What's in a name? Perspectives of dyslexia assessors working with students in the UK higher education sector.

Research findings and positions concerning the nature of the dyslexia construct are currently diverse and increasingly complex. The ability of assessor practitioners to operationalize such knowledge and categorically diagnose dyslexia in any reliable and consistent way is being questioned. This study aimed to explore the way in which diverse and complex research findings are operationalized in the dyslexia diagnostic assessment of UK higher education students. The perspectives of 118 professional assessors of dyslexia working within the sector were collected using a questionnaire and some interviews. Data were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively, as appropriate, and then integrated. The results confirmed critics' concerns about the consistency and reliability of the construct as currently diagnosed within the higher education context. Key controversial aspects of practice that emerged included the contextualized interpretation of literacy difficulties, a general commitment to discrepancy concepts, scepticism about the face validity of prescribed psychometric tests, and a related reliance on professional observation and experience above test results. The findings pointed to the need for a more informed nuanced understanding of the dyslexia label and a more cautious and responsible attitude towards its use.

Social Skills Training and ADHD-What Works?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Many children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties in their social skills and peer relationships. Because social problems exacerbate later maladjustment in ADHD populations, it is important to address this serious impairment. Although social skills training (SST) is a common intervention approach, evidence to date suggests that SST has limited efficacy, at least when provided in traditional, clinic-based settings. The current review summarizes recent advances to traditional SST approaches that may potentially enhance their efficacy. RECENT FINDINGS: We identify two promising directions in which SST may be modified to make it more efficacious for ADHD populations. The first direction involves providing increased reinforcement and reminders of appropriate social behavior at the point of performance to youth with ADHD (e.g., in vivo, in real life peer situations as opposed to in the clinic). We note the importance of ensuring that youth with ADHD are receptive to such reminders. The second direction involves encouraging peers to be more socially accepting and inclusive of youth with ADHD. This avenue has been understudied in the literature to date. SST for children and adolescents with ADHD may be enhanced by providing more in vivo reminders and feedback at the point of performance and by making efforts to alter peers' impressions about youth with ADHD.

Modeling Clustered Data with Very Few Clusters.

Small-sample inference with clustered data has received increased attention recently in the methodological literature, with several simulation studies being presented on the small-sample behavior of many methods. However, nearly all previous studies focus on a single class of methods (e.g., only multilevel models, only corrections to sandwich estimators), and the differential performance of various methods that can be implemented to accommodate clustered data with very few clusters is largely unknown, potentially due to the rigid disciplinary preferences. Furthermore, a majority of these studies focus on scenarios with 15 or more clusters and feature unrealistically simple data-generation models with very few predictors. This article, motivated by an applied educational psychology cluster randomized trial, presents a simulation study that simultaneously addresses the extreme small sample and differential performance (estimation bias, Type I error rates, and relative power) of 12 methods to account for clustered data with a model that features a more realistic number of predictors. The motivating data are then modeled with each method, and results are compared. Results show that generalized estimating equations perform poorly; the choice of Bayesian prior distributions affects performance; and fixed effect models perform quite well. Limitations and implications for applications are also discussed.

Learning approaches and performance of medical students.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the best assessment method for medical students with different learning approaches. METHODS: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at Bahria University Medical and Dental College, Karachi, from March 2010 to April 2011, and comprised first year medical students. The questionnaire was tailored from the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students on a five-point scale Deep approach, Surface apathetic approach and Strategic approach were assessed through relevant sub-scales. Response to questions was summed for the subscales and main scales for a learning approach. Mean scores for aggregate marks obtained by multiple choice questions, short answer questions, problem-based learning and objective structured physical examination were derived. Coefficient of variation was estimated to find the most reliable assessment method. RESULTS: Of the 100 students enrolled, 98(98%) completed the study. Of them, 51(52%) were girls and 47(48%) were boys. Overall, 70(71.4%) students displayed Strategic approach, and 13(13.3%) showed Surface apathetic approach. Objective structured physical examination had the least variation (12.27) for all approaches whereas maximum variation (14.92) was observed by problem-based learning scores. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment by problem-based learning scores was able to demarcate deep learners whereas consistent scores were obtained by objective structured physical examination which failed to discriminate variance in performance by different learners.

Foreign students' experience during a time of war.

