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Police presence has increased in schools; however, little is known about the effects of positive police presence on academic or social-emotional outcomes in elementary students, even though their role often includes education and mentorship in addition to law enforcement. Results found that this is a recent area of interest with all articles published in 2019 or later and limited to studies conducted in the United States. Included studies provided limited demographic detail. Related to the specific areas of focus, no studies examined academic outcomes; social-emotional outcomes focused on feelings of safety or student empowerment; there were mixed findings on perceptions of safety; and relationships required intentional work. Over half of the studies included data from across grade levels, making it difficult to isolate findings specific to elementary students. Continued work in this area is necessary to fully understand the positive impact of police presence in elementary schools.

This article offers a case study of a student-faculty partnership. Focusing on the perspectives of two student research assistants and a faculty member, the authors utilize current literature on student-faculty partnerships to support their perspectives. This case study adds to the body of research suggesting student-faculty partnerships enrich and mutually benefit those involved. This article explores the working partnership of the consultation team and their work as part of a large collaborative project amongst post-secondary institutions and community-based organizations. Over the course of 3 years, success was evidenced by the outcomes of this project. The team has led workshops on the subject matter, and, additionally, contributed to the co-creation of a workbook/e-course on mitigating vicarious trauma for English language learning teachers. The research team published two subject-related articles. This article explores the facets that impacted the quality of the partnership.

The authors present findings that emphasize a need for trauma-informed policy to mitigate vicarious trauma transmission for teachers who work in English language learning (ELL) classrooms. Qualitative data was collected from 10 stakeholders in Canada using an interpretive-phenomenological methodology. Findings assisted to better understand the impact of institutional policy, or lack thereof, on trauma-informed practices within English language teacher work. Themes that emerged were settlement factors, roles, and responsibilities (personal and professional), and organizational policies. A scan of publicly available information on trauma-informed policy suggested a gap for English language teachers. Current literature on vicarious trauma stresses that trauma-informed practice necessitates an individual and systemic approach to mitigating its effects. A basic scan of potential trauma-informed frameworks was discussed as potential institutional approaches to reduce the impact of vicarious trauma on teachers.

Futures research is gaining increased prominence in educational research and development (Tesar, 2021), and particularly now as we emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has provided a lever for change and an opportunity for innovation in learning, teaching and assessment (Hall et al., 2020; Jandric et al., 2022; Tesar, 2020). Designing Futures (DF) is an initiative that aims to transform the student learning experience at university, including through promoting student entrepreneurship and enhanced interaction with enterprise, industry and the innovation sector, supported by a national employability policy agenda, and concomitant, significant government funding. Ireland's Higher Education Authority has invested €7.57 m in the DF programme at University of Galway for a period of 5 years, 2020-2025. However, introducing such a programme as DF within higher education raises problematic tensions around the purpose of higher education today, as set amidst the current policy futures perspective. Specifically, how do we balance policy imperatives to work more closely with enterprise and industry, while at the same time protecting the essential role of higher education, which must be to provide a formative context for all students to reach their fullest potential as active citizens? This paper helps to position the concept of student engagement, taking DF as an exemplar initiative, and examining the concept as it is construed and deployed in an innovative, futures-oriented educational programme. This review is critical for DF, to ensure we remain fundamentally focused on education, and not just for the world of work, which is of course important, but beyond enterprise and industry: to ensure students' readiness for the complex and challenging world of today and tomorrow. Furthermore, this constitutes an important contribution to the literature, at a time when the identity of the university and purpose of higher education are the focus of an educationally problematic neoliberal agenda (Mintz, 2021).

