Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation Scale (PHORS): Reliability,Validity and Invariance

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation Scale (PHORS). Data for PHORS were collected from three different trail sites (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and First Landing State Park) during three separate time periods, allowing for cross-validation and invariance testing. Exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and invariance testing procedures were conducted. The results indicate that PHORS, with 13 items across three underlying factors, showed high reliability and strong evidences of validity. Full configural and metric invariance indicated the factor loading pattern. The measurement properties of PHORS were generally invariant across recreation participants using different trails, situating PHORS as a potential instrument that can be used in various outdoor recreation trail settings.     

Perceptions of Play Therapy in Taiwan: The Voices of School Counselors and Counselor Educators

The current status of play therapy in the elementary schools of Taiwan was investigated in relation to its compatibility with Chinese culture and its potential for wider societal adoption. Seven participants, four counselor educators and three elementary school counselors, in West Taiwan participated in this phenomenological qualitative inquiry. Seven assertions emerged from the interviewing data, implying that the potential for adopting play therapy in Taiwanese school counseling is embedded in the society. However, there are insufficient facilities and a lack of play therapy resources. Further investigation of the infrastructure in school counseling is necessary. Suggestions for practice and research regarding the development of play therapy and child counseling are presented.     

Teachers’ Perceptions of Appraiser–Appraisee Relationships

Teacher appraisal procedures may lead to formative (teacher development and improvement of teaching) and summative (managerial decision) outcomes. Elementary school teachers in Hong Kong (N=527) responded to survey items on formative outcomes, summative outcomes, perceived purposes of appraisal, overall effectiveness of appraisal, and summative purposes such as promotion and dismissal of staff. Principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis yielded the two a priori outcome factors, each of which was significantly correlated with perceived overall effectiveness of appraisal. Analysis of variance found that senior teachers appraised by the school principal (SP) perceived that appraisal had formative purposes and this perception was stronger than for those teachers appraised by senior staff (TS). Teachers in the TS group did not perceive the importance of the promotion purpose as did the other groups. Teachers appraised by the principal (TP) perceived that appraisal had dismissal purposes whereas teachers in the TS group did not. Although the three groups did not differ in their perceptions of formative outcomes, summative outcomes, or overall effectiveness of teacher appraisal, the appraiser-appraisee combination did make a significant difference in teacher perceptions of the purposes and appropriateness of the appraisal.     

Policy-to-practice context to the delays and difficulties in the acquisition of speech,language and communication in the early years

The aim was to investigate the policy-to-practice context of delays and difficulties in the acquisition of speech, language and communication (SLC) in children from birth to five in one local authority within the context of Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model. Methods included a survey of early years practitioners (64 responses), interviews with 11 early years practitioners and observations of 9 children in the context of their early years settings. Policy texts revealed a growing consensus on the importance of early learning and development, the centrality of language and early intervention. Practitioner survey and interview findings indicated confident practice in relation to early identification, assessment and support, despite minimal initial professional training in SLC and virtually none for children with English as an additional language. Greater use of specialist assessment tools and alternative communication systems was made in specialist than mainstream settings. Observation showed considerable variation in the organisation of staff, groups, activities and interactional patterns with more targeted, short and intensive adult-led activity in special settings that led to less child-initiated interactions and private ‘self-talk’, characteristic of large-group free play of mainstream settings. Challenges and opportunities of generalist and specialist provision are discussed.