The Challenge of Holistic Student Support: Investigating Urban Adolescents’ Constructions of Support in the Context of School

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gretchen Brion-Meisels
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Urban Adolescents ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Cultural Narratives ◽  
Support Providers ◽  
School Based ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Permanent Structure

In this piece, Gretchen Brion-Meisels investigates how adolescents conceptualize support in the context of school. Student support systems have become a permanent structure in most U.S. public schools, responsible for ensuring equal access to support services. Unfortunately, little is known about how adolescents make meaning of school-based support. To answer this question, Brion-Meisels explores how urban adolescents in a northeastern city talk about support, paying close attention to the cultural narratives that underlie their conceptions. Analyzing text from survey, interview, and focus group data, she argues that adolescents in the sample both draw on and actively resist dominant societal discourses of support. Findings suggest that support providers would benefit from better understanding the cultural and contextual narratives underlying youth conceptions of support, as well as the individual perspectives of the youth that they serve. In addition, Brion-Meisels contends that adults must shift their own discourses of support if they want to create spaces in which young people feel empowered and safe to seek help.

scholarly journals When the Kids Are Not Alright: School Counseling in the Time of COVID-19

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110336
Author(s):  
Mandy Savitz-Romer ◽  
Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon ◽  
Tara P. Nicola ◽  
Emily Alexander ◽  
Stephanie Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Role Expectations ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
School Based ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
American Children

The unprecedented arrival of COVID-19 upended the lives of American children with rapid shifts to remote and hybrid schooling and reduced access to school-based support. Growing concerns about threats to students’ mental health and decreased numbers of students transitioning to postsecondary education suggest access to school counselors is needed more than ever. Although previous research on school counselors finds they promote positive postsecondary, social emotional, and academic outcomes for students, further studies highlight the organizational constraints, such as an overemphasis on administrative duties and unclear role expectations, that hinder their work. Drawing on survey and focus group data, our mixed methods study documents school counselors’ experiences during the COVID-19 crisis, including the opportunities and constraints facing their practice. Findings suggest there should be a concerted effort to reduce the role ambiguity and conflict in counselors’ roles so they are better able to meet students’ increased needs.

scholarly journals Should Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) be Used With Focus Groups? Navigating the Bumpy Road of “Iterative Loops,” Idiographic Journeys, and “Phenomenological Bridges”

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 160940692092160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly Love ◽  
Arlene Vetere ◽  
Paul Davis
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Thematic Approach ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Voice

Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is a qualitative thematic approach developed within psychology underpinned by an idiographic philosophy, thereby focusing on the subjective lived experiences of individuals. However, it has been used in focus groups of which some have been critical because of the difficulties of extrapolating the individual voice which is more embedded within the group dynamics and the added complexity of multiple hermeneutics occurring. Some have adapted IPA for use with focus groups, while others provide scant regard to these philosophical tensions. This raises the question whether IPA should be used with focus group data. To address these concerns, this article will set out a step-by-step guide of how IPA was adapted for use with focus groups involving drug using offenders (including illustrative examples with participants’ quotes). A rationale of why it was important to use both focus groups and an IPA approach will be covered including the value, merits, and challenges this presented. An overview of how participants’ idiographic accounts of their drug use, relapse, and recovery were developed will be provided. This article will conclude with a suggested way forward to satisfy the theoretical tensions and address the question raised in the title.

scholarly journals Parent's experiences with Strongstrart BC in four communities in British Columbia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safra Najeemudeen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Based ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Family Resource ◽  
Recommendations For Practice ◽  
Program Characteristics ◽  
Resource Program

The literature has shown that early childhood programs are widely accepted as an intervention that is effective at improving outcomes for families. The current study explores parents’ experiences within a school-based family resource program initiative, StrongStart BC. This qualitative study draws on ecological systems and sociocultural theoretical perspective to examine parents’ perceptions of familial outcomes and program characteristics, in order to identify which characteristics are fundamental for successful outcomes. Thematic analysis was used to analyse focus group data gathered from four program sites as part of a larger study evaluating the effectiveness of StrongStart BC across British Columbia. Results indicate that successful familial outcomes from participation in family resource programs are influenced by a complex interplay of factors related to accessibility and pedagogical characteristics, with accessibility standing out as a fundamentally important consideration. Drawing on the broadly defined concept of accessibility, implications for school-based family resource programs are discussed and recommendations for practice, policy and future research are presented.

Burnout in clinicians working with offenders with personality disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Chandler ◽  
Andrew Newman ◽  
Catherine Butler
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Mental Health Clinicians ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Current Sample ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Organisational Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the levels of clinician burnout in a community forensic personality disorder (PD) service, and explores how burnout may arise and be minimised within a service of this nature. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods approach was utilised, assessing levels of burnout and making comparisons with a comparable previous study. Focus group data regarding burnout and suggestions for reducing the risk of burnout were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings Levels of burnout were generally found to be higher in the current sample when compared with the generic PD services. Qualitative data suggest that working in a forensic PD setting may pose a range of additional and complex challenges; these are explored in detail. Minimising burnout might be achieved by developing resilience, utilising humour, team coherence and ensuring that breaks are taken, and developing one’s own strategies for “releasing pressure”. Practical implications The risk for burnout in clinicians working with offenders with PD may be higher than other groups of mental health clinicians. Despite this, attempts to minimise burnout can be made through a range of practical strategies at the individual, team and organisational level. Originality/value This is the first project to assess levels of burnout specifically in a team of clinicians working with offenders with PD, and offers an exploration of how burnout may manifest and how it can be managed in this unique area of mental health.

scholarly journals ‘Flying While Muslim’: Citizenship and Misrecognition in the Airport