Objectives: Inequalities in the clinical psychology profession extend to the uptake and recruitment of clinical psychologists from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Mentoring schemes can help facilitate mentee's personal and professional development. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of mentors who participated in the BAME mentor scheme at University of Bath. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with N = 29 mentors (both trainee and qualified clinical psychologists), who predominately identified as female and White British. The reflexive thematic analysis six-step process was employed to analyse the data. Results: Four major themes were generated; (1) Mentoring as a learning curve; (2) Mentoring in the context of BAME; (3) Why we mentor: The impact; and (4) Moving the scheme forward: What next? Conclusions: Overall, mentoring was a rewarding experience for mentors, and given the right support, could help strengthen the mentoring experience and aims of the scheme for the future. These findings offer insight and guidance for future mentoring programmes considering diversifying the clinical psychology profession.

Mentoring schemes for aspiring BAME clinical psychologists, are being introduced in universities across the UK. The aim of this study was to conduct a mixed-methods prospective evaluation of the 2021/2022 mentoring scheme. Mentees (n = 8) and mentors (n = 20) completed an online questionnaire at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of the 2021/2022 mentoring scheme. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively and using a mixed ANOVA. Content analysis was conducted on qualitative contributions. Mentees reported having the confidence and knowledge necessary to apply for the clinical psychology doctorate and assessments of mentoring skills were high. Participants provided their goals and expectations for the scheme, as well as constructive feedback. The findings suggest an overall modest, positive impact of the mentoring scheme. Wider implications include ensuring mentoring pairs establish regular contact and providing additional support for mentors to mitigate self-doubt.

High level of mental health problems are a critical concern among youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Using data from a randomized controlled trial on Housing First in Canada, this study examined the risk factors and protective resources associated with mental health recovery among 215 homeless youth with mental illness at baseline and at a 24-month follow-up. At study entry, higher levels of recovery were associated with a lower number of adverse childhood experiences, less frequent presence of mental health symptoms, higher level of satisfaction with social relationships, and a higher level of psychological integration at baseline. At 24-months, a lower frequency of experiencing mental health symptoms and a higher level of psychological integration were associated with a higher level of recovery. The study's findings highlight the importance of protective resources, notably having supportive social relationships and a sense of belonging in the community as contributors to mental health recovery

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a nonlinear pedagogical approach to primary school physical education (PE) upon children's movement skill competence. Methods: Forty-six (male = 25 and female = 21) children aged 6-9 years participated in either a nonlinear pedagogy (NP) or linear pedagogy approach to PE for 9 weeks. Children's movement skill competence was assessed utilizing measures representative of children's play at pretest, posttest, and 13-week retention test time points. Results: Repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant improvements for general motor coordination (p < 0.05, d = 0.234) and time-to-contact judgment performance (p < 0.05) for the NP group only. Significant between-group differences existed for general motor coordination at the retention test time point (p < 0.05, d = 0.119) in favor of the NP group. Conclusion: Our results reveal that NP approaches to primary school PE can be efficacious in enhancing children's movement skill competence. Thus, it seems appropriate that NP approaches to PE are utilized more readily within the primary school sector.

Practical work is widely seen as an integral part of school science. Research and teacher guidance have tended to consider practical work in science, rather than in individual science subjects or topics. This study used a questionnaire of selected- and open-response items to probe the views and reasoning of a sample of 43 pre-service teachers in England about the considerations that influence their use of practical work. Responses indicated a strongly positive view of the value of practical work to support a range of learning outcomes. A majority of respondents thought that the usefulness of practical work varies across topics due to differences in what can be directly observed and in potential to challenge learners' ideas. Responses showed awareness of the key role of practical work in linking observations and ideas, but also highlighted challenges in applying broad principles about practical work to content-specific examples and a limited awareness of the range of possible types of practical activity. The study supports the view that researchers and advocates of practical work should engage with issues at a smaller grain size than hitherto in order to gain a better understanding of teachers' decision-making and enable more effective classroom practices.

