The effectiveness of a universal school-based programme on coping and mental health: a randomised,controlled study of Zippy’s Friends

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Zippy’s Friends, a universal school programme that aims at strengthening children’s coping skills. The sample consisted of 1483 children (aged 7–8?years) from 91 second-grade classes in 35 schools. The schools were matched and randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Coping was assessed by the Kidcope checklist for children and an adapted version for parents. Parents and teachers reported mental health outcomes using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Controlling for the hierarchical structure of the data, latent variable regression analysis indicated that the programme had a significant positive effect on coping and on the impact of mental health difficulties in daily life. Subgroup analyses suggested that coping was improved in girls and children from the low socio-economic subgroup, whereas the impact of mental health difficulties was reduced in boys.     

Bringing the jellyfish home: environmental consciousness and ‘sense of wonder’ in young children’s encounters with natural landscapes and places

The over-arching aim of this study was to elucidate and interpret topics that are relevant to how we understand children’s experiences and creation of meaning in natural landscapes and places within these landscapes. Following two nature-kindergarten groups regularly over ten months, the data for this ethnographic study consist of constructed narratives and narrative maps. Key topics relate to children’s multi-sensory experiences and the development of environmental consciousness, and their ‘sense of wonder’ as a driving force for exploration, interpretation and creation of meaning. Implications of the study for discourses of environmental education in the early years and local practices of taking children into nature are also discussed.     

‘Push on through’: Children’s perspectives on the narratives of resilience in schools identified for intensive mental health promotion

Child mental health is a growing concern for policymakers across the global north. Schools have become a key site for mental health interventions, with new programmes aimed at promoting ‘resilience’, through which children may maintain or regain mental health during adversity. As one of the first studies to explore the early impact of intensive mental health promotion in schools from children’s perspectives, we adopt a governmentality approach to consider the logic and techniques of such programmes with a specific focus on England. An innovative visual methodology was used to focus on student perspectives of mental health interventions in school. Young peoples’ photo representations of mental health were collected and used to stimulate focus group discussions with 65 students aged 12–14, across seven schools. ‘Resilience’ was seen to be the key organising concept for mental health interventions in schools. The concept was viewed as narrowly focused on attitude towards—and performance in—school work, with individuals being encouraged to ‘push on through’ difficulties to achieve success. Young people were critical of this approach, suggesting several alternatives. These included increased access to independent mental health professionals, safe spaces within schools and mental health education that addressed the social and affective dimensions of mental health difficulties.     

‘You should collaborate,children’: a study of teachers’ design and facilitation of children’s collaboration around touchscreens

Touchscreens are being integrated into classrooms to support collaborative learning, yet little empirical evidence has been presented regarding how children collaborate using touchscreens in classrooms. In particular, minimal research has been directed towards how teachers can design for and guide children’s touchscreen-based collaboration. Concurrently, the Programme for International Student Assessment and other international organisations have highlighted collaboration and ICT skills as crucial competencies for mastery in the twenty-first century. Accordingly, this article presents three narrative cases from a touchscreen project in Denmark, where 41 second-grade children and three teachers from two classrooms participated. The cases are based on ethnographic field data and 150 hours of video footage of natural occurring interaction in classroom settings. The ethnographic field data and video footage are examined using a collaboration model and embodied interaction analysis. Each case presents features of the subtle processes of children’s collaboration around touchscreens and teachers’ role in designing and guiding such collaboration. Thus, this article illustrates teachers’ and children’s situated processes of integrating touchscreens for collaborative activities in their classrooms.     

‘Horrible or happy – we’ll have a little grey now’: aesthetic judgements in children’s narration with an interactive whiteboard

This empirical study investigates what activities emerge when six-year olds are instructed to create narratives with an interactive whiteboard (IWB). A detailed analysis is provided of what the participants are oriented towards in the activity, and further what aesthetic judgements are used and their role in the evolving activity. Theoretically, the study builds on a sociocultural perspective on learning and Dewey’s (1934–80. Art as Experience. New York, NY: Perigee Books) philosophy on aesthetic experience. The empirical data consist of video recordings of six technology-mediated story-making activities in a preschool class. The findings show that even when the teacher attempts to scaffold narrative learning, the children direct their attention foremost to the visual arts, which occasionally lead to the participants’ insufficient intersubjectivity. This finding is explained with reference to the inherent design of the IWB. Furthermore, the participants frequently use aesthetic judgements on both actions and the created visual objects. The judgements turn out to constitute directives in terms of leading the activities forward and, importantly, being indicators of the children’s learning.     

