Telling It Like It Is: Developing Social Stories™ for Children in Mainstream Primary Schools

In this article, the author reports on a practical strategy originally developed for use with pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Based on a small-scale research project, the article focuses on the use of Social Stories to promote pro-social behaviour with a group of non-ASC pupils. The topic was chosen for systematic enquiry by the author, herself the parent of a child with autism, following requests from colleagues to develop the strategy for use with other pupils with behavioural difficulties. The tensions arising from the extension of use of the strategy, devised for a particular group with specific needs, are highlighted, in particular recognising the need to maintain the integrity of the original work. The report concludes that Social Stories involve a complex strategy that relies upon sound relationships between teacher and pupil and suggests that, instead of determining success by behavioural outcome, Social Stories might be judged in terms of self-esteem and perceptions of self of the pupil during the key process leading to the writing of the story. The strategy may be effective in helping all parties to recognise challenging situations, particularly with pupils who have difficulties in taking the perspective of others. The author also makes practical suggestions for consideration by teachers who are concerned with the pastoral care and well-being of pupils.
The words 'Social Story' and uncapitalised variants are the trademarks originated and owned by Carol Gray. References to 'stories' hereafter indicate 'Social Stories^™' as the full citation .     

Encouraging voices: listening to young people who have been marginalised

When provided with an opportunity to reflect upon their experiences of education, young people can often offer insights into those procedures and actions which have either supported or inhibited learning. In this article Richard Rose and Michael Shevlin describe how a team of researchers came together with a group of young people from marginalized communities, including those with disabilities, from refugee families or from ethnic minorities to explore the ways in which they had been included or excluded by the education system. The project described involved a team of people drawn from the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Their work focused upon the experiences of young people who were concerned to tell their stories and, in so doing, inform teachers and education policy makers about the steps which may be taken to enable the inclusion agenda to be more thoughtfully addressed.     

Goal-setting and self-assessment in Year 7 students

Recent legislation has raised awareness about the need for those involved in making decisions about children to take into account the views of the child. With the recent government drive towards target-setting, it has become necessary to acknowledge that pupils can have an input into decisions affecting their learning. The aim of this study is to evaluate a classroom-based project for increasing pupil involvement in their learning. A solution-focused framework was used to support teachers’ dialogue and to enable pupils to talk about and to record their progress. The targets focused on two areas, specified by the teachers. Measures of perception of progress were also taken to explore whether both parties (teachers and pupils) became closer in their perceptions. The findings of this study provide evidence that involving pupils in their learning can raise attainment levels in spelling and punctuation. Other factors, such as feedback to pupils, are also discussed in light of these findings.     

‘Take more time to actually listen’: students' reflections on participation and negotiation in school

Behaviour in schools is an emotive topic and one of enduring political interest and sensitivity. The media often portrays schools as violent and dangerous places and young people as ever more unruly. This paper explores findings from a recent large‐scale national study on behaviour and focuses on the data from primary and secondary school students within this study. The comments and suggestions offered by students move beyond a discussion of behaviour to focus on the broader questions of participation, engagement and meanings of active citizenship in school.     

Fundamental Education

Abstract

This study explored over 100 Year 6 children's feelings towards, and behaviour within, literacy lessons across an academic year. This study revealed that the majority of dissatisfied children concealed their feelings from their teacher, defined within this article as ‘dissatisfaction behind a veil of compliance’. Through progressive sampling, where children were observed in a range of subjects, the effort placed in this concealment is explored, together with the role of the teacher and external forces in potentially encouraging it. The article concludes by discussing the possibility of applying the implications of the findings to practice, especially in terms of providing a more open environment, where teachers and pupils can express their views, openly and constructively.     

论《搜神记》中的婚姻状态及其成因

在志怪小说《搜神记》中,婚姻有三种状态,即缔结、存续或者破裂,分别表现为婚姻及时的伦理要求、秦晋匹也的夫妻关系以及劳燕分飞的最终结局,究其原因,无不与魏晋南北朝时期女性的生存状态有关。     

Pupils’ perceptions of grades: a narrative analysis of stories about getting graded for the first time

The starting point for this article is changes in the Swedish assessment system which stated that pupils are to receive grade reports in school year 6 (12–13 years old) during the academic year 2012–2013. Since the 1970s, compulsory school pupils have received their first grade reports in grade 7 and/or 8. The issue here is to present pupils’ narratives about the possible future significance of grade reports in school year 6. Pupils were interviewed about their experiences of getting their first grade reports, and a narrative analysis was conducted. More specifically, we investigated pupils’ conceptions of themselves as pupils and of their future possibilities, as described in their stories of getting their first grade report. The findings show that pupils perceive grades in year 6 differently, showing both adaption and resistance to the new grading discourse. Our conclusion concerns pupils’ learning and well-being when national assessment policies are changed.     