Purpose: To explore the insights of adults and children at a New Zealand primary school adopting nonlinear pedagogical approaches to physical education (PE). Methods: This case study was conducted at a single primary school and utilized a qualitative methods design, including interviews or focus groups with the principal, five teachers, and four children. Results: A general inductive approach to analysis identified 11 themes including--empowering teachers and children (principal), letting go of control (teachers), and ownership (children). Discussion/Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a principal's perceived need for change is important to facilitate school wide change to PE practices. Teachers can successfully adopt PE teaching approaches that align with contemporary pedagogy literature through in situ professional development, resulting in positive PE experiences for children.

There is a societal expectation that undergraduate degrees will contain activities that focus on making graduates workplace ready. Although it is likely that many of these activities occur in science degrees, there is a lack of formal and tested methodologies and frameworks for identifying them. One existing framework (Edwards, Perkins, Pearce, & Hong, 2015) was used to analyze [work-integrated learning] WIL activities identified in course (unit, n=81) documentation and interviews with unit coordinators (n=71) at one Australian University. This revealed many (hidden) WIL activities that had not been previously articulated to either students or curriculum designers. The authors refined the existing framework to develop a rubric that allows the depth and breadth of WIL activities to be captured in a standard manner and WIL activities in a degree to be readily mapped.

Purpose: Girls are underrepresented in many school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, leading to ongoing gender disparity in STEM careers. This issue is not new and has seen a range of initiatives implemented in an attempt to increase girls' STEM participation. In Australia, a number of these initiatives have emphasised role models and mentors. This paper seeks to understand the influence of role models and mentors on girls' STEM identities. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents qualitative research undertaken with STEM experts into the influences on girls' STEM identities. Data were collected through three phases involving semi-structured interviews, a forum and focus groups. Thematic analysis identified the importance of mentoring and role modelling in shaping girls' STEM participation and identities. Findings: This paper provides a basis for rethinking how and when role models and mentors can assist girls in making decisions about STEM. In particular, it reveals the need for role models and mentors to consider the role of relatability in developing girls' STEM identities and the need to do this at multiple points throughout girls' lives. Originality/value: This article captures the perspectives of multiple experts involved in a variety of STEM professions on the topic of how mentors and role models can influence girls to consider STEM professions. Utilising the concept of identity, this paper sheds new light on girls' interactions with role models and mentors and the value of storying in role modelling and mentoring relationships as an important component of girls' identity work in relation to STEM.

As Action Learning has evolved, it has been adapted to promote learning in various contexts. In this account of practice, we share our perspectives as facilitators of the application of action learning principles within Reflective Practice Forums for Mentoring and Coaching Programme Managers. The ethos of action learning was adopted with the forums to enable the programme managers to engage in regular reflections of their current practices and ongoing professional development. In our assessment of the application of action learning principles and processes within the Reflective Practice Forums, we consider the connections between action learning, communities of practice and supervision frameworks to examine and present the 'ethos' of Action Learning within the forums.

Community Orientated and Opportunity Learning (COOL) Music was a 12-month collaborative project between researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University and practitioners at the Edinburgh-based social enterprise Heavy Sound. The project began in October 2017 and involved 16 sessions of participatory music making with 32 'hard-to-reach' young people (aged 12-17) aimed at increasing confidence and self-esteem and improving social skills. Using COOL Music as a case study, this article explores some of the challenges faced by community-based arts organisations tasked with delivering such interventions, contrasting COOL Music's small-scale, targeted, community-based approach with prevailing top-down music interventions in Scotland. We argue that such programmes are particularly suitable in engaging those at the margins of society, reaching them on their own terms through music that resonates with their own lived experience. However, we acknowledge the short-term and transitory nature of such projects may prove problematic for some hard-to-reach groups who require more stability in their lives and may also lead to staff fatigue and burnout. We call for further research in these areas, and greater policy attention to be paid to the sustainability of such projects.