BACKGROUND: Due to the war in Gaza in 2009, Ben-Gurion University's Medical School for International Health with a student body of 165 international multicultural students canceled a week of classes. Third-year students continued clerkships voluntarily and fourth-year students returned to Israel before departing for electives in a developing country. A debriefing session was held for the entire school. OBJECTIVES: To assess the academic and psychological effects of political conflict on students. METHODS: We asked all students to fill out an anonymous Google electronic survey describing their experience during the war and evaluating the debriefing. A team of students and administrators reviewed the responses. RESULTS: Sixty-six students (40% of the school) responded (first year 26%, second year 39%, third year 24%, fourth year 8%, taking time off 3%, age 23-40 years old). Eighty-three percent were in Israel for some portion of the war and 34% attended the debriefing. Factors that influenced individuals' decision to return/stay in the war zone were primarily of an academic and financial nature. Other factors included family pressure, information from peers and information from the administration. Many reported psychological difficulties during the war rather than physical danger, describing it as "draining" and that it was difficult to concentrate while studying. As foreigners, many felt their role was undefined. Although there is wide variation in the war's effect on daily activities and emotional well-being during that time, the majority (73%) reported minimal residual effects. CONCLUSIONS: This study lends insight to the way students cope during conflict and highlights academic issues during a war. Open and frequent communication and emphasis on the school as a community were most important to students.

Impact of staff commitment and morale on the implementation of the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong.

In the field of positive youth development, there are few studies on program sustainability and the relationship between program implementation and program sustainability. Based on an in-depth case study in the Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong, this study examines the intrinsic factors and mechanisms that influence program implementation and sustainability. The results reveal that implementers under study are highly flexible and responsive agents who operate in different areas at all school levels. With an understanding of the program philosophies and a belief in its efficacy, implementers also modify the program by integrating the "adopted" program to the existing strength-based framework, resulting in enhanced program effectiveness and sustainability. Furthermore, the present study underscores the importance of staff commitment and morale in the implementation and sustainability of positive youth development programs in the Chinese context.

Factors influencing the quality of implementation of a positive youth development program in Hong Kong.

This study examines how social workers collaborate with school teachers in implementing a school-based positive youth development program in Hong Kong. Individual and focus group interviews are conducted with social workers cooperating with school teachers in implementing the Project P.A.T.H.S. in a school context. Through the interviews, strategies for establishing inter-disciplinary collaboration and factors that hinder or facilitate program implementation are identified. This case study highlights factors that facilitate the collaboration between social workers and school teachers, including the following: 1) sufficient training for instructors, 2) sharing of the practice wisdom and teaching experiences, 3) building up mutual support among different parties, 4) use of proactive communication, and 5) demonstration of self-disclosure.

Impacts of a PECS instructional coaching intervention on practitioners and children with autism.

There is a growing research literature on the potential benefits of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with autism; however few studies have investigated implementation of AAC within real-life contexts. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of training for practitioners in implementation of aided AAC, and to examine implementation of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in real-life contexts. In particular, this study involved the implementation of instructional coaching to increase opportunities offered by behavioral therapists for their preschool-aged clients to use PECS to make requests. Results indicated increases in therapist implementation of AAC and client use of AAC in trained contexts, with limited generalization to untrained contexts.

Inquiry in psychology.

When they discuss the Danish academic situation, Szulevicz, Lund and Lund (2021) address three questions about the academic training of psychology researchers: (a) why do Danish master's students in psychology more frequently choose the qualitative method for their research?; (b) what are psychology students working on?; and (c) what are they interested in? These three questions have led us to reflect on researcher training and the political and educational model universities adopt for psychology master's courses, not only in the Danish context, but also in other general contexts. In this commentary, we will discuss one strictly normative issue: what should the scientific ideal be for training researchers in psychology? Or more accurately: how can psychology contribute to discussions about the scientific ideal of researcher training in this knowledge area?