Effects of adult health interventions at scale on children’s schooling: Evidence from antiretroviral therapy in Zambia

In 2007, approximately one in five children in Zambia lived with an HIV positive adult. We identify the effect of adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability at scale on children’s educational outcomes by combining data on the expansion of ART availability with two national household surveys that include HIV testing. Through a triple difference specification, we find that the availability of ART increased the likelihood that children in households with HIV positive household heads started school on time and were the appropriate grade-for-age. Two mechanisms were likely decreased incidental infections in the household and related care giving duties.     

Effects of parental health shocks on children’s schooling: Evidence from Andhra Pradesh,India

This study explores the inter-generational effects of health shocks using longitudinal data of Young Lives project conducted in the southern state of India, Andhra Pradesh for two cohorts of children (younger and older). It is found that health shocks to poorer parents reduce investments in human capital of children thereby reducing their future earnings, and perpetuating poverty and inequality. There is a temporary delay in primary school enrollment in the case of younger cohort, while schooling attainment is reduced by 0.26 years for older children. This paper further contributes to the literature on important dimensions like role of timing of the shocks and the pathways through which they affect human capital investment, differential effects of paternal and maternal shocks on different cohort groups, ability of the children and quality of schooling in schooling attainment.     

The development of children’s sensitivity to bigram frequencies when spelling in Spanish,a transparent writing system

The aim of this study was to collect data concerning the sensitivity of 2nd–6th grade Spanish-speaking children towards orthographic regularities. In a first experiment, children were asked to spell words that begin with /b/, a sound that is inconsistently spelled b or v, depending on the lexeme. Low frequency words were used to reduce the use of lexical information in spelling. In Spanish, the frequency of graphemes b and v depends on the following vowel; for example, in initial position, the bigram vi is more frequent than bi while vu is less frequent than bu. Evidence concerning the use of sublexical regularities in English and French—opaque orthographic systems—is already available. The question was whether such knowledge also applies in a more transparent system like Spanish, in which a phonologically based strategy is quite efficient. The main finding was that participants’ spelling strongly depended on the relative frequency of bigrams. This was already evident in second graders’ spelling and increased with schooling. In Experiment 2 these results were confirmed using pseudo-words. The results exclude a functional view of spelling, which supposes that orthographic resources are not used to spell in consistent orthographic systems, since phonologically based mechanisms are sufficient to override any others.     

‘It’s a bit of a generalisation,but …’: participant perspectives on intercultural group assessment in higher education

This paper reports on domestic and international students’ perceptions of the influence of group diversity on communication, learning, task performance and assessment grades. The study’s methodology involved quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys (N?=?312), focus group interviews of students (n?=?26) and individual staff interviews (N?=?7). More domestic (79%) than international (29%) students stated that they preferred working with students from a similar background. While a proportion of the sample of domestic students stated that intercultural group work raised their awareness of interaction styles in other cultures, others noted that the group experience was negatively affected by issues related to language proficiency and awareness of academic requirements. Qualitative analysis reveals that ‘othering’, a process by which members of an in group (Us) distance themselves from an outgroup (Them), was often used as a basis for these students avoiding intercultural group assessment. Finally, there was a clear pattern overall of higher achieving international and domestic students perceiving that their grades for group assignments were below what they would normally receive for individual assignments, and lower achieving students perceiving that their grades were higher for group assignments.     

