CACREP Accreditation Intentions

The authors discuss results of a national survey, conducted by the AACD Committee for Standards Review, of counselor preparation programs regarding their intentions related to CACREP accreditation. Programs were separated into four groups: Group 1—programs that held CACREP accreditation; Group 2—programs with definite intentions of seeking CACREP accreditation; Group 3—programs that were uncertain whether they would pursue CACREP accreditation; and Group 4—programs that did not anticipate seeking CACREP accreditation. Data were analyzed for patterns of response across groups. Size and type of program and reasons central to program decisions concerning accreditation provided focus for the study. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

The longer‐term effects of reading interventions delivered by experienced teaching assistants

This study explored the responsiveness of children at risk of reading problems in Year 1 to a phonics intervention delivered by teaching assistants (TAs). Based on their non‐word decoding skills in the immediate post‐tests, 74 children were clustered together at the high end as ‘treatment responders’ (n = 49) and at the low end as ‘treatment non‐responders’ (n = 25) and were followed up at the end of Key Stage 1, 16 months after the intervention finished. The treatment‐responder group was superior in all areas of rated attainment and, unlike the non‐responders, achieved national averages in most teacher ratings of attainment. These results suggest that experienced TAs can help two out of three children at risk of reading difficulties.     

An investigation into the emotional reactions to inclusion of Ghanaian mainstream teachers

Literature is replete with evidence of considerable pressure that many mainstream teachers may experience in their bid to respond to the diverse needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities and to achieve ever better results. In this study, the results of 100 teachers from mainstream primary schools in three of the ten regions of Ghana were examined. The analysis involved five bi‐polar emotional reactions; namely: anxious/relaxed; encouraged/discouraged; confident/diffident; satisfied/dissatisfied; self‐assured/ worried. The results confirmed that in teaching children with SEN in the mainstream, teachers experienced psychological stress. On the basis of the findings, suggestions for more information about SEN, supply of resources and inter‐agency collaboration were made.     

The Protestant Work Ethic,Disability, and the Rehabilitation Student

Fifty graduate students in rehabilitation counseling were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) using the original and a modified form of the Bowling Green University Survey of Work Values. Results indicated that the students were more likely to endorse those aspects of the PWE reflecting the intrinsic value of work than those dealing with earnings, social status, and advancement. In addition, the students were found to generally hold the same PWE orientation for themselves as they did for disabled persons.     

Making Every Child Matter: A Model for Good Practice in Counselling Children and Young People with Learning Disabilities

This paper is set against the backdrop of new policies and legislation regarding the health, welfare and education of children and young people in England. In response to these policies, the Department for Education and Skills has developed an increasing number of strategies to support the psychological health and well-being of children and young people and thereby signalled greater recognition of the value of improving mental health in relation to children's learning, achievement, attendance and behaviour. Counselling is increasingly seen as an effective strategy for addressing the psychological needs of children and young people with social, emotional, behavioural and academic problems. The aim of this paper is to explore the inclusion of children and young people with learning disabilities (13–19 years) in mainstream counselling services. The nature of learning disabilities is examined in relation to accessing counselling services and a model for inclusive counselling practice is developed from the research findings. Findings are based on data collected from a quantitative survey ( n =396) of 3000 counsellors and analysed using SPSS, along with qualitative data from the survey, which was analysed using a thematic approach.     

Professional education,reflective practice and feminism

This paper offers acritical perspectiveon Schon, and on reflective practice as apedagogy, by engaging with themes in feminism. A comparison between consciousness raising and reflective practice gives insights into the pleasures experienced by practitioners. However, it also suggests that reflection-in-action is not the prerogative of professionals. Consciousness raising and feminist reflexivity in research provide positive examples of political engagement and reflexive self-awareness. The scope of reflective practice is limited by the contexts in which it has been adopted. In the UK reflective practice has been implemented in professions with large female workforces: nursing, teaching and social work. The scope for autonomy in these professions is increasingly limited. Reflective practice, therefore, may be becoming avehicle for self-surveillance and orthodoxy. These socio-political considerations provide the basis for more searching epistemological questions about the nature of professional knowledge and the characteristics of all human labour. Both Marxist and feminist traditions suggest that the capacity to reflect is a characteristic of all humans, while some social scientists have suggested that reflexivity is a particular characteristic of modernity. These views challenge the status of reflective practice as the episteme of professional knowledge. Moreover, Schon's methodology is based on a partial and gender-blind view of professionals. The paper concludes that a reinvigorated research agenda, which engages with these broader themes, is necessary.