A theoretical application of epistemological oppression to the psychological assessment of special educational needs; concerns and practical implications for anti-oppressive practice

There has been brief but important discussion regarding the concepts of “oppression” and “anti-oppression” in the educational psychology professional practice literature. This article aims to both further and focus this discussion. In particular, the concept of “epistemological oppression” is introduced and the significance it has for the meaning-making and knowledge construction activities of educational psychology practice is explored. A conceptual application of two predominant theories of epistemological oppression, Standpoint Theory and the Three Levels of Epistemological Oppression theory, is made with regard to the psychological assessment of special educational needs (SEN). It is posited that as psychological assessment of SEN is fundamentally an epistemological endeavour these two theories provide a crucial framework through which educational psychologist (EPs) may base reflective practice in order to realise and ameliorate potential oppression. It is concluded that EPs have a responsibility to orient themselves toward the potential for epistemological oppression in their work and help towards its amelioration.     

Perceptions of Portuguese undergraduate students about assessment: a study in five public universities

This paper draws upon a broader piece of research on assessment in higher education, particularly focusing on issues regarding the fairness and effectiveness of the assessment methods and their implications for the learning process. The perceptions of undergraduate students are analysed taking into account the effectiveness and fairness of both traditional and learner-centred assessment methods, as well their influence on the learning process. In total, 624 students participated in this study in five Portuguese Public Universities in different areas of knowledge and programmes. Data were collected through questionnaires. Findings suggest that assessment is seen as more effective and fairer when it is done through the use of learner-centred assessment methods rather than by traditional assessment (e.g. written tests or exams). The students also claim that they devote more time to study when assessment is performed through learner-centred assessment methods than by traditional ones. The most used assessment methods are written tests and oral presentations in group. However, differences in the programmes were identified as well as differences according to gender. Implications of the findings for assessment and for the teaching and learning process are discussed.     

Theory of Mind, Emotion Understanding, Language, and Family Background: Individual Differences and Interrelations

Individual differences in young children's social cognition were examined in 128 urban preschoolers from a wide range of backgrounds. comprehensive assessments were made of children's false-belief understanding, emotion understanding, language abilities, and family background information was collected via parent interview. Individual differences in children's understanding of false-belief and emotion were associated with differences in language ability and with certain aspects of family background, in particular, parental occupational class and mothers' education. The number of siblings that children had did not relate to their social cognition. Individual differences in false-belief and emotion understanding were correlated, but these domains did not contribute to each other independently of age, language ability, and family background. In fact, variance in family background only contributed uniquely to false-belief understanding. The results suggest that family background has a significant impact on the development of theory of mind. The findings also suggest that understanding of false-belief and understanding of emotion may be distinct aspects of social cognition in young children.     

Early Emotion Knowledge and Later Academic Achievement Among Children of Color in Historically Disinvested Neighborhoods

This study examined longitudinal relations between emotion knowledge (EK) in pre-kindergarten (pre-K; M_age = 4.8 years) and math and reading achievement 1 and 3 years later in a sample of 1,050 primarily Black children (over half from immigrant families) living in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Participants were part of a follow-up study of a cluster randomized controlled trial. Controlling for pre-academic skills, other social–emotional skills, sociodemographic characteristics, and school intervention status, higher EK at the end of pre-K predicted higher math and reading achievement test scores in kindergarten and second grade. Moderation analyses suggest that relations were attenuated among children from immigrant families. Findings suggest the importance of enriching pre-K programs for children of color with EK-promotive interventions and strategies.     

‘Seeing’ into the past and ‘looking’ forward to the future: visual methods and gender and education research

A small number of attempts have been made to take stock of the field of gender and education, though very few have taken methodology as their explicit focus. We seek to stimulate such discussion in this article by taking stock of the use of visual methods in gender and education research (particularly participatory and image-based methods). We undertake this exercise by looking at the claims researchers have made about the ways in which visual methods have advanced gender and education research, and by examining how these methods have been employed in research. We argue that the visual has become somewhat invisible in accounts of gender and education research. We conclude by considering different ways in which we might develop image-based research in the future.     

Differential Treatment of Siblings: Interview and Diary Analyses Comparing Two Family Contexts

We assessed parental differential treatment of siblings (maternal time, affection, discipline) in normal and high-risk families. Differential treatment was measured using home interviews, nightly phone ratings, and daily diaries tracking how mothers spent their time. Subjects were 40 mothers of toddlers (average age 2 years) and preschoolers (average age 4 1/2 years): half were caring for a younger child with a chronic illness (i.e., cystic fibrosis), and half were caring for two healthy children. Little evidence of parental differential treatment was found in the home or phone interview data. However, on the diary variables, both quantitative and qualitative differences in parental treatment were found in cystic fibrosis (CF) versus comparison families. Specifically, mothers spent more individual time with younger, chronically ill children in play and mealtime activities than with their older, healthy siblings. Further, mothers in the CF group rated time spent with older children as significantly more negative than time spent with younger children. Convergence between measures of differential treatment and advantages of using a high-risk comparison approach are discussed.     

Adaptation in the transition to school: perspectives of parents,preschool and primary school teachers

Background: Transition to school is a highly demanding phase at an intellectual, social and emotional level and is, therefore, an opportunity for growth and development. Despite the greater emphasis given to school transition in Portugal over recent years, namely by means of new educational policies, studies on the adaptation processes involved in the transition to primary school are still scarce.

Purpose: The present qualitative study sets out to contribute to the knowledge on the adaptation process of children to school transition (around age 6) in Portugal, by comparing preschool teachers’, primary school teachers’, and parents’ perceptions about success indicators and relevant factors in the transition to school.

Design and method: In order to collect data, 14 focus group interviews with different participants were conducted, three with preschool teachers (N = 18), three with primary school teachers (N = 13), four with parents conducted before the child’s transition to primary school (N = 14) and four with parents conducted after the child’s transition to primary school (N = 20).

Results: While the preschool and primary school teachers stressed factors of a family nature, such as parental involvement and parental support of children, the parents referred more frequently to the overall running of the school and the characteristics and methodology of the teacher as being relevant to the adaptation process in the first year of primary education.

Conclusions: The findings suggest different factors associated with adaptation to school and also offer clues for designing strategies to facilitate such adaptation. New strategies are needed to facilitate the construction of a robust educational family–school partnership.