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Objectives: We investigated the effect of the therapeutic alliance on both change in social recovery outcomes and usage of a moderated online social therapy platform for first‐episode psychosis (FEP), Horyzons. Design: Secondary analysis of a single group pilot trial. Methods: Clients completed an alliance measure adapted for guided digital interventions at mid‐treatment. A series of multi‐level models evaluated change in outcomes by mid‐ and post‐treatment assessments (relative to baseline) as a function of the overall alliance. Quasi‐Poisson models evaluated the effect of the overall alliance on aggregated counts of platform usage. Exploratory analyses repeated these models in terms of the bond (human–human) or the task/goal (human–program) alliance. Results: Stronger overall alliance at mid‐treatment predicted lower loneliness at mid‐treatment and lower social anxiety at mid‐ and post‐treatment. It was also associated with higher completion of therapy activities and authoring of comments and reactions. A strong bond with an online therapist was associated with lower loneliness and higher perceived social support at mid‐treatment, lower social anxiety at post‐treatment as well as a higher number of reactions made on the social network. Stronger alliance with the platform's tasks and goals facilitated lower social anxiety at both follow‐up assessments and was further associated with higher completion of therapy activities and reactions in the social network. Conclusions: The alliance may impact aspects of social recovery and usage in digital interventions for FEP. Specific aspects of the alliance (human–human and human–program relationships) should be considered in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This discussion paper considers the identification and definition of the 'characteristic spirit' of publicly managed schools in the Republic of Ireland. Some international approaches to values in publicly funded schools are introduced along with relevant contextual aspects of Irish education including the cultural diversity and secularisation of modern Irish society. The Irish Education Act (1998) gives ultimate responsibility for school values and 'characteristic spirit' to the school 'patron', a role legally separate from that of school ownership and school management. The underlying values of privately managed faith-based schools are well established. However, the 'characteristic spirit' of publicly managed Education and Training Board schools remains largely undeveloped. Appropriate responses to this challenge are identified and discussed.

The dissonance between the socialisation experiences of student teachers during their own schooling and practicums and university-based teacher education programmes is indicative of the broader theory/practice dichotomy in education. While this dichotomy is of considerable interest to all teacher educators, studies of students' pre- and post-placement professional beliefs are rare. The authors availed of the publication of alternative curriculum pathways for Ireland to investigate the curriculum beliefs of student teachers immediately before and after their final school placement. Important contextual aspects of the study including school and teacher culture and the proposed curriculum pathways are introduced. The stark contrast between student teachers' preferences and their views regarding the feasibility of the various pathways and their commitment to pupil-centred learning are among the main findings of the current study. A positive relationship emerged between respondents' curriculum preferences and their grades in curriculum studies. These emerging themes are considered from the perspectives of student teachers' beliefs about pupil learning, the theory/practice dichotomy and the importance of developing school--university partnerships.

This paper reports a longitudinal study of levels of moral reasoning in a convenience sample of Irish undergraduate university students, using the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT2). The study was timely, as higher education institutions are becoming increasingly interested in the promotion of social capital and the development of the whole person. A total of 259 students completed the DIT2 at the beginning, mid-point and conclusion of their degree course. As with similar international studies, increases in levels of moral reasoning over time were statistically significant. However, Irish students' DIT2 scores were markedly lower than their international peers with 62% of graduating students at the pre-conventional and conventional stages. The paper suggests some context-related explanations for the under-performance of Irish students including the instrumentalist nature of Irish post-primary education, the prevailing culture of consensualism, authoritarianism and anti-intellectualism, the conflation of religious and moral education and the emphasis on economic outputs and contractual accountability.