The effects of educational computer game on low-performing children’s early numeracy skills – an intervention study in a preschool setting

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of an educational computer game, Lola’s World, on low-performing children’s early numeracy skills. Four preschools with 33 children from families of low socio-economic status (M _age = 5.5 years) took part in this study. Of the 33 children, 23 were split randomly into two groups: an intervention group playing a numeracy game (Lola’s World) and an active control group playing an early reading skills game (Lola’s ABC party). The remaining 10 children served as a passive control group. The intervention phase lasted three weeks, during which time the children played the games daily for about 15 min. The children’s numeracy skills were measured using the Early Numeracy Test. Those children (n = 22) who exhibited low numeracy (i.e. at risk for learning difficulties in mathematics) were included in the analyses. The three groups did not differ in terms of parental educational levels or home languages. They were comparable in terms of nonverbal reasoning and the amount of time spent playing. The Lola’s World group improved its early numeracy performance from pretest to post-test. No between-group differences were found. The results are discussed in relation to providing game-based support for low-performing preschoolers.     

Impact of the ‘Grade Zero’ system on minority children in Lao PDR – A qualitative study of pre-primary schools in a rural province

ABSTRACT

In Lao People’s Democratic Republic, two streams exist in pre-primary education, the standard three-year and a one-year preparatory class called ‘Grade Zero system’. This research aims to investigate the introduction of the Grade 0 system, one-year pre-primary class, and its impact on ethnic minority children in rural villages of Lao PDR. The research methodology included qualitative research comprising interviews with villagers, school authorities, and an officer of the local education office and observations carried out at schools in rural villages. The results show Grade 0 has been introduced in accordance with the circumstances of attached primary schools; more specifically, small villages with incomplete schools offer Grade 0 because they can’t possess three years pre-primary education. Moreover, Grade 0 plays an important role in the acquisition of Lao language when entering primary school. For instance, the repetition rate greatly improved due to the adequate preparation period. Grade 0 is an effective system in bridging the gap in primary schools, especially for minority children whose linguistic and cultural background is different from majority. As pre-primary education has finally been considered important, more international study projects will be essential, such as contemplating the construction of schools, teacher trainings, and bilingual education.     

‘It’s the most important thing – I mean,the schooling’: father involvement in the education of children with autism

Father involvement in education has been shown to result in a range of positive outcomes for typically developing children. However, the nature of paternal involvement in the education of children with disabilities and especially autism has been under-researched and is little understood. This study aimed to explore the nature of the involvement of 25 UK fathers in the education and their children with autism, aged up to 19 years through the use of semistructured interviews. Findings showed that fathers were highly engaged both directly and indirectly across several dimensions of their children’s education and schooling. Key areas of indirect engagement were involvement in administrative processes necessary for securing an appropriate educational placement; facilitating daily access to school and general support of children’s progress through attendance at school-based meetings and events. Direct support for learning occurred through homework assistance and working on school-related goal. Findings are discussed in relation to diversity and generative models of fatherhood. Implications for greater father inclusion in the education of children with autism are explored with reference to a gender-differentiated approach.     

Children’s education and mental health in Spain during and after the Civil War: psychiatry,psychology and “biological pedagogy” at the service of Franco’s regime

Abstract

This article analyses the child psychiatry and psychology developed during the Spanish Civil War and immediate postwar period. The aim is to demonstrate that, despite the existence of a certain degree of disciplinary continuity in relation to the pre-war period, both disciplines were placed at the service of Francoism. This meant that the association of psychology and psychiatry with pedagogy in order to educate/cure children played a key role in legitimising the child intervention policies of Franco’s regime, and this strategy was best reflected in Vallejo Nágera’s proposal regarding “biological pedagogy”. Finally, it analyses how psychiatry and psychology were used outside the school context to re-educate and control an infant population trapped between two worlds as the result of the Civil War.     

‘It’s a big ask when your job is to teach children to read,write and to count’: the experiences of school staff in early help and child protection

Considers the experiences of designated safeguarding staff in primary aged schools (4–11 years). The study used semi-structured interviews to explore with professionals their experiences of multi-agency working to safeguard children, of factors in making decisions around reporting concerns to statutory social work services and their role in delivering early help services in one region of the U.K. Professionals raised concerns about their understanding of decisions made by social workers, but nevertheless said that these decisions affected their future reporting of safeguarding concerns. Professionals raised concern about how current safeguarding processes triage concerns around neglect, and as the effect was cumulative, felt that it could be minimised or overlooked.     