Applying the science of learning to medical education.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this paper is to examine how to apply the science of learning to medical education. SCIENCE OF LEARNING The science of learning is the scientific study of how people learn. Multimedia learning - learning from words and pictures - is particularly relevant to medical education. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning is an information-processing explanation of how people learn from words and pictures. It is based on the idea that people have separate channels for processing words and pictures, that the capacity to process information in working memory is limited, and that meaningful learning requires appropriate cognitive processing during learning. SCIENCE OF INSTRUCTION The science of instruction is the scientific study of how to help people learn. Three important instructional goals are: to reduce extraneous processing (cognitive processing that does not serve an instructional objective) during learning; to manage essential processing (cognitive processing aimed at representing the essential material in working memory) during learning, and to foster generative processing (cognitive processing aimed at making sense of the material) during learning. Nine evidence-based principles for accomplishing these goals are presented. CONCLUSIONS Applying the science of learning to medical education can be a fruitful venture that improves medical instruction and cognitive theory.

Student perceptions regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of "Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome" taxonomy.

One method of grading responses of the descriptive type is by using Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy. The basis of this study was the expectation that if students were oriented to SOLO taxonomy, it would provide them an opportunity to understand some of the factors that teachers consider while grading descriptive responses and possibly develop strategies to improve scores. We first sampled the perceptions of 68 second-year undergraduate medical students doing the Respiratory System course regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of SOLO taxonomy. Subsequently, in a distinct cohort of 20 second-year medical students doing the Central Nervous System course, we sought to determine whether explicit illustration of SOLO taxonomy combined with some advice on better answering descriptive test questions (to an experimental group) resulted in better student scores in a continuous assessment test compared with providing advice for better answering test questions but without any reference to SOLO taxonomy (the control group). Student ratings of the clarity of the presentation on SOLO taxonomy appeared satisfactory to the authors, as was student understanding of our presentation. The majority of participants indicated that knowledge of SOLO taxonomy would help them study and prepare better answers for questions of the descriptive type. Although scores in the experimental and control group were comparable, this experience nonetheless provided us with the motivation to orient students to SOLO taxonomy early on in the medical program and further research factors that affect students' development of strategies based on knowledge of SOLO taxonomy.

Allocation to groups: Examples of Lord's paradox.

BACKGROUND: Educational and developmental psychologists often examine how groups change over time. Two analytic procedures - analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and the gain score model - each seem well suited for the simplest situation, with just two groups and two time points. They can produce different results, what is known as Lord's paradox. AIMS: Several factors should influence a researcher's analytic choice. This includes whether the score from the initial time influences how people are assigned to groups. Examples are shown, which will help to explain this to researchers and students, and are of educational relevance. It is shown that a common method used to measure school effectiveness is biased against schools that serve students from groups that are historically poor performing. METHODS AND RESULTS: The examples come from sports and measuring educational effectiveness (e.g., for teachers or schools). A simulation study shows that if the covariate influences group allocation, the ANCOVA is preferred, but otherwise, the gain score model may be appropriate. Regression towards the mean is used to account for these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Analysts should consider the relationship between the covariate and group allocation when deciding upon their analytic method. Because the influence of the covariate on group allocation may be complex, the appropriate method may be complex. Because the influence of the covariate on group allocation may be unknown, the choice of method may require several assumptions.

Performance feedback during writing instruction: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

Students in K-12 settings experience poor writing outcomes, with less than 30% of students writing at the proficient level. Coupled with the pressure to improve academic outcomes with limited resources, schools are in dire need of efficient, universally provided instructional activities that promote writing skills. Performance feedback on writing fluency was designed to be a brief, low-resource universally provided instructional activity to facilitate writing development and has demonstrated moderate to large effects on formative writing measures. The current study was conducted to directly evaluate the extent to which performance feedback on writing fluency is cost-effective. This study uses the ingredients method to estimate the costs of providing performance feedback on writing fluency and calculates incremental cost-effectiveness ratios based on secondary data from a randomized controlled trial. Results suggest that performance feedback is more cost-effective than comprehensive systems reform initiatives and comparable to other universally provided interventions, and therefore should be considered a cost-effective approach to improve writing fluency for all students. Results provide school psychologists with concrete examples of how to support prevention and intervention activities aimed to improve student writing outcomes. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Experiential-Learning Opportunities Enhance Engagement in Pipeline Program: A Qualitative Study of the Doctors of Tomorrow Summer Internship Program.

