Symposium
y p
Broadening the evidence base for
practice in the future: Can we realise
Burt’s aims in the 21st century?
1
Introduction
Burt’s example, current
opportunities, future needs
2
The starting point
3
Extract from Burt’s report covering the
first sixteen months of his appointment
“During the past year the psychologist has
examined, personally or with the help of teachers,
rather over 2
2,000
000 children in the Council’s
Council s schools.
schools
These children comprise in round figures, (1) about
400 subnormal children, (2) about 200 certified
mental defectives,
defectives (3) about 1
1,400
400 normal children
children.””
(Burt, 1914, Letter to CI, quoted by Hearnshaw, 1979, p. 35)
4
And his plans for the following year?
“I propose to begin systematically working through one
or two districts in the county
county, visiting every school both
ordinary and special. My chief object will be the
examination
i ti off mentally
t ll defective
d f ti candidates;
did t
but
b tI
propose, if possible, to include in my survey the
following cognate problems,
1. The distribution of backward children;
2. The standardisation of scholastic and
non-scholastic tests;;
3. The determination of average and extreme
attainments .”
(Burt, 1915, Letter to C.I., quoted by Wooldridge, 1994, p. 84)
5
What should the LCC do about backwardness?
“The active co-operation of the Children’s Care (School)
Committees should therefore be secured to influence
parents and others to obtain adequate nourishment,
f h air,
fresh
i booting,
b i
clothing,
l hi
and
d medical
di l treatment for
f
provide not onlyy meals but even sleeping
p g
the children… p
quarters in necessitous cases… play centres, happy
evenings
i
and
d vacation
ti playgrounds”
l
d ”
((Burt,, 1923,, Section 6))
6
A sample of Burt
Burt’s
s publications between
the wars that drew on his LCC data
• Mental
M t l and
d Scholastic
S h l ti Tests
T t (1921)
• Handbook of Tests for Use in Schools (1923)
(
)
• The Young Delinquent (1925)
• The Subnormal Mind (1935)
• The Backward
Back a d Child (1937)
7
Th main
The
i symposium
i
presentations
i
1.
Cognitive and educational outcomes for children
with focal epilepsy (Susan Harrison)
2
2.
Adapting the Triple P Parenting Programme for
parents in a UK South Asian community
(Neelam Kumar)
3.
How do Restorative Justice conferences work in
schools? (Juliet Starbuck)
8
2013 Challenges ahead…..
“Major challenges such as globalisation, the ageing
population, the changing nature of work and changing
societal structures are already having profound influences on
society and on our place internationally. So, if we are to
prosper and flourish in this evolving environment
environment, then it is
vital that we make the most of all our resources – and this is
as true for our mental resources as material resources.”
resources.
Beddington (2008)
The Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project, Final
Project Report
Report, Executive Summary
Summary.
9
Findings regarding support for Children and
Adolescents – Foresight (2008)
• Emphasis
p
on early
y support
pp – from birth
– Supporting families and infant mental health
– Need for intensive interventions in different settings
g
• Improvements in early detection of learning difficulties and
focused interventions to prevent later problems
developing
• Support for Looked After Children
– Structured and systematic educational support
– Training for carers
– Exploration of why the continued disadvantage
• Developments from Neuroscience and our understanding
of adolescence – vulnerability to alcohol and substance
10
abuse
EP context
• Children and Families Bill - ‘Support and
A i ti ’ – Joint
Aspiration’
J i t assessments,
t EHC plans,
l
personal budgets , mediation and extension of
supportt to16-25
t 16 25 year olds
ld
• Context of working – decreasing role of LAs,
Academies, Children's Centres – working to
provide community-based services?
• Financial climate –
– increasing need for accountability and
justification
– Changes in service delivery – trading…?
trading ?
11
What does our EP Evidence base need to
‘look like’ to support effective practice?
• What do we mean by EBP?
– APA arguing need for research base to be broadened
– Need
N d ffor P
Practiceti
b
based
d evidence
id
F
Fox (2011)
• EPs as ‘Scientist-practitioners’ (Lane & Corrie, 2006)
and
d the
h need
d to consider
id di
direction
i off influence
i fl
off
research to practice (Frederickson & Miller, 2008)
• How can we use our ‘evidence base’ alongside key
practitioner skills to develop high quality individualised
and collaborative interventions for those complex and
dynamic situations in which we work?
12
“Practitioner
Practitioner research is, in the
long term, one way to develop a
research base for psychologists
psychologists’
own work” (Fox, 2011)
13
C
Community
it
Interaction between
fields of psychology
and research around
the individual
vulnerable child
Family
Child
Research in the
complex ‘real-life’
school context of
restorative justice
School
Exploring
E
l i
intervention
effectiveness
in an
increasingly
diverse
population
14
Core Dimensions In Applied Psychology Training and
Practice – As Foci for EP research
Context
Practice Frameworks
( Process
(or
P
Guides
G id )
Problem Analysis Framework,
Consultation Processes,
Interviewing and
Therapeutic Frameworks.
Professional
role
C
Competence
t
Knowledge Base
(or Content Guides)
P
Psychological
h l i l
Research, Theory,
Models, Approaches.
Interpersonal
Effectiveness
Communication Skills,
Skills Self
Presentation, Attitudes and
Beliefs, Attending and
Influencing
g Skills.
Research in Practice
As a p
profession we need to adopt
p ap
pluralistic
approach to research – choosing from a range of
approaches
pp
and paradigms.
p
g
Important
p
considerations:
• the methods chosen must be appropriate to the
questions being
q
g investigated
g
• the research should be conducted with rigour
The challenge….making it happen in the ‘real world’
www.ucl.ac.uk/educational-psychology/
16