Minimising Young Children’s Anxiety through Schools (MY-CATS): Protocol for a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of an Online Parent-led Intervention Compared With Usual School Practice for Young Children Identified as at-risk for Anxiety Disorders

BackgroundIdentifying and supporting young children who are at-risk of developing anxiety disorders would benefit children, families, and wider society. Elevated anxiety symptoms, inhibited temperament, and high parental anxiety are established risk factors for later anxiety disorders, but it remains unclear who is most likely to benefit from prevention and early intervention programmes. Delivering an online intervention through schools to parents of young children who have one or more of these risks could maximise reach.The primary aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of delivering an online parent-led intervention, compared with usual school provision only, for children (aged 4-7) identified as at-risk for anxiety disorders on the basis of at least one risk factor. We also aim to identify the characteristics of children who do and do not benefit from intervention and mechanisms of change from the intervention.MethodsThe design will be a parallel group, superiority cluster randomised controlled trial, with schools (clusters) randomised to intervention or usual school practice arms in a 1:1 ratio stratified according to level of deprivation within the school. The study will recruit and randomise at least 60 primary/infant schools in England, and on the basis of recruiting 60 schools, we will recruit 1080 trial participants (540 per arm). Parents of all children (aged 4-7) in sampled Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 classes will be invited to complete screening questionnaires. Children who screen positive on the basis of anxiety symptoms, and/or behavioural inhibition, and/or parent anxiety symptoms will be eligible for the trial. Parents/carers of children in schools allocated to the intervention arm will be offered a brief online intervention; schools in both arms will continue to provide any usual support for children and parents throughout the trial. Assessments will be completed at: screening, baseline (before randomisation), 6-weeks, 12-weeks, and 12-months post randomisation. The primary outcome will be the absence/presence of an anxiety disorder diagnosis at 12-months. DiscussionThe trial will determine if delivering an online intervention for parents of young children at-risk of anxiety disorders identified through screening in schools is effective and cost-effective. Trial registration: ISRCTN 82398107. Prospectively registered on 14.1.2021. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN82398107

Co zrobić z Tym Wstydem?… Jacek Podsiadło, Słup ze słów i problemy z pamięcią w edukacji polonistycznej

The paper attempts to analyse the concept of memory in the social conscience, which is a taboo (despitefilms, testimones, the amount of academicresearch) related to the participation of the Polish communities in the Holocaust. It is believed that this dark memory or dark post-memory is animportant element which partially creates the sphere of key values for etery community ornation. Its absorption defines the maturity in taking up the challenges of history and indvidual experience. In order to avoid it being only anelitist memory, it should be included in the school practice, which is a difficult endeavour. It is controversial, and sometimes leads to an even stronger denial of knowledge and unwanted experience, due to its disgracefulness. In Jacek Podsiadło’s Słup ze słów, it is possibe to see the chance to break from this oblivion in the Polish Language Education.

Mars Explorers: A Science Inquiry-Based Learning Project in Preschool

Inquiry-based science education has become one of the most effective methodologies to learn science; however, proposals in preschool are scarce. Different factors are responsible for this situation, such as the low self-confidence of teachers to teach science and the belief that young children are unable to develop certain reasoning skills. This study reports the implementation of an inquiry-based science project in a preschool setting, in the context of a preservice teacher’s school placement. The project aimed to promote the development of basic and integrated scientific skills, enhance acquisition of conceptual knowledge and make the students enjoy while learning science. The intervention is described thoroughly and illustrated with examples from the real implementation of the theoretical IBSE sequence. At the beginning of the proposal, the students received a hypothetical letter from the astronaut Pedro Duque, in which they were asked for help to plan his trip to living on Mars, a cold planet, with only frozen and saltwater. After some introductory POE (predict, observe, and explain) experiences on the perception of temperature and activities with fresh and saline water, the students performed a piece of research: growing lettuce in four different conditions, combining two variables: temperature and the salinity of water. As the project developed, the students progressively gave better descriptions and justifications, and also showed great interest in performing more “research experiments”. For the preservice teacher, the project provided an excellent opportunity to implement academic knowledge in school practice.

Implementation of content related to children’s rights in schools: How to teach them?—perceptions of future teachers in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia

This paper reports on the self-assessment of future teachers regarding their familiarity with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and their competency to teach about children’s rights and participation. A total of 561 future teachers were surveyed in Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. They all agreed that, during their studies, they did not acquire sufficient knowledge on children’s rights and participation and were not adequately prepared for teaching this content in schools. The authors further suggest an introduction of new study programs and a significant increase in the number of classes dealing with these topics in day-to-day school practice.

