Development Of School Psychology Research Articles

The Italian School Psychologists' Role: A Qualitative Study about Professional Practices and Representations.

School psychologists’ relevance has been broadly affirmed. However, there is no shared definition of their professional role, and more efforts are needed to promote an organisational and whole-school approach. The present study aims to investigate practices and representations of Italian school psychologists, advance knowledge of the status and development of school psychology, and learn more about the approaches currently adopted in schools. A qualitative method was used and 11 focus groups with a total of 86 participants were carried out. Ad hoc instruments were defined. The results highlighted that school psychologists are more focused on building one-on-one relationships, whereas relationships with the organisation as a whole appear to be more difficult. However, participants reported a wide range of activities, targeted to both the individual and the organisation. Moreover, efforts to strengthen the relationships with school principals and the entire school community were described. Specific needs emerged and the necessity to better define the school psychologists’ role was reported by the participants. More efforts are needed to promote an organisational approach among Italian school psychologists and specific training should be offered.

The Role of the School Psychologist in the Promotion of Children’s Well-Being: Evidence from Post-Soviet Kazakhstan

There is widespread agreement that school psychologists are in a unique position to contribute to the promotion of the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents in school settings. However, results from national and international surveys indicate that school psychologists tend to adopt traditional roles and spend most of their time conducting psycho-educational assessment and counselling students. This qualitative study aims to contribute to the international research literature by examining how Kazakhstani school psychologists conceptualize students’ well-being, how they promote students’ well-being in schools, and some of the major challenges they face in their daily practice in this role. The results showed that school psychologists share generally positive, strength-based notions of child well-being, consider themselves as active but not major agents contributing to the promotion of student well-being, and acknowledge the influence of contextual factors (e.g. family, teachers, peers, physical environment) in the well-being of the students. However, this work is predominantly realized within a deficit-oriented model of school psychology mostly concerned with identifying and addressing ill-being rather than with promoting positive states of being. Moreover, school psychologists reported facing a myriad of structural, social, financial and professional challenges that hamper their ability to foster children’s well-being. The results are discussed and practical implications for the promotion of child well-being in school settings and the development of school psychology as a discipline in Kazakhstan and elsewhere are provided.

The Development of School Psychology in Taiwan: Status Quo and Future Directions

School psychology as a recent mental health service profession in Taiwan has drawn attention and interest, especially after the Student Guidance and Counseling Act (SGCA) was passed by the Taiwanese government in 2014. This article reviews school psychology’s developmental history in Taiwan, introduces governmental policies’ influences on its current service delivery framework, identifies contemporary challenges, and analyzes potential directions for its future development. To meet the needs of culturally diverse students and their families in Taiwan, the findings suggest adopting an ecological systems perspective for case conceptualization and strengthening cross-disciplinary collaboration in multi-tiered systems of support, which can result in shared work responsibilities and consistent responses to student needs. Also, more comprehensive training is recommended to expand the current scope of school psychological services and facilitate systemic collaboration within the educational system. It is hoped the knowledge presented in this article can contribute to continuous development and policy improvement for school psychological training and practice in Taiwan.

School psychologists in the Italian education system: A mixed-methods study of a district in northern Italy

ABSTRACTAlthough the presence and practice of school psychology around the world has expanded considerably over the last 10 years, in Italy the profession is still in the process of development. The aim of the present study is to investigate the presence and practice of school psychologists in an Italian district, using a mixed-methods research design including a questionnaire survey of all schools in the district (N = 83), and seven semistructured interviews to school stakeholders and key informants (i.e., principals, parents, teachers, school psychologists and a representative of the local education authority). The results showed that school psychologists are present in the majority of schools, that the greatest proportion of their work involves consultation with students and intervention in classes, and that teachers appreciate the services they provide. However, there are significant barriers that limit the impact of their work in supporting students, teachers, and families. In the light of the findings, the future development of school psychology in Italy is discussed, and global implications for school psychology are considered.

