ethnic minority students. How they are supported and how the diversity of their pastoral needs is fulfilled become critical. This article examines teachers’, students’ and parents’ narratives of the cross‐cultural experience of ethnic minority students from India, Pakistan, Philippines, Nepal and Thailand, and the diversity of those students’ pastoral needs. The qualitative data were collected from interviews, through which the constructs of 32 teachers and 32 students from three secondary schools were explored. Four groups of focus‐group interviews were conducted, in which 15 parents were involved. This article argues that to implement the ethos of caring, it is not only necessary for the school to promote the intercultural sensitivity of all practitioners, but equally important to develop a connected school system where ethnic minority students and parents can be consistently supported in the subsystems of classroom, school and home.     

What makes a successful transition to school? Views of Australian parents and teachers

This paper reports a survey of 355 parents and 166 teachers of young children starting school in New South Wales, Australia. Parents and teachers were asked to rate a list of 20 items in answer to the question 'How important are the following for deciding whether a child has had a successful first two terms of school?' The results are presented in relation to individual items as well as broad categories, with comparisons between the perceptions of teachers and parents. Overall, teachers placed most emphasis on the areas of children's adjustment to the school context and their dispositions or feelings about being at school. Less emphasis was attributed to areas such as knowledge. Parents were more likely than teachers to focus on knowledge, as well as children's dispositions. Implications are drawn for collaborative interaction between parents and teachers as children start school.