‘They have just given up on me’ How pupils labelled with social,emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) experience the process of exclusion from school

For decades, the school exclusion rates have been a cause for concern within the English education system. We have witnessed a steady increase in the numbers of pupils being excluded since 2012. Evidence suggests that some children are more likely to be excluded from school, a significant number will have had the social, emotional and behavioural difficulties label attached to them. This article will draw on the work of Parsons and Howlett (Permanent exclusions from school: A case where society is failing its children. Support for Learning, 11, 3, 109–112, 1996) to see how much, if any, progress has been made since the publication of their work which raised concerns regarding the exclusion processes employed in England. Drawing on the perspectives of pupils, parents and teachers, 13 in-depth case studies were developed, with emphasis placed on employing innovative and creative methods to hear the voices of young people. The findings revealed that young people, their parents and teachers feel the current education system continues to fail this group of young people.     

Positive narratives: the stories young people with Social,Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) tell about their futures

This research drew on positive psychology in order to offer an optimistic way of conceptualising the lives of young people who are often described as having ‘SEBD’ (social, emotional and behavioural difficulties), now SEMH (social, emotional, mental health) in the English 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice. Positive psychology places emphasis on: the future, strengths, resources and potential, and suggests that negative experiences can build positive qualities. The young people in this research identified a range of strengths and resources in their lives that they had built as a result of earlier negative experiences. Narrative Oriented Inquiry (NOI) was used to analyse the themes of potential and growth in their stories which reveal their hopes and aspirations for the future. By giving these young people the opportunity to tell their stories this research permitted them to focus on where they were going, rather than where they had been.     

Students’ Attitudes towards Peers with Disabilities: A review of the literature

The trend towards inclusive education has led to an increase of studies focusing on peer attitudes. This review study presents an overview of studies describing attitudes of students, variables relating to students’ attitudes, and the relationship between students’ attitudes and the social participation of peers with disabilities. Based on a literature search we selected 20 studies that were conducted in seven different countries. Outcomes were described in terms of negative, neutral or positive according to three attitude components (cognitive, affective and behavioural). The results show that students generally hold neutral attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Several variables were found relating to their attitudes (i.e., gender, age, experience with and knowledge about disabilities, parental influence). Moreover, the results indicate that attitudes of peers relate to the social participation of students with disabilities. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of promoting positive attitudes of peers.     

Flipped classrooms: implications for K-12 students with learning and behavioural challenges from an international exploratory study of teacher educators

Flipped classrooms represent a new instructional paradigm for presenting K-12 instruction. Whereas in traditional classrooms new content is taught during the school day and application activities are assigned for homework, in flipped classrooms students are expected to acquire new content by working through assigned tasks at home prior to the next day’s class. Subsequently, class time is used for application activities. To date, limited, conflicting analyses of research about the efficacy of the flipped classroom paradigm have been reported. This lack of a clear consensus is of concern for students with serious learning and/or behavioural challenges who have not been the focus of these analyses and whose learning characteristics arguably run counter to what students must do to be successful in flipped classrooms. The investigation reported herein addresses one aspect of the aforementioned void in the literature. Data from an international survey of teacher educators from 33 countries that ascertained their thoughts about the appropriateness of the flipped classroom paradigm for students with serious learning and/or behavioural challenges are reported. Results indicate that teacher educators have reservations about the appropriateness of flipped classrooms, but that their opinions are not fully informed by knowledge about, and experience with, these classrooms.     

Emotional and behavioural development in Glasgow primary schools

Studies examining the well-being of British children find that about 5–10% are at risk of developing problems. This study aimed to examine the emotional and behavioural development of six to eight year olds in an area of socio-economic deprivation in Glasgow (Scotland) and compare this with UK norms. Furthermore, it aimed to look at overlap between the problems children had. It was a population-based survey involving parents and teachers of 1658 children. The study found that the overall emotional and behavioural development in this deprived population was surprisingly similar to UK norms. There was however a small group of children with overlapping problems. There is an emphasis within Glasgow on supporting young people's social, emotional and behavioural needs, particularly with regard to nurture and attachment. Implications of Glasgow initiatives are discussed, and their potential role in helping children from deprived backgrounds maintain levels of emotional and behavioural development in line with UK norms and, in particular, this group with overlapping problems is explored.     

An evaluation of a group CBT programme for children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in a school age disability service

Research has shown that rates of clinical anxiety levels are higher among young people with an ASD than their typically developing peers. This study conducted an exploratory investigation into the impact of a specifically tailored CBT group programme on anxiety levels in young people with ASD. The 12 week CBT programme was delivered to 12 children with a diagnosis of ASD in a children’s disability team in Ireland. An embedded mixed methods design was utilised and inferences were drawn by collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative data separately. Findings indicate CBT can be delivered successfully to a group of children with ASD. As is the nature of an embedded design, quantitative findings are reported as supportive evidence for the qualitative findings of this study. The positive preliminary findings suggest a rigorous, large scale evaluation is needed to determine the overall effectiveness of the programme with this population.     

Building inclusive education on social and emotional learning: challenges and perspectives – a review

This article focuses on conceptual and empirical issues related to the links between social and emotional learning (SEL) and inclusive education. SEL can be defined as the process of socialisation and education related to personal, interpersonal and problem‐solving skills and competencies. This process takes place in formal and informal settings and is influenced by a complex interplay of individual, situational and cultural factors. Beside a person‐centred focus, effective SEL interventions are provided within supportive learning environments and are directed at enhancing the social–emotional environmental factors that influence learning. Underlying theories and models related to SEL are reviewed, completed by empirical data stemming from prevention science, and developmental psychology. The role of SEL will be investigated with respect to children with emotional–behavioural difficulties and their social and cultural context. Finally, the multifaceted role of SEL and its preventive potential in inclusive school settings through modifications of input and content, teaching strategies and processes, as well as the improvement of learning environments are outlined.     

Perceptions of students with emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

The study explored prospective teachers’ concerns about KEYW ORDS pupils’ emotional and behavioural difficulties, their perceptions of self-efficacy in dealing with them and their coping strategies. The modification of prospective teachers’ perceptions across four levels of teacher training was also examined. Two hundred and eighty-four Greek prospective teachers completed an inventory presenting vignettes on pupils’ behaviour problems. It was found that prospective teachers were concerned about conduct and mixed difficulties, felt efficient in dealing with emotional difficulties, and suggested supportive coping strategies to handle them. These findings were consistent across the four levels of teacher training. The study is discussed in terms of its contribution to understanding prospective teachers’ decisions about emotional and behavioural difficulties, with regard to teacher training programmes.     

Perspectives on select field-based experiences for pre-service teachers of students with emotional and behavioural disorders

The proficiency with which teachers of students with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) plan for, provide instructional activities, and address the challenging behaviour of their students is influenced by the nature of their preservice teacher preparation. The purpose of this study was to examine educators’ perceptions of the importance of preservice field-based experiences. Results indicate that educators of students with EBD consider student teaching of both students with EBD and students without disabilities very important experience. Educators with more than 10 years experience also indicated that the observation of police, parole, and judicial services concerned with students with EBD was an important preservice experience. Limitations of the study and implications for preservice teacher preparation are discussed.