国内外儿童观点采择的研究述评及启示

观点采择作为儿童社会认知发展的核心因素,与儿童同伴交往、亲社会行为及道德发展有着密切联系。传统研究中缺乏对国内外儿童观点采择研究的整合综述,致使研究者只专注儿童观点采择某一方面如社会观点采择等的研究,研究范畴方面缺乏对新领域如不同社会背景新近的比较研究、与元语言等相互作用机制的研究,系统性强、应用性广的新型研究测量工具等需进一步探索。本文通过对儿童观点采择能力相关研究的研究内容、研究对象、研究方法进行梳理和评述,并对未来的儿童观点采择能力研究做出展望。     

Increasing interest in social studies: Social perspective taking and self-efficacy in stimulating simulations

This study examined the potential of simulations to bolster interest in middle school social studies classrooms. Using a pre–post-design, we examined 305 middle school students (49% female) who participated in the web-based GlobalEd simulation. In contrast to the motivation declines middle school students usually experience, participants in this simulation became more interested in social studies. We investigated four hypotheses as to why these increases may have occurred. We found no support for the possibility that, (a) students’ interest in a particular issue area or (b) their increased valuing of the subject matter, were related to their increased interest. However, results suggested that, (c) the challenging nature of the activity and (d) students’ increased propensity to engage in social perspective taking may have bolstered their interest in social studies. The discussion explores future research directions and whether implications for classroom teachers are warranted given the correlational nature of the research.     

陈忱《水浒后传》的文人英雄观——以《水浒传》为参照

《水浒后传》是文人独创型小说,它不再像世代累积型小说《水浒传》那样,为迎合市民阶层的审美趣味,一味地以夸张手法来塑造具有浓厚传奇色彩的类型化草莽英雄,而是显示出文人特有的英雄观。具体说来,不再以夸饰笔法渲染英雄们的力与勇,而是侧重写其对生活的诗意追求。他们不再像《水浒传》中的梁山好汉那样不食人间烟火,排斥儿女之情,而是变得更有人情味,对女性和婚姻采取了欣然接纳的态度。同时,其中的女英雄的性别意识也开始复苏。这些在海外建国的英雄们不再夸示武功,而是笃信儒家礼制,推崇文治。     

Pupils as partners in education decision‐making: responding to the legislation in England and Ireland

Enabling pupils with special educational needs to participate more fully in the assessment, planning and evaluation of their own learning has become a principle enshrined within the legislation of many countries in recent years. Educational policy in both England and the Republic of Ireland has recognised the desirability of increased pupil involvement, and this is reflected in policy documents and in legislation which highlights the requirement of schools to take greater account of the views of pupils. This paper documents the approaches to increased pupil involvement in decision‐making adopted in England and Ireland and provides an overview of the key challenges that face policy‐makers and educators in ensuring meaningful participation for children and young people with special educational needs.     

Contributions of Academic Language,Perspective Taking,and Complex Reasoning to Deep Reading Comprehension

ABSTRACT

Deep reading comprehension refers to the process required to succeed at tasks defined by the Common Core State Literacy Standards, as well as to achieve proficiency on the more challenging reading tasks in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) framework. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that three skill domains not frequently attended to in instruction or in theories of reading comprehension—academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning—predict outcomes on an assessment of deep reading comprehension. The Global Integrated Scenario-based Assessment (GISA; O'Reilly, Weeks, Sabatini, Halderman, & Steinberg, 2014 O'Reilly T., Weeks, J., Sabatini, J., Halderman, L., & Steinberg, J. (2014). Designing reading comprehension assessments for reading interventions: How a theoretically motivated assessment can serve as an outcome measure. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 403–424. doi:10.1007/s10648-014-9269-z[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) is designed to reflect students' abilities to evaluate texts, integrate information from an array of texts, and use textual evidence to formulate a position, all features of deep reading comprehension. We tested the role of academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning in explaining variance in end-of-year GISA scores, controlling for beginning-of-year scores and student demographics. All three predictors explained small, but significant, amounts of additional variance. We suggest that these three skill domains deserve greater attention in theories of reading comprehension and in instruction.     

自闭症障碍儿童社会互动能力之音乐社会故事教学研究

研究采用单一被试跨行为多基线设计,分别对“打招呼”“情绪控制”和“眼神交替”三个目标行为建立基线,共进行了为期3周的音乐社会故事干预。研究结果显示,音乐社会故事干预能够有效地增进自闭症障碍儿童以上三种社会互动技能,并有着较好的维持效果。并提出了重视音乐的疗育功能、编制有针对性的故事材料、强化故事材料的复习、搭配学生的熟悉曲调呈现等实施建议。     

'Who I work with is important': dyslexic students' narratives about the benefits of grouping for instruction in Caribbean classrooms

This article utilises a multiple case study strategy to explore the narratives of Caribbean students with dyslexia on grouping for instruction. It presents a model on learner engagement which highlights students' cognitions about the social and cognitive aspects of learning and the processes that contribute to building knowledge and understanding. The qualitative research design combines multiple methods of data collection, mainly focus groups, in-depth interviews, documentary evidence along with narrative observations to capture the experiences of students. This research also demonstrates that students are the most powerful resource available to teachers, and that engaging them in dialogue can facilitate the development of effective pedagogies for teaching.     