School psychology research and practice in East Asia: Perspectives on the past, present, and future directions of the field

To engage in a comparison of school psychology research and practice in eastern and western countries, the current study sought to identify key themes that have influenced the field of school psychology in East Asian countries. Forty-six leading school psychology professionals in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan provided their perspectives to a six-question survey based on a survey created by McIntosh, Martinez, Ty, and McClain (2013) regarding pivotal ideas and findings related to research and practice in the past 25 years, present, and future that they find particularly exciting. Qualitative thematic analysis, using NVivo software, yielded nine major and 41 minor categories. Across the three time periods (past, present, future), six of the nine major categories (Data-Informed Practices and Their Implementation, Knowledge and Practice of Individual Differences, Theory Development, Technology Development, Development of School Psychology, and Consultation and Collaboration) and seven of the 41 minor categories were present. A comparison between the current study and the McIntosh and colleagues (2013) study suggests that there were many consistencies in major and minor categories. Comparisons between these two studies, along with limitations, future areas for research, and implications for practice, are also discussed.

Promoting diversity through program websites: A multicultural content analysis of school psychology program websites.

The recruitment of culturally and linguistically diverse students to graduate programs is critical to the overall growth and development of school psychology as a field. Program websites serve as an effective recruitment tool for attracting prospective students, yet there is limited research on how school psychology programs use their websites to recruit diverse students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether school psychology program websites include sufficient levels of diversity-related content critical for attracting diverse applicants. The website content of 250 professional psychology programs (165 school psychology training programs and 85 clinical and counseling psychology programs) were examined for the presence of themes of diversity and multiculturalism that prospective racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse students deem important for selecting a graduate program. Results indicated that school psychology programs had less diversity-related content on their program's website relative to clinical and counseling psychology programs.' Implications for improving recruitment of racially/ethnically and linguistically diverse students through websites are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Providing psychological services and counselling in Pacific Rim countries: Where is school psychology in Asia?

School psychology services and the functions of school psychologists providing assessment, consultation, and intervention for children and their families are still greatly underdeveloped in the Pacific Rim countries, particularly those with a Chinese heritage culture. For the most part, school psychology services are provided by educational psychologists, school counsellors, and/or teacher-counsellors with varying levels of training and expertise, while the development of school psychology as a profession has been slow in coming. Nonetheless, Asian countries are gradually accepting the notion that children should be in school and there are efforts to provide psychological services within schools to prevent and solve mental health problems unique to these countries. With an obvious need for systematic mental health services, particularly for children and youth and their families, there is also a critical need to develop programmes that would lead to graduate level training in school psychology while simultaneously acknowledging the diversity of these Asian cultures in the Pacific Rim countries. Given the large populations of these countries, it is essential that we work to develop school psychology programmes in the very near future. If the Asian countries were to develop to their fullest potential, school psychologists would be needed as a critical component in all school systems.

Understanding the development of school psychology services in the Republic of Taiwan

School psychology is one of the most important fields within applied psychology, which is closely related to education and as a developing specialty it is important to be considered. Taiwan is an important Western ally and is highly developed in many ways. Taiwan is influenced by both Western and Eastern cultures, and this has inevitably impacted the development of psychology, including school psychology. Due to its complicated relations with Mainland China, most studies on school psychology in China do not include information in Taiwan. In addition, worldwide international studies of school psychology also often neglect Taiwan as a country. In other words, most reviews have not offered a systematic investigation of school psychology in Taiwan. The purpose of this article is to review the development of school psychology in Taiwan. The history and background of school psychology is discussed; the current status and developmental stages of school psychology are presented; the preparation of school psychologists, including the roles, functions, and responsibilities of school psychologists are discussed; and current issues impacting school psychology are examined. Overall, this article provides a means to briefly introduce and evaluate school psychology services in Taiwan.

The Status of School Psychology in China at the Millennium

The discipline of psychology is emerging as a recognized and respected profession in China. This is perhaps due to the need to address children’s increased difficulties in academic and social functioning. Nevertheless, psychologists are still rare with most services being conducted by medical personnel. However, a number of university psychology programs, such as school psychology and clinical service centres, are being formed as a result of the need to provide psychological services to school-aged children. The development of school psychology in China parallels that of the United States where practice was originally conducted by individuals not formally trained specifically as school psychologists. The purpose of this paper is to trace the evolution of school psychology in China.

