Educational Psychology Practice Research Articles

Using ideas from systemic family therapy in the context of education: Introducing not knowing to the world of education

AbstractThe task for the educational psychologist is ambiguous, It is often difficult to identify the hidden intentions behind requests for help. In this article, an argument is made for the use of systemic ideas and techniques to assist and enrich the educational psychologist’s practice, not only when working with the wider system, such as in giving consultation to schools, but generally. It argues that these ideas can transcend educational psychology practice. It will consider how the structure of the questions we ask affects what can be known, and will link these ideas to assessments. It will discuss how this method was used in a project with teachers as a way of creating a new dialogue between the psychologist and teachers about the likely causes of pupils failing to make progress. More generally, the article is meant to demonstrate how systemic ideas can help the psychologist unravel problems when he/she is apparently at an impasse.

The Statutory Assessment of Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

Summary This article discusses some of the important findings from recent research into the assessment of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) and, in addition, draws on the findings from two complementary but unpublished studies in this area (Petrie, 1994 and Harraghy, 1994). All the studies report that children referred for EBD assessment are predominantly boys who display acting out disruptive behaviour. Other findings on the assessment methods used by educational psychologists (EPs) and the perceptions of parents suggest that the quality of EPs’ assessments is yet to meet the aspirations laid down in the 1993 Education Act and the Children Act. This has implications for EP training and practice as we move into an era where there are increasing expectations for EPs to meet externally determined criteria when making statutory assessments for all children with special needs, including those with EBD.

The Educational Psychologist as Organization Development Consultant in South African Schools

South Africa is currently undergoing a process of reconstruction and transformation, and educational changes constitute an integral part of this process. Organization Development (OD), could play a valuable role in such change. OD practices, when located within an ecosystemic framework, represent a departure from certain inadequacies of conventional educational psychology practice in South Africa, such as decontextualization and individualization. This paper is the product of a formative evaluation study and ongoing enquiry into school organization development in South Africa. Such research has indicated that particular issues tend to emerge as 'substantive' in the course of OD practice. The paper outlines and discusses a number of substantive issues and presents a framework for conceptualizing these issues in an integrated fashion. The framework is comprised of three interrelated components, namely the school, the consultant(s) and the interaction between them. These components exist within a particular micro and macro context which needs to be taken into account in any OD intervention. It is hoped that the framework will prove useful to OD practitioners in a variety of different contexts and provide a practical means of conceptualizing their situations.

Learning as the focus of the educational psychology course

In this article, I describe an approach to teaching educational psychology that focuses on learning and its implications for instruction. Journal articles and book chapters form a basis for considering issues and applications central to research in educational psychology and classroom practice. These are complemented by a multifaceted set of term-long assignments, including laboratory work, tutoring, and participation in an Internet discussion group with teachers. The article begins with an illustration of a portion of the first and last days of the course I teach, providing an exemplar of the way in which students in the class work on developing an understanding of learning. Following this, I discuss the materials and assignments of the course, and links to Anderson et al.'s (1995) call for reform are made. I conclude with some reflections, concerns, and observations about this approach with regard to its particular focus on learning.

Training Psychologists for the 21st Century

What is the future of training in educational and school psychology as we move towards the end of the 20th century? Are we adequately preparing trainees for the rapidly changing demands that face them? Is there a common core of knowledge and skills in applied psychology which should be reflected in a generic pattern of training across the different disciplines in applied psychology? As links between countries become closer, particularly in Europe, how can we ensure that professional training is 'equivalent'? In this article we review the training and role of educational psychologists in England and Wales and suggest some options for the future. We believe that, despite the considerable and well-documented achievements in educational psychology research and practice, radical changes to the current system of training in the UK are needed in order to prevent educational psychology as a profession from becoming increasingly marginalized.

The professional practice of educational psychology

This paper discusses the potential for the field of educational psychology to move beyond “psychology-applied-to-education” to develop a unique professional practice component. We argue that many of the things educational psychologists are trained to do and have been doing for years fall within the “service provider” domain. Educational psychology is the only subfield of psychology to focus on the design of instructional systems, and many valuable psychological services derived from the knowledge base of instruction are worthy of professional recognition. We also discuss components of professional training for educational psychologists.