Educational visits are always a highlight of any school year, with museums, historical experiences and outdoor activity centres often winning in the popularity stakes, but what about a visit to a local manufacturing plant or science laboratory? Some might feel that this would be a health and safety headache best avoided, or perhaps that a class full of excitable children may not be welcome in such an environment, but one might be pleasantly surprised on both counts. With guidance from the Centre for Industry Education Collaboration (CIEC) team, scientists, engineers, and technicians working at local industrial sites are often very keen to share their workplaces and passion for STEM careers with the next generation. This article explores the benefits of industry site visits to enrich the primary curriculum.

Utilising a case study of evidence-based policy (EBP) commissioned by government we explore how academic outputs can serve several purposes, depending on the political milieu and the values and ideologies of any given party. Our commissioned research was being carried out in the context of significant policy change for lone parents in Ireland which saw the introduction of labour market activation. The research was initially used by the then Government to appease the Opposition to the highly emotive policy change. Following a general election, Opposition and advocacy groups called on policymakers to acknowledge the report they had commissioned. Concepts of research(er) deficit, normative reality and a shifting 'policy agora' are explored to highlight how the political context shaped the uptake of the research findings. We followed the debate by drawing on publicly available documentary evidence relevant to the policy of lone parent activation in Ireland from pertinent parliamentary and committee debates involving all stakeholders, that is the Government, civil servants, Opposition and advocacy groups, to ascertain what happened with the research and why did it happen. Attention is given to the consequences of producing outputs that diverge from political values and ideologies, whereby research can be subject to manipulation to discredit and invalidate findings.

Automation and advanced technologies have increased the need for a better understanding of the skills necessary to have a globally competitive workforce. This study used data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to compare problem-solving skills in technology-rich environments among adults in South Korea, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Estonia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Overall, the United States had the lowest scores among all countries, and in all countries scores declined with age. The United States had higher proportions of survey participants in the lowest skill category and lower proportions in the top-skill categories. The results of this study suggest changes in the U.S. educational and lifelong learning systems, and policies may be necessary to ensure all adults have the necessary skills in a competitive workforce. [For the Grantee Submission, see ED591529.]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to improve understanding of the relationship between music practice and the wellbeing of young refugees, by examining the perspectives of Yazidi music participants aged 11-18. Design: Focused exploratory case study design, informed by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion which provided the conceptual framework for the research. Setting: A camp in northern Greece, where people from Iraq and Syria had been living for up to a year. Method: Data were collected over a 5-week period through participant observation of individual music lessons and group music workshops involving between 3-12 participants. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of six participants (three boys and three girls) aged 11-18. Results: Findings indicate that activities involving music practice can impact positively on young people's wellbeing, enabling the development of emotional expression, improved social relations, self-knowledge and positive self-identification, and a sense of agency. Conclusion: The positive impacts of music practice noted here suggest it has the potential to be a promising health promotion approach for young refugees, by helping to develop supportive environments, through which community action can be strengthened and personal skills developed.

There is a concern in many countries with participation rates in science. One response to this has been a proliferation of university run science outreach programs that aim to both engage and retain students in science. Previous studies of outreach programs have tended to take into account the perspectives of just a few stakeholders in the program. Although this approach has led to some understanding of outreach programs it underplays the level of complexity in running outreach programs and leaves a gap in understanding how student identity and aspirations toward science are supported in science outreach. This research has investigated the perspectives of students, teachers, parents and scientists in one university run astronomy outreach program with the aim of better understanding the role that communities of practice play in science outreach in developing students' science identity. The study confirms the importance of sustained support rather than single interventions and highlights how the development of community within science outreach contributes to shared affective experiences of astronomical phenomena and practices.

Perceived as fostering democracy in educational institutions, approaches which encourage student voice are being promoted as supporting greater social equalities and strengthening students' commitment to their learning. Using student voice as a theme, research funded by Jisc set out to hear learner views and explore their digital preferences when learning in a vocational context. The aim of this research was to enhance digital student practice by exploring how learners experience, use, and wish to work in, a technology-rich environment. A literature review was undertaken to inform the research findings. This article focuses on innovative practice, discovered by serendipity, that went beyond the tenets usually described in the literature on student voice. Using a case study approach this article reports on work underway in one FE institution where students have been appointed as 'Digi-Pals' and given a key role to embed the use of digital 25 technologies into student and staff practice. Two theoretical lenses, one focused on technology and the other on student voice, are applied to explore innovative practice. The community of Digi-Pal practice is described and recommendations made for further adoption across the FE and Skills sector.