Frances Mullen

Frances Mullen was a significant contributor to the devel opment of international school psychology. With Calvin Catterall and others she helped to initiate the international committee that would evolve into the International School Psychology Association. Her life and contributions provide a better understanding of the historical development of school psychology.

Contributions of women in school psychology: The Thayer report and thereafter

The contributions of women in school psychology from the Thayer Conference to the present time from historical and personal perspectives are recounted. Contributions are examined in terms of four periods in the development of school psychology: formative years, struggle for recognition as a professional specialty, collaboration with other organizations, and present ambiguity. Although participation of women in organizational leadership, honors, fellow status, and publications may reflect some degree of underrepresentation compared with the gender ratios in the field, historically school psychology has provided many women with a growing, challenging professional specialty.

Contributions of Leta Hollingworth to school psychology

Recent accounts of the contributions of Leta Stetter Hollingworth to feminism and giftedness have not described her association with the development of school psychological services. Her contributions to the earliest organizations of professional psychologists and her related writing were important to the long‐term development of school and clinical psychology. Though some information has been uncovered, much remains to be learned of her contributions to the development of these professional organizations.

Trends in Training and Accreditation

This article addresses the role NASP has played over the last 20 years in the development of school psychology through its efforts in training and accreditation. There has been a clear movement toward higher levels of training and increases in the number of programs that are accredited. The recently adopted system for national certification in school psychology has the potential to further enhance the influence of NASP training and accreditation standards. Both challenges and opportunities relating to training and accreditation face school psychology and NASP in the years ahead. Among them are shortages of school psychologists, underrepresentation of ethnic minorities, quality assurance in training programs, and preparation of school psychologists for comprehensive service roles.

Psychological services in schools: A summary of international perspectives

School psychological services in 26 countries are summarized. An understanding of school psychological services is enhanced by knowing the conditions that affect the acceptance of psychology and support for public education in the various countries. The article also discusses the nature of services, the points of delivery, and the number of school psychologists. Three major problems inhibiting the growth and development of school psychology are discussed along with possible solutions to these and other questions.

Further on the development of school psychology.

Further on the development of school psychology.

Further on the development of school psychology.

Further on the development of school psychology.

Reminiscences of things past

A personalistic and selective view of the history of school psychology is offered. A brief biographical sketch, and some of the early personal encounters and major professional preoccupations of the author, are presented first. This is followed by an exposition centered on the development of school psychology as a specialty. Two historical streams of intellectual thought, intervention methods, and professional affiliation, along with their consequences for school psychology, are then described. Finally, some observations on the future of school psychology are made.

School Psychology in the Federal Republic of Germany

The beginnings and development of school psychology in the FRG To understand the multifaceted nature of school psychology in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) it must be kept in mind that in our country, which has existed as a political unit since 1949, the educational system is decentralized. This means that the parliaments and governments of the federal states of the FRG are responsible for the related laws and regulations. There are, however, meetings of delegates of the states, such as meetings of the ministers of culture and education, where topics of common interest are discussed and transmitted as unified recommendations to states.

On the conception, birth, and early development of school psychology: With special reference to Pennsylvania.

On the conception, birth, and early development of school psychology: With special reference to Pennsylvania.

The development of school psychology in the state of Washington: A personal perspective

The history of school psychology in the State of Washington is examined with respect to growth of the profession, changing roles, training programs, and professional activism. During the past 30 years growth has been influenced by increased demand for special education programs and funding from both the state and national level. Starting out as clinical psychology in the schools, the role has changed to link together assessment, consultation, and remediation. With the growth of the profession has come several training programs based on the masters degree model but requiring two or more years of academic work. This model led to a split within psychology in this State with the school psychologists forming their own organization. The present funding crisis in education leaves the future of school psychology uncertain. However, the author believes that the profession can continue to thrive through positive actions and that by the end of this decade the numbers retiring from and entering the profession will be in equilibrium.