Learning Motivation and Activity Contexts

Abstract Learning motivation has a special explanatory status in educational psychology and educational practice. Motivation and learning often are studied separately. In the achievement motivation tradition, achievement situation is the connecting link between learning process and achievement need. The explanatory power of this link has limitations. The activity concept is proposed as a unit which is able to offer a broader basis for a unified concept of learning motivation.

Where to, Educational Psychology? Roles, Responsibilities in the World of the 1993 Education Act

Summary In this article, three operational models for the 1981 Education Act are considered. The current model is one in which educational psychologists have played a significant ‘gate‐keeper’ role. The advantages and disadvantages of this are highlighted. The Audit Commission model proposes a clear distinction between purchasers and providers, which itself depends upon the formulation of clear criteria of special education needs. Neither of these models address the fundamental difficulty that specific criteria are impossible given the relative concept of special educational needs proposed by the Warnock Committee and embodied within the 1981 Education Act. An alternative model is proposed which relates the concept to another relative notion, ‘significant harm’ in the Children Act (1989). The necessity of a ‘judgement’ rather than the application of a formula or specific criteria has profound implications for educational psychology practice and service delivery.

Partnership with Parents: A Model for Practice

Summary This article examines the literature to try to discover the extent to which practice in educational psychology actually matches the rhetoric about partnership. The barriers to a more equal relationship are scrutinised with reference to the particular model for change in professional practice offered in 1987 by the Association of Educational Psychologists Working Party on Racism.

Dual coding theory and education

Dual coding theory (DCT) explains human behavior and experience in terms of dynamic associative processes that operate on a rich network of modality-specific verbal and nonverbal (or imagery) representations. We first describe the underlying premises of the theory and then show how the basic DCT mechanisms can be used to model diverse educational phenomena. The research demonstrates that concreteness, imagery, and verbal associative processes play major roles in various educational domains: the representation and comprehension of knowledge, learning and memory of school material, effective instruction, individual differences, achievement motivation and test anxiety, and the learning of motor skills. DCT also has important implications for the science and practice of educational psychology — specifically, for educational research and teacher education. We show not only that DCT provides a unified explanation for diverse topics in education, but also that its mechanistic framework accommodates theories cast in terms of strategies and other high-level psychological processes. Although much additional research needs to be done, the concrete models that DCT offers for the behavior and experience of students, teachers, and educational psychologists further our understanding of educational phenomena and strengthen related pedagogical practices.

A Complete Paradigm for Educational Psychology Practice: The Professional Relations ‐‐ Advanced Training Pack

A Complete Paradigm for Educational Psychology Practice: The Professional Relations ‐‐ Advanced Training Pack

Professional Training and Development in Educational Psychology

The current state of professional training and development for educational psychologists in the UK has been heavily influenced by the changing role demands of the 1980s. This article describes the work in educational psychology training which is currently being carried out at Southampton University. The uniquely 'integrated' nature of the Southampton model is discussed and details of the organization of the three phases - preprofessional training, professional training and advanced professional training/ development - are provided. Changes which have occurred as a result of ongoing evaluation are outlined and likely future trends are identified. Finally, it is argued that professional training and development initiatives should not only respond to external demands but should also attempt to shape educational psychology practice in the 1990s.

Something for Nothing: The Application of Psychological Skills to the Practice of Educational Psychology

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsA. FachertyThe authors of this article are all educational psychologists, Andrea Facherty in Dudley, Pauline Grant in Buckinghamshire, Amanda Owen in Northamptonshire, Geraldine Powe in Essex and Gillian Lee in Birmingham. Their article was accepted for publication in April 1989.P. GrantThe authors of this article are all educational psychologists, Andrea Facherty in Dudley, Pauline Grant in Buckinghamshire, Amanda Owen in Northamptonshire, Geraldine Powe in Essex and Gillian Lee in Birmingham. Their article was accepted for publication in April 1989.A. OwenThe authors of this article are all educational psychologists, Andrea Facherty in Dudley, Pauline Grant in Buckinghamshire, Amanda Owen in Northamptonshire, Geraldine Powe in Essex and Gillian Lee in Birmingham. Their article was accepted for publication in April 1989.G. RoweThe authors of this article are all educational psychologists, Andrea Facherty in Dudley, Pauline Grant in Buckinghamshire, Amanda Owen in Northamptonshire, Geraldine Powe in Essex and Gillian Lee in Birmingham. Their article was accepted for publication in April 1989.G. TeeThe authors of this article are all educational psychologists, Andrea Facherty in Dudley, Pauline Grant in Buckinghamshire, Amanda Owen in Northamptonshire, Geraldine Powe in Essex and Gillian Lee in Birmingham. Their article was accepted for publication in April 1989.