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leda Blackwood ◽  
Nick Hopkins ◽  
Stephen D. Reicher
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Social Consequence ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

Contemporary analyses of citizenship emphasise the importance of being able to occupy public space in a manner that does not compromise one’s sense of self. Moreover, they foreground individuals’ active engagement with others (e.g., being concerned about others) and the active exercise of one’s rights. We explore such issues through considering the psychological and social significance of having one’s various self-definitions mis-recognised in everyday social interactions. We do so through reporting interview and focus group data obtained from Scottish Muslims concerning their experience of surveillance at airports. Focussing on their accounts of how they orient to others’ assumptions about Muslim passengers, we consider what this means for our participants’ ability to act on terms that they recognise as their own and for their citizenship behaviours. Our analysis is organised in two sections. First, we examine the strategies people use to avoid painful encounters inside the airport. These include changes in micro-behaviours designed to avert contact, and where this was not possible, identity performances that are, in various ways, inauthentic. Second, we examine citizenship-related activities and how these may be curtailed in the airport. These include activities that entail the individual reaching out and making positive connections with others (e.g., through helping others) and exercising the right to criticise and complain about one’s treatment. Our analyses highlight the psychological and social consequence of identity misrecognition, and how this impacts on individuals’ abilities to act in terms of their own valued identifications and enact citizenship behaviours.

scholarly journals Parent's experiences with Strongstrart BC in four communities in British Columbia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Safra Najeemudeen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Based ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Family Resource ◽  
Recommendations For Practice ◽  
Program Characteristics ◽  
Resource Program

The literature has shown that early childhood programs are widely accepted as an intervention that is effective at improving outcomes for families. The current study explores parents’ experiences within a school-based family resource program initiative, StrongStart BC. This qualitative study draws on ecological systems and sociocultural theoretical perspective to examine parents’ perceptions of familial outcomes and program characteristics, in order to identify which characteristics are fundamental for successful outcomes. Thematic analysis was used to analyse focus group data gathered from four program sites as part of a larger study evaluating the effectiveness of StrongStart BC across British Columbia. Results indicate that successful familial outcomes from participation in family resource programs are influenced by a complex interplay of factors related to accessibility and pedagogical characteristics, with accessibility standing out as a fundamentally important consideration. Drawing on the broadly defined concept of accessibility, implications for school-based family resource programs are discussed and recommendations for practice, policy and future research are presented.

Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling to Examine How Individual SLPs Differentially Contribute to Children's Language and Literacy Gains in Public Schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Farquharson ◽  
Sherine R. Tambyraja ◽  
Jessica Logan ◽  
Laura M. Justice ◽  
Mary Beth Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Linear Modeling ◽  
Word Decoding ◽  
School Based ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Academic Year

Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine the unique contributions in children's language and literacy gains, over 1 academic year, that are attributable to the individual speech-language pathologist (SLP) and (b) to explore possible child- and SLP-level factors that may further explain SLPs' contributions to children's language and literacy gains. Method Participants were 288 kindergarten and 1st-grade children with language impairment who were currently receiving school-based language intervention from SLPs. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we partitioned the variance in children's gains in language (i.e., grammar, vocabulary) and literacy (i.e., word decoding) that could be attributed to their individual SLP. Results Results revealed a significant contribution of individual SLPs to children's gains in grammar, vocabulary, and word decoding. Children's fall language scores and grade were significant predictors of SLPs' contributions, although no SLP-level predictors were significant. Conclusions The present study makes a first step toward incorporating implementation science and suggests that, for children receiving school-based language intervention, variance in child language and literacy gains in an academic year is at least partially attributable to SLPs. Continued work in this area should examine the possible SLP-level characteristics that may further explicate the relative contributions of SLPs.

Preservice Efforts To Promote School-Based SLPs' Roles in Written Language Development

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lanter ◽  
Claire Waldron
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Written Language ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Written Language Development

Abstract The authors describe an innovative clinical education program that emphasizes the provision of written language services by preservice speech-language pathology graduate students at Radford University in Virginia. Clinicians combined academic coursework in language acquisition in school-age children and clinical experiences that target children's written language development to promote future literacy-based leadership roles and collaborative efforts among school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). These literacy-based experiences prepare SLPs to serve in the growing numbers of American public schools that are implementing Response to Intervention models.

scholarly journals Quantified Nostalgia: Social Media, Metrics, and Memory

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 205630512110088
Author(s):  
Benjamin N. Jacobsen ◽  
David Beer
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Focus Group Data ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Memory Practices ◽  
The Relationship

As social media platforms have developed over the past decade, they are no longer simply sites for interactions and networked sociality; they also now facilitate backwards glances to previous times, moments, and events. Users’ past content is turned into definable objects that can be scored, rated, and resurfaced as “memories.” There is, then, a need to understand how metrics have come to shape digital and social media memory practices, and how the relationship between memory, data, and metrics can be further understood. This article seeks to outline some of the relations between social media, metrics, and memory. It examines how metrics shape remembrance of the past within social media. Drawing on qualitative interviews as well as focus group data, the article examines the ways in which metrics are implicated in memory making and memory practices. This article explores the effect of social media “likes” on people’s memory attachments and emotional associations with the past. The article then examines how memory features incentivize users to keep remembering through accumulation. It also examines how numerating engagements leads to a sense of competition in how the digital past is approached and experienced. Finally, the article explores the tensions that arise in quantifying people’s engagements with their memories. This article proposes the notion of quantified nostalgia in order to examine how metrics are variously performative in memory making, and how regimes of ordinary measures can figure in the engagement and reconstruction of the digital past in multiple ways.

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