The impact of changing neighborhoods,switching schools,and experiencing relationship disruption on children’s adjustment to a new placement in foster care

When children enter a new foster care placement they may experience several different transitions. Not only will a child move in with a new family, he or she may move to a different neighborhood, change schools, lose contact with old friends, be placed apart from one or more siblings, and have limited contact with his or her biological parents. The current study examined the impact of these transitions on foster children’s adjustment to a new placement in out-of-home care. The sample consisted of 152 youth ages 6–17.5 who participated in the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II) study and who were residing with relative or non-relative foster families at the time of the Wave I interview. During the Wave I interview, youth were asked to report on the types of transitions they experienced when they moved into their current placement. Linear and Poisson regressions were used to estimate the effect of the transitions on youths’ relationships with their new families, mental health, relationships with peers at school, and school engagement. The results showed that youth whose biological mothers contacted them more than once a month had more symptoms of mental health problems than youth who had less contact with their biological mothers. In contrast, changing schools had a positive impact on youths’ mental health, and youth who were separated from siblings were more likely to get along well with their school peers. Implications for improving youth’s adjustment to new foster care placements are discussed.     

Achievers,confidence-builders,advocates, relationship-developers and system-changers: what ‘making a difference’ means to those who work with children with special educational needs – a typology of rewards

Previous research on the rewards found that teachers gain satisfaction in a sense of vocation, ‘making a difference’, and the emotional rewards of ‘care’ and ‘love’, especially in whole-class teaching. The meaning of ‘making a difference’ often remains unexplored however, and this article is an attempt to rectify this gap in the literature and aims to construct a typology of the rewards that staff find in working with children with special educational needs (SEN). SEN co-ordinators and teachers of children with SEN were studied using four focus groups (n?=?20) and 12 semi-structured interviews (total sample, n?=?32). A narrative, life-history approach was taken to analyse the rewards over time of working with children. Making a difference was mentioned as a phrase 47 times across the sample of 32. A typology of the kinds of rewards experienced by teachers was constructed and the rewards were found in improving attainment, being an advocate, confidence-building and ‘system changing’. Some respondents defined ‘making a difference’ in disparate ways. The article found that those having the longest career in school found that being an advocate for parents was the most rewarding aspect of their job. The study concludes by drawing out the implications for the retention of staff in a time of policy change.     

The impact of parental bipolar affective disorder on adolescent behaviour – positive messages to young people,parents, teachers and other professionals working with children whose parents suffer from mental health problems

The impact of parental mental health difficulties on the developing child is well evidenced and documented. In this article Kate Olliver‐Kneafsey, Ev Thornton and Wendy Williamson suggest that despite the difficulties young people face when parental mental illness is a feature of family life, it is not all gloom and doom, and give some important positive messages for parents, teachers and other children’s practitioners.     

‘I really want to make a difference for these kids but it’s just too hard’: one Aboriginal teacher’s experiences of moving away,moving on and moving up

This paper draws on longitudinal data to examine the changing professional identity of one beginning teacher over a three-year period. Using a post-structuralist framework and theories of social class and capital, I highlight the complexities, contradictions and impossibilities of new graduate, Luke, sustaining an identity as ‘Aboriginal teacher’ in Australian schools. I trace the shift in his commitment to working with underachieving Aboriginal boys in challenging school contexts at the beginning of his career, to his move into a middle-class white girls’ school towards the end of his third year of teaching. I suggest this was a result of the ongoing stress associated with the expectation that he take sole responsibility for the education of the school’s Aboriginal students, as well as his own upward social class mobility. The paper concludes by raising a number of concerns for education systems, including the retention of Aboriginal teachers in Australian schools.     

Hows and whys of parental involvement in a national ‘neoliberal laboratory’: aspirations,values and beliefs in relation to children’s education among Chilean urban lower-middle-class parents

Abstract

This paper sought to shed light on the beliefs, aspirations and values in relation to education that shape parental ways of involvement among Chilean urban lower-middle-class parents. Using the capability approach as the main theoretical framework and a critical epistemology, the discussion focuses on the way in which the pre-eminence of instrumental and positional dimensions of education arguably places limitations on how education is understood and valued; sets boundaries for parental involvement and overloads families. This situation ultimately diminishes the power of education to disrupt intergenerational cycles of disadvantage among Chilean urban lower-middle-class families.