The purpose of this study is to determine the personal and social worries of samples of tertiary-level students in the U.S.A. and Northern Ireland (UK) using the Things I Worry About Scale (TIWAS). An online questionnaire, which included the TIWAS, was completed by two samples (U.S.A. = 71 and Northern Ireland = 187). Results indicate that students, in both locations, report worrying frequently about a similar broad range of issues, particularly the challenges of academic study and achievement, financial matters and future career possibilities. The needs of individual students who express frequent worrying about experiences 'sometimes' worried about by the majority are noted. The overall findings support perceptions that a majority of students are rather anxious, are under considerable pressure and worry very frequently.

This article provides an overview of the main findings for the countries of the UK from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015, where science was the major focus. The nature of the tests, the key findings and how they might be interpreted are discussed--in particular the implications for the teaching and learning of science.

This article presents the principles and findings of developing a new participatory assessment of development (PADev) evaluation approach that was codesigned with Dutch nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and northern and southern research institutes over a period of 4 years in the context of rural development in Ghana and Burkina Faso. Although participatory approaches in development evaluations have become widely accepted since the 1990s, the PADev approach is different by taking the principles of holism and local knowledge as starting points for its methodological elaboration. The PADev approach is found to have an added value for assessing the differentiated effects of development interventions across different subgroups in a community through intersubjectivity. Moreover, if PADev is taken up by a multitude of stakeholders, including the intended beneficiaries of development interventions and development stakeholders, it can contribute to a process of local history writing, knowledge sharing, capacity development, and providing input into community action plans and the strategies of community-based organizations and NGOs.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disability with significant implications for learning and behaviour. International research suggests that the prevalence of FASD in school-aged children is 2.3-6.3%. In this paper, we address the questions: (1) what is FASD; (2) what is the prevalence of FASD in schools; (3) what is the impact of FASD; and (4) why develop special FASD education strategies and programmes? We summarise the 18-year history of Winnipeg School Division's development of its FASD Programme of services, describe the specialised FASD classrooms and then present the results from a consensus-generating workshop comprised of 36 FASD education professionals, with over 209 years of collective FASD education programme experience, who were asked to identify and reach consensus on best strategies and lessons learned in FASD education programmes. We then suggest that effectively educating children with FASD is critical to get right if positive educational outcomes are to be realised.

Inspired by Bourdieu's ("Homo Academicus, Polity," Cambridge, 1988; "The Logic of Practice, Polity," Cambridge, 1990) ideas of knowledge reproduction, the article presents an empirical mapping of knowledge geographies, as manifest in the curricular practices found within a single international MA programme in Denmark. Following an initial discussion of global trends in academic publishing, Berg's ("Geoforum" 35:553-558, 2004) notions of "limited" and "unlimited" spaces are adopted as a conceptual framework, enabling us to identify "geographies of power" in the production and reproduction of academic knowledge. The empirical analysis is based on a data set comprised of course reading lists, lecturer biographies and interviews with five lecturers and one programme convener. A quantitative analysis of nationality and institutional affiliation of authors represented on the course curricula provides a general picture of knowledge geographies and places the USA/UK in the position as leading producers of knowledge, followed by northern Europe. A qualitative analysis of lecturers' reflections on their curricular practices suggests an awareness of the dominant role occupied by the USA/UK and possibly Europe, but also a recognition of a need to engage with new spaces. The article concludes with a discussion of "open" versus "closed" positions among the lecturers, leading to an identification of possible change agents within the programme.

