A mixed-methods evaluation of the longer-term implementation and utility of a teacher classroom management training programme in Irish primary schools

Inappropriate, aggressive and disruptive behaviour in the classroom can be detrimental to child and teacher well-being. This study involved a longer-term evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher [Classroom Management] programme (IYTP) undertaken mainly within disadvantaged schools in south-west Ireland. The IYTP is designed to strengthen teacher classroom management competencies. Eleven teachers, who had previously participated in a group-randomised control trial (RCT), took part in a 12-month post-baseline follow-up assessment. Psychometric and observational measures were administered to assess teachers when interacting with children (n?=?217) in their classes. Qualitative data were collected from a sub-sample of teachers to explore their perceptions of programme impact and utility. The quantitative results showed some significant improvements in teachers’ classroom management, although few changes were recorded on teacher-child observation measures. Qualitative findings indicated continued implementation of proactive disciplining strategies and higher levels of teacher self-efficacy. These results suggest, albeit tentatively in view of the study limitations, that the IYTP can benefit teacher classroom management, as well as teacher well-being, particularly within disadvantaged schools where behavioural problems tend to be more prevalent. The IYTP could prove useful in improving teacher competencies and the classroom environment in the longer term, although a need for further research is indicated.     

Benefits of assistive reading software for students with attention disorders

This study investigated how assistive reading software affected the reading performance of a group of 20 post-secondary students who had a primary diagnosis of attention disorder. These students used assistive reading software for most of a semester to read assignments for an English class and in testing sessions in which comparisons were made between normal, unassisted reading, and reading assisted by the soft ware. This software provides a synchronized visual and auditory presentation of text, and incorporates study skills tools for highlighting and note taking. Attention measures, reading speed, comprehension scores, and attitude questionnaire responses were obtained during these sessions. The principal findings were that the assistive software allowed the students to attend better to their reading, to reduce their distractibility, to read with less stress and fatigue, and to read for longer periods of time. It helped them to read faster and, thereby, to complete reading assignments in less time. It did not have a significant effect on comprehension, but it helped some students whose comprehension was very poor. The study results indicate that assistive reading software should be considered as a significant intervention to assist students who have attention disorders and as an accommodation to help them compensate for their disabilities.     

Effect of cues on object naming in first-grade good and poor readers

Object-naming deficits in children with reading problems may be due to deficiencies in either the phonological stage of processing or the semantic stage. The present study approached this issue by manipulating the type of cue given (semantic or phonetic) when object drawings were not named correctly by first-grade children. Although the children who were poor readers named significantly fewer objects than the good readers, both groups of children benefited from phonetic cues. In contrast, semantic cues had relatively little effect. These results support the view that difficulty on object naming is more likely related to phonological deficiencies.     

Floating on the fringe: College of education students’ discourse about diversity

Abstract

This phenomenological research study focused on how education students perceived diversity in their academic lives, as well as the language they used when they talked about diversity. Focus groups with 36 undergraduate and graduate students in a college of education were conducted to explore these areas. Three themes were identified through a two-phase analytical approach. These were: (a) limited or inconsistent exposure to diversity at the college; (b) instances of othering and exclusion that took place in various spaces; and (c) divergent ways of talking about the diversity climate. The article concludes with a renewed call for increased attention to diversity in colleges of education.     

Trust versus control: the impact of school leadership on teacher reflection

As teacher educators have worked to encourage teachers to become more reflective, they have noted the important role that school context plays in supporting or constraining reflection in action. This study describes one kindergarten teacher's experiences in two contrasting school contexts. The study documents the leadership styles, school organizational structures and resources, faculty‐administration communication processes, and curriculum decision‐making practices that promoted or hindered the teacher's ability to reflect. Data analysis revealed striking contrasts between the two schools. These differences had an impact on the curriculum provided by the teacher, her ability and willingness to accept responsibility for her professional decisions, and her self‐confidence and job satisfaction. The study concludes with suggestions for teacher educators interested in helping their graduates find and maintain contexts supportive of reflective practice.     

Creating case studies of practice through Appreciative Inquiry

Taking a positive view is a fruitful way to prompt educators to reflect on and to develop their practice. Teachers, teacher educators and children bring a wide range of ideas that provide a powerful basis for developing understanding of the complexities of classroom practice. Using appreciate inquiry the authors show how they developed their understanding of professional development as they worked with groups of teachers who investigated their science teaching practice with young children and produced case studies of practice. The authors also show how the roles and ideas of themselves as university tutors were challenged and emerged to suit the range of contexts involved. Their view of Continuing Professional Development was influenced by the lived experiences of the teachers and themselves. They worked to systematise learning through identifying commonalities of experience and reflection along four dimensions: creating spaces for growth; working with emergent purposes; action research as rhizomatic growth; and collaborative and collective action. The rich variety of outcomes shows the value of creating space for growth for children and for adults. The energy and enthusiasm liberated motivated the participants to explore their worlds in ways that were difficult to predict at the start of the project.     

Students’ Needs,Teachers’ Support,and Motivation for Doing Homework: A Cross-Sectional Study

Self-determination theory provided the theoretical framework for a cross-sectional investigation of elementary and junior high school students’ autonomous motivation for homework. More specifically, the study focused on the role of teachers’ support of students’ psychological needs in students’ motivation for homework in the two school systems. The study also investigated the contribution of a match between teachers’ support and students’ expressed level of psychological needs to autonomous motivation for homework. The findings indicated that teacher support partially mediated the difference in autonomous motivation for homework between students in the two school systems. In addition, the findings suggested that whereas students’ with different level of expressed needs may perceive different levels of teachers’ support, and that teachers’ support might be more important for students who express higher level of needs, perceived teachers’ support of psychological needs was important for students’ adaptive motivation for homework, irrespective of their expressed level of needs.     

GERONTOLOGICAL INTEREST AND OPINIONS OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine and analyze the opinions and interests in geriatrics, gerontology, and older people of physicians, registered nurses, and dentists; and (2) to make comparisons of the expressed interests and opinions between the three groups of practitioners. The instrument consisted of two parts, demographic information and 22 questions regarding the interest and training in geriatrics/gerontology and opinions of the health needs of the elderly. From the results obtained in this study implications for the future training of health care providers are discussed.