PURPOSE: Doctors of Tomorrow (DoT) is a pipeline program between the University of Michigan Medical School and Cass Technical High School in Detroit where the overall mission is to encourage youth from communities that are underrepresented in medicine to pursue their interests in healthcare careers. Students have the opportunity to apply for a summer internship between 9th grade and 10th grade. There is limited literature on the effectiveness of experiential-learning opportunities in pipeline programs to support development of personal and professional skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of students participating in the DoT summer internship program in order to better understand how their engagement influenced personal and professional development. METHOD: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted using responses from 27 students who participated in the DoT summer internship program between 2014 and 2018. Students engaged in self-reflective practices prompted by weekly surveys. Data were analyzed through an inductive process by coding and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified: (1) engagement in authentic experiential-learning opportunities; (2) development of professional skills; (3) self-reflection and actualization; and (4) real world barriers in experiential-learning. CONCLUSIONS: High school students engaged in a variety of different community internships and shared insights that illustrated depth and diversity of understanding health in their community. Their reflections illustrate the added value of experiential-education in pipeline programs.

Staff-student relationships and their impact on nursing students' belongingness and learning.

AIM: This paper is a report of selected findings from a study exploring the relationship between belongingness and placement experiences of preregistration nursing students. BACKGROUND: Staff-student relationships are an important influence on students' experiences of belongingness and their clinical learning. The need to belong is universal and pervasive, exerting a powerful influence on thought processes, emotions, behaviour, health and happiness. People deprived of belongingness are more likely to experience diminished self-esteem, increased stress and anxiety, depression and a decrease in general well-being. Nursing students' motivation and capacity to learn, self-concept, confidence, the extent to which they are willing to question or conform to poor practice and their future career decisions are influenced by the extent to which they experience belongingness. METHOD: During 2006, 18 third year students from two Australian universities and one United Kingdom university participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically. FINDINGS: Participants described placement experiences spanning a continuum from those promoting a high degree of belongingness to those provoking intense feelings of alienation. Staff-student relationships (including receptiveness, inclusion/exclusion, legitimization of the student role, recognition and appreciation, challenge and support) were the most important influence on students' sense of belonging and learning. Similarities between sites were remarkable, despite the differences in healthcare and higher education systems. CONCLUSION: Staff-student relationships are key to students' experience of belongingness. Understanding the types of interactions and behaviours that facilitate or impede students' belongingness and learning are essential to the creation of positive clinical experiences.

Evaluating implementation supports delivered within problem-solving consultation.

Teachers participating in problem-solving consultation often struggle to maintain adequate treatment fidelity, which is necessary to improve student outcomes. Low levels of treatment fidelity may result from implementation barriers, such as intervention compatibility, implementer skill, and implementer motivation. This study involves the evaluation of five implementation supports designed to address implementation barriers (i.e., Implementation Planning, Role Play, Participant Modeling, Raising Awareness, Motivational Consulting) within problem-solving consultation. Across 14 randomized individual single-case AB intervention designs, we evaluated the impact of these implementation supports on teacher treatment fidelity of classroom management plans and class-wide academic engagement and disruptive behavior. Visual analysis, descriptive statistics, and randomization test analyses suggest that these implementation supports have the potential to be broadly effective in improving teachers' fidelity and student outcomes. Teachers required a different number of supports to increase fidelity levels and rated the implementation supports positively. Implications of the study's findings are described.

Linear-linear piecewise growth mixture models with unknown random knots: A primer for school psychology.

Studying change over time requires rigorous and sometimes novel statistical methods that can support increasingly complex applied research questions. In this article, we provide an overview of the potential of piecewise growth mixture models. This type of longitudinal model can be used to advance our understanding of group and individual growth that may follow a segmented, or disjointed, pattern of change, and where the data come from a mixture of two or more latent classes. We then demonstrate the practical utility of piecewise growth mixture models by applying it to a subsample of students from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Cohort of 1998 (ECLS-K) to ascertain whether mathematics achievement is characterized by one or two latent classes akin to students with and without mathematics difficulties. We discuss the applicability for school psychological research and provide supplementary online files that include an instructional sample dataset and corresponding R routine with explanatory annotations to assist in understanding the R routine before applying this approach in novel applications (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.03.004).

Test use and assessment practices of school psychologists in the United States: Findings from the 2017 National Survey.

Although several studies have examined the specific instruments and procedures used by school psychologists when conducting comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations, the last one was published over 20 years ago (viz., Wilson & Reschly, 1996). Given the substantial theoretical and practical advances in assessment since then, the purpose of the current study was to examine the test use and assessment practices of contemporary school psychologists in the United States. Data from the 2017 National Survey of Assessment Practices in School Psychology revealed that test use and assessment practices have evolved significantly. Much of this change consists of the substitution of tests and practices with limited reliability and validity with those with greater psychometric support. Results of this study also indicate that school psychologists regularly conduct multi-method assessments to prevent, identify, monitor, and remediate child and adolescent learning difficulties and other presenting problems in the schools.