Psychologists as Maintenance Men (or Women): A Consistent Role for the Practice of Educational Psychology

Psychologists as Maintenance Men (or Women): A Consistent Role for the Practice of Educational Psychology

Human Systems, Communication and Educational Psychology

The concepts of systems theory and cybernetics have played a fascinating role in the development of contemporary biology and social science. In the decades of the 40s, 50s and 60s, there was much resistance to some of the more grandiose claims concerning the aims and aspirations of the emerging disciplines: that here, indeed, were new paradigms that brought order and unity to interand intra-disciplinary conceptual confusion. What tended to happen was that useful concepts were borrowed by specialists working within particular disciplines and their origins obscured or forgotten. In some cases, the borrowing was curiously partial. In psychology for example, 'information processing' approaches, have deployed cybernetic concepts of feedback, control, information storage and retrieval, but have neglected or ignored the systemic properties of selforganisation. The problem with such partial borrowing is that the baby may be lost with the bath water. A new trend or fashion arises without proper foundations only to be superseded by some other. In recent years, concepts from systems theory have been introduced into the practice of educational psychology. In this essay, I attempt to give some proper grounding for these concepts. In particular, in section 2 I look at what is meant by a social system, arguing that the systemic properties of social institutions, such as families and schools, arise out of the particular nature of persons as social beings and their forms of communication and interaction. In this way, I trust I avoid facile analogising based on the truism that 'the whole is more than the sum of its parts' and leave intact the psychologist's traditional concern with the individual. From the perspective developed, I hope it is clear that, whether he sees it that way or not, the psychologist is always influenced by, and influencing, the systems around him. As a preliminary, in section 1 I briefly overview the chief tenets of systems theory and cybernetics. In section 3, albeit briefly and partially, I examine the implications for the practice of educational psychology as revealed by the systems perspective.

The Deception Study: A Potential Paradigm for the Evaluation of Generalizability of Social Skills Training

Research into social skills training has, in common with much other contemporary educational psychology practice, been beset by the problem of how best to evaluate effectiveness. Alongside the movement towards more behaviourally inclined approaches has grown a dissatisfaction with the traditional methods of evaluting effectiveness. If we recognize behaviour per se as being the appropriate level for intervention, whether in relation to academic skills teaching, classroom management, social skills training or whatever, then it follows that effectiveness can only logically be assessed in terms of measurable changes in observed behaviour. Evaluation methodology has tended to lag behind interventional methodology, however, so that it has not been uncommon to see behavioural work assessed in terms of changes in attitude and/or knowledge. On occasion evaluation is not even attempted and behaviour change is assumed to generalize outside the specific confines of the intervention situation.

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:Biggs, J. B., and Collis, K. F. (1982). Evaluating the Quality of Learning: the Solo Taxonomy {Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome).Gipps, C, and Goldstein, H. (1983). Monitoring Children: An Evaluation of the Assessment of Performance Unit.Kuhn, D., and Meacham, J. (1983) (Eds.). On the Development of Developmental Psychology.Quicke, J. (1982). The Cautious Expert: An Analysis of Developments in the Practice of Educational Psychology.

CRITICAL NOTICE

The Practice of Educational Psychology. M. Chazan, T. Moore, P. Williams and J. Wright

Morgenstern Developmental Toys Franz Morgenstern

Book reviewed in this article: Practice of Educational Psychology M. Chazan, D. Williams, T. Moore, J. Wright The Right‐to‐Education Child D. G. Myers, M. E. Sinco and E. S. Stalma The School Counsellor Ken Williams Remedial Drama Sue Jennings Art in the Education of Subnormal Children Pauline Tilley Fun with Paper Modelling G. C. Payne The Next Step on the Ladder Diana Maiden Teaching Clever Children 7–11 N. R. Tempest Routledge & Kegan Paul Dyslexia: A Guide to Teaching Margaret Newton, Michael Understanding the Deaf/Blind Child Peggy Freeman Your Child with Asthma Simon Godfrey