A stream of debate (including a previous special issue of this journal [25(1) 2014)] has made claims not just for "bringing knowledge back in" as the framing underpinning of the school curriculum, but that subjects associated with disciplinary and disciplined knowledge forms have a particular power and that these characteristics are important to preserve in curriculum frameworks. This paper draws on a major Australian research project studying school and university physics in the context of these arguments to revisit the issue of the "discipline" of physics and the curriculum logics for physics. Given that disciplines are social in origin and changing and expanding over time, can school curriculum be logically derived from the discipline to which they relate? Are questions about student engagement only questions about pedagogy and not curriculum? Does a focus on disciplinary knowledge mean that the role of school in forming identities and values is avoidable as a significant feature of what the curriculum does? The findings from the project are used both to illustrate and test these questions, and to challenge some over-simple assumptions about the verticality of this form of knowledge for education purposes.

Most Australian universities have among their goals to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at their institutions. In the Australian higher education context, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are seriously under-represented, particularly in business education compared to other disciplines. An understanding of why a larger proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students do not choose to study a discipline that provides promising employment opportunities, is fundamental to improving the status quo. This paper reviews the literature to identify key barriers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' participation and engagement in business education. Apart from multiple general barriers to participation in higher education, factors specific to business as a profession and as an academic discipline are also considered. The paper then discusses a number of strategies Australian educational institutions could pursue when seeking to increase participation and engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in business. Drawing on the review, the paper concludes with recommendations for higher education institutional policy to further improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student participation and engagement in business studies.

In response to the current demands and trends within education, the disciplines as one of the core long-standing organizing structures within knowledge production and transmission are questioning and shifting what and how they teach. Universities are increasingly offering interdisciplinary subjects and programmes as an alternative to or alongside disciplinary subjects. This paper investigates the underlying themes and principles that inform curriculum debate around the value of the disciplines and interdisciplinarity in Australia when compared to the views and practices of academics. A focus on the knowledge that is included in discipline-based and interdisciplinary curricula reveals interdisciplinary knowledge to be more weakly classified and framed than discipline-based knowledge. This has consequences for the depth of interdisciplinary knowledge and requires the consideration of the structure and place of interdisciplinary curricula in university education.

The science curriculum to age 16 should be judged on how well it meets the needs of students who progress to A-level science courses and those (a larger number) who do not. To address the diversity of students' interests and aspirations, we need a clear view of the purposes of science education rooted in a view of the purposes of education itself. This article argues that a flexible curriculum structure for science is essential at key stage 4, offering a variety of pathways that can be better matched to the needs and interests of students.

In this paper a framework is proposed for the formulation of a higher education institutional (HEI) strategy. This work provides a practical example, through a case study, to demonstrate how the proposed framework can be applied to the issue of formulation of HEI strategy. The proposed hybrid model is based on two operational research methodologies. These techniques help to formulate a strategic decision-making model which represents different factors and alternatives, assess their priorities, and provide a decision-making mechanism. In addition, our proposed approach incorporates derived global priorities of strategic options in order to optimise different types of resources. The proposed model is dynamic in that it adapts to changing economic and environmental conditions and hence has the capability to provide "what-if" analysis. The framework is applied in the context of strategic decision-making for a business school and involves key stakeholders who have responsibilities for strategic functions within the HEI and the school.

Incremental approaches to introducing change in Canada's health systems have not sufficiently improved the quality of services and outcomes. Further progress requires 'large system transformation', considered to be the systematic effort to generate coordinated change across organisations sharing a common vision and goal. This essay draws on ongoing dialogue relating to transformation, and examines transformative efforts in the Saskatchewan health system. We aim to build a shared understanding of systems thinking in the context of transformation, and to outline examples of how systems thinking perspectives, with an emphasis on the role of evidence, may inform strategy for complex change initiatives.