Differences in specific learning disability identification with the Woodcock-Johnson IV.

The Ability Achievement Discrepancy model remains the primary identification method used by school personnel. This study examined identification of a specific learning disability using the Ability Achievement Discrepancy model with the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ-IV). Two different test scores can be used to represent the ability construct: one that maintains the overlap between intelligence quotient (IQ) and basic psychological processes (i.e., general intellectual ability) and one that mostly removes the overlap between IQ and basic psychological processes (i.e., fluid-crystallized intelligence). The study included 3,736 individuals from the WJ-IV standardization sample to ascertain whether different proportions of individuals were identified by the 2 methods as well as identify which tests contributed to the differences. χ2 tests of independence and absolute ratios were used to examine the proportion of individuals identified; a multivariate analysis of variance and follow-up Tukey honestly significant differences were conducted to determine whether the groups of individuals identified in each model differed on their academic achievement scores, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify the tests that contributed to differences in identification rates. The results indicated that different proportions of individuals were identified as a function of the IQ score used, even though achievement scores were generally similar across identification methods. Black students were overrepresented and White students were underrepresented compared with their proportion in the total sample. Discrepancy profiles largely varied as a function of the internal psychometrics of the WJ-IV rather than characteristics of the individual. Implications for practice and methodological limitations are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Public educational psychology services in Israel on the internet.

BACKGROUND: The public Educational Psychology Services provide mental health services for children and youth in Israel, alongside the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Services. The Psychological and Counseling Services Division of the Ministry of Education (known as SHEFI - Sherut Psychology Yeutzi), funds and supervises local Educational Psychology Services which are aimed at supporting child development and enhancing the emotional welfare of children and their families. The demand for the services of educational psychologists is increasing. Yet this demand is not being met due to the insufficient number of job slots allocated, the geographical distances in outlying peripheral areas, the already high loads in the psychologists' daily routine, and other such problems. A wide range of effective psychological services can be offered via the internet. The internet therefore has the potential to serve as a useful and efficient missing link between the high demands for educational psychology services on the one hand and the ability and desire among educational psychologists to meet those needs on the other. Moreover, even if the services were fully staffed, the resources would still be insufficient to provide personal (face-to-face) treatment for all, so that internet-based access to services would still need to be developed. Those services provide unique advantages such as overcoming distance and enabling higher availability of mental health professionals. The objectives of the current study were to describe the prevalence of public educational psychology services available online in Israel, with specific focus on the Arab minority and the peripheral regions, and to highlight the benefits of expanding those services. METHOD: During 2016, we conducted a survey comprising all 252 Public Educational Psychology Service units in Israel (n = 170 in the Jewish sector, and n = 82 in the Arab sector). The method used to search for online sites was in line with the actions taken by an average end-user searching for information on the internet. RESULTS: The survey found that 125 of the units in the Jewish sector (73.5% of those units) and all 82 units in the Arab sector had no online site at all, constituting 82.2% of all the units in Israel. Of the 45 Jewish websites located by the survey, 42 (93.3% of the sites) were not user friendly (not interactive), and only three offered the possibility of interacting with psychologists (6.7% of the sites). Nevertheless, all the sites (n = 45) offered a high degree of quality and variety that exceeded basic information. CONCLUSION: We believe that the presence of educational psychologists on the internet is essential in order to meet the challenges presented by the growing needs of students, parents and teachers in the current digital era. The survey revealed that the public educational psychology system in Israel has not yet bridged the technological gap. Special attention should be directed to the peripheral regions and to the Arab sector, where the technological services can make a significant contribution. The local public services' attempts to create and operate websites (45 Jewish websites according to the survey), are indicative of the determination to offer psychological support to the community at large, and of the ambition to overcome availability and accessibility problems. The concept of internet services might be useful not only for the SHEFI, but also for the array of mental health services for children and youth in Israel. Thus, we recommend that a policy should be formulated regarding internet-based mental health services for children and youth in Israel, and we call for a collaboration between the various ministries in implementing this process.