Perspectives on positioning,interaction, and learning in small-group discussion: possibilities for extending the analytic lens

In this forum piece, we respond to Karin Due’s study of social dynamics in groups of students in physics class and gender issues that play out in this context. We discuss two threads that appear in Due’s paper: one pertains to patterns of talk within groups and how these patterns open up possibilities for learning, the other pertains to ways in which gender is constructed within groups and made visible via discourse. Our comments are intended to provide alternative ways of thinking about such issues. We hope to provide insight into how to deepen analyses of group dynamics and gender because research in both areas is important in terms of understanding how social contexts support and/or constrain learning, gender identity, and the like.     

The magic and misdirection of public service loan forgiveness in the United States

In recent years, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has garnered more attention among student loan borrowers in the United States as a potential source of loan relief. However—at least prior to the PSLF Program Overhaul introduced in October 2021—arduous eligibility criteria, opaque communication on the part of the U.S. Department of Education and contracted loan servicers, and ongoing threats to the continuation of the program made for a skittish and frustrated group of enrollees. This article leverages a mixed methods study to explore the meaning borrowers ascribe to prospective loan forgiveness and interrogates how magical thinking contributes to enrollees' perspectives on prospective loan forgiveness. With several of these sources of meaning standing in conflict with each other and with confidence in personal prospects of loan forgiveness fairly low, we argue that magical thinking overlays the meaning of potential loan forgiveness among some borrowers.     

LGBTQ student experiences in schools from 2009–2019: A systematic review of study characteristics and recommendations for prevention and intervention in school psychology journals

The present systematic review analyzes ways in which empirical studies in the field of school psychology have studied the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students in the past decade (2009–2019). Results from 23 studies revealed an over-representation of quantitative studies conducted mostly in the United States and an over-representation of majority White, cisgender, and high school participants across studies. Results also showed that studies in the last decade have: (a) focused on exploring negative attitudes and behaviors toward LGBTQ students and the outcomes of these attitudes and behaviors, (b) provided direction on how to support LGBTQ students in schools, and (c) analyzed the effects of bystanders and perpetrators on the well-being of LGBTQ students. In addition, this review revealed ways in which studies in school psychology journals present prevention and intervention practices for creating a safe environment for LGBTQ students, including: (a) policies that focus on the inclusion and protection of LGBTQ students, (b) training for faculty and other school staff to promote LGBTQ students' safety, and (c) curriculum and extracurricular activities that address LGBTQ issues. We provide recommendations for improving the experiences of LGBTQ students in schools such as involving community stakeholders in drafting affirming policies.     

‘What was required above all else was collaboration’: keeping the momentum for SEND partnership working in the wake of Covid-19

This article considers implications for partnership working across the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England, at a time when a long-overdue SEND Review is imminent and the SEND Code of Practice 2015 is awaiting a significant overhaul. It highlights the role local policy actors occupy within this system, as the progression of the Covid-19 pandemic moves SEND partnerships towards a ‘new normal’ and there is heightened concern about missed opportunities for reform and renewal. Previously published findings from an online questionnaire (n = 100) undertaken by the Special Educational Needs Policy Research Forum provided insight into how school staff had been supported in the teaching of pupils with SEND during periods of school closures and what lessons had been learned. The present article offers a thematic analysis of the narrative responses provided in addition to the closed survey questions. The analysis generated six statements that can be understood as lessons learned from the pandemic for partnership working, drawing on the experiences of parents, school staff, and advising professionals working in local authorities.     

Positive and Negative Self‐Perceptions: Is There a Cyclical Relationship Between Teachers' and Students' Perceptions of Effort,Strategy Use,and Academic Performance?

This study was part of a larger research program designed to investigate how effort interacts with strategy use to mediate the academic performance of successful students with learning disabilities (LD) and how teachers' and students' perceptions influence these relationships. The sample consisted of 46 students with LD and 46 matched students without LD and their seven teachers from Grades 6–8. A self‐report survey was used to obtain an index of students' perceptions of their effort, strategy use, academic struggles, and academic competence. Our findings indicated that students with LD with positive academic self‐perceptions were more likely to work hard and to use strategies in their schoolwork than were students with LD who had negative academic self‐perceptions. Teachers viewed students with LD who had positive academic self‐perceptions as working equally hard and attaining similar levels of academic competence as their peers without LD. In marked contrast, students with LD who had negative academic self‐perceptions were judged by their teachers as making limited effort in school and achieving at a below‐average level in comparison with their peers. Findings suggested a cyclical relationship between students' self‐perceptions and their teachers' judgments and supported the notion of a reciprocal strategy‐effort interaction.     

Research on Divorce, Separation and Family Change: Messages for Practitioners

The JRF has supported a series of twelve research projects about the effects of divorce and separation. This paper highlights key messages and common themes that emerge for practitioners working with children and their families.     

Consensual and individual stereotypic beliefs about international students among American host nationals

The present study examined the consensual stereotype of an extraordinarily heterogeneous social group, international students who are sojourning in the United States, among American host nationals. The content and valence of the cultural stereotype was assessed using a multicomponent, free-response methodology with N=100 American college students. On the whole, consensual and individual stereotypic representations of international students were somewhat favorable, although a number of negative attributes were consistently ascribed to the group. The percentages of agreement among participants concerning the attributes of foreign students were substantial, indicating that international students are regarded as a fairly homogenous outgroup by domestic students, notwithstanding the extreme heterogeneity of the foreign student population. Individual stereotypic beliefs about international students were significantly correlated with overall attitudes and behaviors (social contact) toward the group. The negative evaluative content of participants’ individual stereotypic beliefs was strongly related to prejudicial attitudes and social avoidance of the group.     

High-speed observations of football-boot-surface interactions of players in their natural environment

A protocol has been developed to obtain two-dimensional kinematic shoe data of football players in their training environment through high-speed video analysis. Such kinematic data can provide an understanding of how to better replicate the boundary conditions of football movements when simulated using mechanical traction and penetration test devices. As part of a pilot study, 11 youth academy players from a Premiership football club performed football-specific movements which were filmed at 1000 frames s^-1. The protocol required minimal set-up time and the area of the pitch to be filmed could be positioned in any part of the playing area, causing low disruption to the players. This aimed to ensure that the movements performed were representative of those carried out during competitive play. Results in this study are concerned with the kinematics of the shoe during contact with the ground for movements identified to be important in terms of injury risk and loss of performance (slipping). Shoe velocities and orientations were measured for subjects wearing shoes of different stud types (traditional round studs versus contemporary bladed studs) on two surfaces (artificial turf, in-filled with rubber and sand, versus a natural surface). All the parameters measured from the relatively small population of subjects had high variances and therefore few significant effects of studs and surface could be found. The data does however provide insight into the appropriate boundary conditions to be used in mechanical test devices. For example, in the forefoot push-off movement it can be seen that test devices should measure the traction forces when the shoe first starts to move, as this is when the player would lose performance, as opposed to the maximum traction which can occur after significant displacement of the shoe through the surface. Analysis of the orientation and velocity path of the studs just before contact with the ground shows that the studs could be aligned to enhance their penetration into the surface and optimise the traction properties of the studs. In order to determine the orientation and velocity of the shoes at crucial phases in movements force-plate data obtained in the laboratory should be utilised in future studies.