This paper identifies what can be called the "paradox of interdisciplinarity" (Weingart 2000) in Australian higher education research governance and explores some of its constitutive dimensions. In the Australian context, the paradox of interdisciplinarity primarily concerns the proliferation of a programmatic discourse of interdisciplinarity in government reports and government policy and strategy documents, often tied to notions of innovation and applicability, parallel to the persistence or even reinforcement of modes of governance and associated mechanisms that almost exclusively rely on rigid discipline-based classification systems to evaluate and fund research. Two interrelated dimensions of this apparent paradox are discussed. First, the conceptions of knowledge that underpin the use of notions of disciplinarity as well as interdisciplinarity in Australian government reports and policy and strategy papers are analysed. Second, an analysis of the Australian research governance system and its underlying mechanisms is presented, as they pertain to interdisciplinary forms of research. On the basis of these analyses, it is concluded that there is a significant mismatch between the discourse of interdisciplinarity and associated conceptions of knowledge on the one hand, and current, relatively inflexible governmental research funding and evaluation practices on the other. It is finally proposed that the occurrence and perpetuation of such a mismatch in the Australian context can only be understood properly if placed in the context of a more general paradox of research governance, where a politically charged rhetoric of innovation conflicts with the actual trend toward an increasingly diminishing scope for the self-organisation of knowledge.

Evidence suggests that schools have, by default, become the primary mental health system for students in Canada. The goal of the present study was to design, implement, and evaluate the Psychology School Mental Health Initiative (PSMHI). The PSMHI is an innovative attempt to increase the capacity of school-based psychology staff to deliver evidence-based mental health intervention to children and adolescents with mental health concerns. The conceptualization, implementation, and initial outcomes of the PSMHI are outlined. Advantages and challenges of delivering cognitive-behavioural intervention in a school setting are discussed. Preliminary data indicated that participation in the initiative increased the capacity of school psychology staff in the provision of mental health service. Furthermore, results revealed that a higher number of students with mental health issues received evidence-based intervention. Finally, recommendations for enhancing effective service delivery and the expanding role of psychology with the school system are highlighted.

"Successful learners" is one of the four capacities, or purposes, of "Curriculum for Excellence" (CfE). This paper reports on a project which aimed to clarify its meaning, explore children's understanding of the term, and consider possible implications of both for classroom practice. The project was thus conducted in two parts: a conceptual consideration of the term, followed by an empirical study where the views of upper primary children (n = 31) were elicited, using a Philosophy with Children approach. The study found that the term is infinitely ambiguous and can be used to support a whole number of different classroom approaches, some of which run quite counter to the ethos of CfE. The study suggests that fuller constructive collaboration between CfE advocates, teachers, and learners is required for the concept to become useable, supportive and enabling rather than restrictive, divisive, or elitist.

This article presents the author's Presidential Address delivered to the Association for Science Education Annual Conference, University of Liverpool, January 2012. "Science for all" has been an aspiration of the Association for Science Education and the organisations from which it evolved for almost a century. It has, however, proved an elusive goal. The history of science education in the UK throughout the past century, and indeed beyond, is of an almost constant stream of calls for change, improvement and reform. The past decade has seen a succession of substantial reports from working groups commissioned by Government departments, and by scientific bodies such as the Royal Society. Similar issues are discussed in reports at the European level, in the USA and in many other countries. In the UK, calls for reform of science education can be traced back through important documents such as "Science 5-16: A Statement of Policy," "Alternatives for Science Education," "Science in Secondary Schools," and many others, to the Thomson Committee report of 1918 and beyond. It is not only the number and frequency of these reports that is striking. So too is the constancy of their concerns. One prominent concern derives from the perceived link between science (and hence science education) and national economic success. A second persistent cause for concern is that the science curriculum is not sufficiently engaging. The author argues that many of the challenges of teaching and learning science are real, and arise from the characteristics of science itself. This article focuses on two central issues concerning science education: (1) the role of science in the curriculum and its contribution to general education; and (2) the question of what teachers should try to teach, if their aim is to provide a worthwhile experience of "science for all". (Contains 3 boxes and 2 figures.)

