Research suggests motivational interviewing (MI) techniques are both widely-used by educational psychologists (EPs) and effective in supporting young people of secondary age. To date, there has been no published research investigating the use of MI with primary-aged children. This study details the use of a short MI-based intervention with a…

This study evaluated the efficacy of preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS), an early years curriculum designed to improve children's social and emotional competence, and reduce problem behaviour. Fifty-seven children aged three to four years took part in the study over one academic year. The control group (Group 1)…

In this article, the author reflects on findings from research on the role and impact of teaching assistants and experience of working as a special educational needs (SEN) officer. Research evidence suggests the reliance on teaching assistants to include pupils with Statements of SEN in mainstream settings masks a collective, though unintentional,…

Every day nearly 900 children will be excluded from UK schools for disruptive behaviour and almost one-third of this population has a diagnosed mental health disorder. Exclusion from school is the endpoint of most schools' sanction-based behaviour management policies. This exploratory study investigated staff opinions for using a…

Studies examining the well-being of British children find that about 5-10% are at risk of developing problems. This study aimed to examine the emotional and behavioural development of six to eight year olds in an area of socio-economic deprivation in Glasgow (Scotland) and compare this with UK norms. Furthermore, it aimed to look at overlap…

This action research project considered whether significant improvements in child and young person behavioural and emotional mental health could be achieved using school-based play workers as opposed to qualified therapists. This was seen as being an important practice question as access to qualified play therapists was severely restricted with…

The research was designed to add to the UK-based literature around the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum, a whole school emotional literacy and social competence intervention. Seven semi-structured interviews were carried out with class teachers and pastoral leads. Questionnaires were designed to explore a number of…

An intervention was carried out with primary school staff to promote well-being with weekly sessions of a project which became known as Chill and Chat. Data were gathered via questionnaires completed before and after the project and from three focus groups (before, during and after the intervention), and were analysed using thematic analysis.…

This paper explores how educational psychologists working in a training/consultative way can enable teachers to manage challenging pupil behaviour more effectively. It sets out a rationale which encourages schools to embrace a group based teacher peer-support system as part of regular school development. It then explores the usefulness of the…

Clarification of how individuals in different roles perceive the victims and causes of bullying is of great importance to educational research and practice. The present study aimed to investigate the opinions of individuals in different roles (bullies, victims, bystanders, educators) regarding the targets and causes of bullying and to identify…

The Working on What Works (WOWW) approach, which is based upon Solution-focused Brief Therapy, was implemented in a mainstream primary classroom over a 10-week period. The focus was on improving behaviour and relationships in class. Results demonstrated an improvement in teacher ratings for targets set by the class teacher compared with baseline.…

This article explores teachers' perceptions of the effects of high student turnover in international schools in the UK. The research used a "grounded theory" approach for qualitative data collection and analysis, based on interviews with eight teachers in four international primary schools. The results of the grounded theory suggest that a process…

This small-scale research examined young children's, aged six to seven (n = 8), perceptions and understanding of bullying in Irish primary schools. It also included the views of the children's parents (n = 8) and teachers (n = 2) on bullying. The participants' views were obtained through semi-structured interviews which were analysed using the…

Working on What Works (WOWW) is a solution-oriented classroom management intervention. Following an outline of Berg and Shilts' WOWW programme in the United States, this paper reviews and evaluates WOWW, which has been implemented as a classroom intervention strategy in a Scottish local authority since 2007. Qualitative analysis of the comments of…

This article discusses the potential benefits of the Massage in Schools Programme (MISP), a programme originating in Scandinavia, which has been introduced into schools in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2001. Meeting four out of five outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda, the review of the literature aims to separate anecdotal and media…