Befähigung zu gesellschaftlicher und politischer Verantwortungsübernahme als Teil Globalen Lernens – Was heißt hier Neutralität?

Education for Sustainable Development and in particular Global Learning as political education fundamentally offer a wide range of thematic possibilities for shaping and stimulating political learning and education processes. In school practice, this potential often remains untapped as there is a great deal of uncertainty among teachers as to when the discussion of these topics will become “political” and thus, supposedly, not “neutral” but, under certain circumstances, overwhelming. The demand for neutrality, which is addressed to teachers, but which is also adopted by (prospective) teachers themselves as part of their pedagogical professionalism, leads to a focus in educational practice or in the preparation for this, on “non-controversial” ecological conditions. Addressing politically evolved structures and global injustices, which are central to Global Learning, seems to be in conflict with the claim to be a professional, i.e. “neutral” teacher. Thereby it plays a role that the question of the normativity of the concepts is little reflected. With the help of an empirical research setting, this article explores the question of how the professional self-image of (prospective) teachers is shaped in the context of the debate about the political element and normativity in Global Learning and their treatment in relation to the supposed requirement of neutrality, and which challenges this poses for the area.

Evaluation of a pedagogical e-tool for promoting students’ well-being: The perspective of future prevention providers

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the digitally supported pedagogical tool for promoting students' well-being, developed during Erasmus+ project. The research includes the data from 59 fourth-year students in a five-year MA degree program in psychology (50 women and 9 men) aged 22–46 (M = 26.51, SD = 5.43). We used a survey questionnaire developed for the purposes of the study to assess the attractiveness and usefulness of the e-tool, the effectiveness of the different forms of communication used in the tool, and its overall strengths and weaknesses. The mean overall satisfaction with the tool was high. Among the factors contributing to the overall satisfaction with the tool, the content of the tool and the attractiveness of its message form was rated the highest. Online videos were considered to be the most effective form of communication used in the tool. The most appreciated features of the tool were the use of multimedia and remote resources and an attractive form; the weakest side of the tool, according to the respondents, turned out to be its appropriateness for the recipients’ developmental stage. Erasmus+ projects can develop valuable outcomes for school practice. They have also the potential for educating future staff working in various areas of psychological practice. Future psychologists and prevention providers should come into contact with the international nature of education, psychoeducation, and modern prophylaxis already during their studies.

Personality-oriented education as a condition of theoretical thinking development of primary school children

The specificity of personality-oriented education as ecological psychological education environment contributing to the development of primary schoolchildren theoretical thinking is considered in the article. Basic problems connected with such approach inculcation into modern school practice are singled out.

Linguodidactic aspects of studying rhetoric by secondary school students

The theoretical justification, experimental development of methods of forming the rhetorical skills of seniors, its effectiveness checking is the aim of the research. The realization of this aim involves the implementation of related tasks: to determine the linguistic, paralinguistic and linguodidactic bases of the methodology of formation of rhetorical skills and abilities of secondary school students; to find out the state of studying rhetoric by graduating students: to analyze the current programs and textbooks in Ukrainian language for 10-11 grades of secondary school, to conduct a statement of rhetorical knowledge and skills, to identify its results; to develop an experimental method of mastering rhetorical knowledge, the formation of appropriate skills and abilities, to implement in school practice, to check its effectiveness. The final performance of creative tasks using the integrated nature of role-playing games, producing texts of different genres are the most effective forms of forming rhetorical skills.

Montessori Approach to Science Education: Cosmic Vision as a Unique Area of Pupils’ Studies

The paper aims at recalling Maria Montessori’s essential assumptions about the child development and organization of the educational process as a basic issue considering the concept of science education. In the Montessori pedagogy, it is characterized by the form of the so-called Cosmic Education. Cosmic Education is a unique approach to work with children aged 6 to 12. Thus, the idea of Cosmic Education, the relationship between the child’s needs and the science education curriculum is elucidated. The essence of the Great and Key Lessons as centers of children’s exploration and research is discussed. The Montessorian way of learning about fundamental human needs is presented as an inspiration for school practice. The basis for collecting empirical material is the analysis of the content aiming at the current achievements within the selected topic characterization.