A qualitative psychoanalytic clinical research project using a post-Kleinian contemporary approach was undertaken by a team of seven qualified and experienced child psychotherapists working in community Tier 3 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A number of referred young people who deliberately harmed themselves or attempted suicide, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and consented to participate, were offered an extended individual and family assessment. Grounded Theory analysis of the qualitative data led to the formulation of the Truth Danger Theory. Typical situations in which suicidal behaviour occurred were identified, including intergenerational confusion, neglect, physical and/or sexual abuse within the family, Oedipal conflict, maternal depression and families in which there was a chronically ill sibling. We found that there was a marked disparity between the young person's experience of relationships in the family and the family's own account of their situation, a "fractured reality". This can be reflected in an incongruence in the young person's presentation, which may be misleading when assessing risk. The young person feels him/herself to be in a dead end from which there seems to be no escape. Self-harm, for some, contains this impossible dilemma (albeit pathologically) but when it does not, suicide may seem the only option. The Truth Danger Theory provides explanations and predictions for suicidal behaviour and has implications for clinical practice. (Contains 2 notes.)

Recent studies of family life in Ireland have focused on changes in "traditional" family structures, including the increase in one-parent families. This article illustrates the impact dominant conceptions in Irish society that privilege the family based on marriage have on one-parent family policy. The authors focus on two key areas of social interaction associated with family life-- parenthood and (un)paid work--to identify both congruences and tensions between social policy and the needs of one-parent families. The article draws on interview and survey data collected in Galway in 2007 to show how existing welfare policies create some opportunities for those parenting alone while at the same time perpetuating inequalities within the gendered family context and across multiple generations. (Contains 5 tables.)

This study investigated Korean children's cultural adjustment during transition to South Australian junior primary school settings. Using case-study methodology to provide a sociocultural perspective, data were collected during interviews with a sample of South Korean international students aged five to eight years, their mothers and teachers. All participants were asked to identify experiences that facilitated or impeded the children's cultural adjustment to school life in Australia. The study found that language difficulties were a major concern for these children in adapting to an Australian education setting. Successful cultural adjustment was found to link to positive interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers and the ability to adapt to Australian classroom teaching methodology. The study identified cultural adjustment issues which may also be relevant to other students from a non-English-speaking background and for teachers of international students.

Within many higher education systems there is a search for means to increase levels of student satisfaction with assessment feedback. This article suggests that the search is under way in the wrong place by concentrating on feedback as a product rather than looking more widely to feedback as a long-term dialogic process in which all parties are engaged. A three-year study, focusing on engaging students with assessment feedback, is presented and analysed using an analytical model of stages of engagement. The analysis suggests that a more holistic, socially-embedded conceptualisation of feedback and engagement is needed. This conceptualisation is likely to encourage tutors to support students in more productive ways, which enable students to use feedback to develop their learning, rather than respond mechanistically to the tutors' "instruction". (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

This article considers the extent to which the English National Curriculum for science has influenced practice and learning outcomes, and briefly reviews the mechanisms through which this influence is exerted. It identifies and discusses three central issues for the review that is now in progress: the structure of the science curriculum; the purpose of science within the school curriculum; and the way in which curriculum content is specified and communicated. It argues that the conflicting demands of breadth and depth need to be more authoritatively resolved, so that students beginning upper secondary school courses in the sciences do so on a more equal footing. It explores the curriculum consequences of the tension between the role of school science in improving the "scientific literacy" of all young people and in providing a sound foundation for more advanced study for the important minority who so choose. Finally it explores the aspirations of the current review for a clear and succinct statement of curriculum content, arguing that clear communication of intended curriculum content requires that examples be provided showing how these might be operationalised, and for recognition of both the value and the limitations of evidence and theory to underpin decisions on sequencing of science curriculum content. (Contains 11 notes.)