A New Perspective on Perspective Taking: A Multidimensional Approach to Conceptualizing an Aptitude

Social perspective taking (SPT) is thought to be important in its own right and is often associated with other important skills, such as interpersonal conflict resolution. Previous research on SPT, however, has conceptualized it as a unidimensional construct leaving scholars with an insufficient understanding of this aptitude and how it relates to valued educational outcomes. To best understand SPT, a multidimensional approach should include assessments of personal characteristics (including the propensity and the ability to engage in SPT) and features of the situation (including features of the SPT task and the larger context). Using Richard Snow's conceptualization of aptitudes as a framework, this article illustrates the problems with treating SPT as a unidimensional construct, defines SPT as a complex aptitude, and provides a taxonomy of SPT to promote understanding and to guide future research in this area. The taxonomy organizes and reviews the existing literature that relates personal and situational characteristics to SPT aptitude. Where research has not yet been conducted, this article hypothesizes how these characteristics might relate to SPT aptitude.     

Multi‐disciplinary approaches to pupil behaviour in school – the role of evaluation in service delivery

This study evaluates the work of a multi‐disciplinary Behaviour Support Team developed to support schools in managing problematic behaviour. An evidence base to inform future service delivery is developed, using a model of evaluation which incorporates both quantitative, outcome data and more explanatory qualitative data, incorporating the views of service users.

Focusing on the first year of service delivery, interventions are evaluated as effective by client schools and positive changes in pupil behaviour are demonstrated. The mechanisms contributing to successful interventions are analysed, including the importance of maintaining a collaborative and systemic approach to problem resolution. The evaluation suggests ways in which educational psychologists working in multi‐disciplinary teams can enhance schools’ capacity to manage challenging behaviour.     

An analysis of Social StoriesTM research using an evidence‐based practice model

The number of Social Stories^TM studies and reviews has increased in recent years, yet concerns regarding quality and effect sizes continue to be expressed. With the emphasis on evidence‐based practices (EBPs) for the education and treatment of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), this issue becomes of paramount importance as professionals and parents attempt to select interventions for the people with ASD in their care. The current study makes a unique contribution in its use of an extensive EBP evaluation model to examine 33 single‐subject studies across 13 peer‐reviewed journals, a 12‐year period, and a wide range of grouping variables. Using the Mayton, Wheeler, Menendez and Zhang (2010) EBP evaluation protocol, studies were investigated in terms of eight quality indicators comprised 23 operationally defined standards. Studies included in this analysis met the following criteria: (1) they were intervention studies using single‐subject research designs; (2) they included only participants with disorders on the autism spectrum; and (3) the primary intervention was the use of a Social Story. Findings included on‐ or above‐standard acceptability in EBP indicators related to important aspects of dependent variables within studies and below‐standard acceptability in indicators related to both internal and external validity of studies.     

‘We have our own religion’: a pupil perspective on minority religion and ethics instruction in Finland

The Finnish system of religious education offers instruction in the pupil’s own religion or in ethics throughout comprehensive school. By taking the pupil’s background as a basis for instruction, this system aims at promoting equality and integration with respect to religion and one’s worldview. However, there has been little knowledge about how the system of instruction is experienced by pupils themselves and how it affects pupil’s identities at school. This study illuminates through a participant observation study in grades 1–6 how pupils in five minority instruction groups experience their classes and perceive themselves in relation to other pupils in school. The study shows how working in small groups represents an important element in pupils’ experiences. Pupils generally experienced participation in instruction as positive and fun, but age integration, organisation of schedules and classrooms were also important concerns. Even if pupils were content about having their own instruction group, feelings of otherness and a negative sense of difference in relation to the majority of pupils were found particularly among pupils of religion.     

论散文界说的模糊性

散界说的模糊性根源在含混于，不及分化；边缘体，杂交泛化；母体肢解，内涵递减。兼容并蓄说是一种占主导地位的提法，而体净化说只是一种独崇艺术散的提法。散界说的模糊性在21世纪仍然是一个无法避免的事实。     

6岁幼儿恭维行为与情感观点采择能力的关系

本研究主要采用临床交谈法,以129名大班幼儿为被试,考察了6岁幼儿恭维行为、情感观点采择能力的发展状况及两者之间的关系.研究结果表明:6岁幼儿中有恭维行为的幼儿多于无恭维行为的幼儿,但两者无显著差异;对恭维能正确采择情感观点的幼儿显著多于不能正确采择者;6岁幼儿有无恭维行为与情感观点采择能力显著相关,其恭维行为是否发生与情感观点采择能力高低有一定的联系.幼儿教育者应为幼儿创设丰富的社会交往环境,促进其情感观点采择能力与行为的协调发展,并指导幼儿注意社会交往诸原则的灵活运用.