The present study applied a qualitative case study methodology to the educational challenges of three students from a refugee background, in order to identify an appropriate psychological assessment process with which to evaluate their difficulties. Three students who had arrived from Iraq 1–2 years ago (one male and two females; aged 13 and 14 years) were referred by their teachers for psychological assessment as their academic progress was poor, despite remedial education. An educational and developmental psychologist, guided by a steering committee of psychologists and educationists, interviewed each student, his/her parent/s, and teachers independently. Based on referral concerns, hypotheses relating to the cause of educational difficulties were generated and psychological tests and checklists were used with all students and their parents and teachers. The data collected assisted in understanding multiple factors that may affect learning for students who have arrived from a war-torn country, and highlighted the importance of gathering detailed case-specific information to understand each student’s background and current context. Challenges associated with the assessment process were identified. Further, ways in which psychologists and guidance officers, teachers and parents could promote these students’ learning were identified. Implications for schools and policy developers are discussed.

Despite the fact that many research studies (Canon & Lipscomb, 2011; Jimerson, 2001a, 2001b, 2004; Martin, 2011) have shown that grade repetition offers few benefits to students, it continues to be used as an early intervention practice to address students’ low levels of readiness for school or early school failure. The study contributes to the evidence-based research on grade repetition in Australian schools by drawing on, and analysing, the most recent data on grade repetition from Queensland’s state education department, the Department of Education and Training. Descriptive statistics and relative risk ratio, used to analyse the data, found that boys aged 5 years are overrepresented in grade repetition in the first year of schooling, ‘Prep’, in Queensland state schools. Possible reasons for the disproportionate overrepresentation of boys aged 5 years repeated in Prep are discussed, together with recommendations for future policy and practice.

Suicide-related behaviours are relatively common among school-aged young people, and schools are an appropriate setting for activities that aim to prevent and assist recovery after suicide. headspace School Support is a specialist service that assists Australian secondary schools to be prepared for and recover from suicide. Through the responses of secondary school personnel to two surveys, this study explored awareness of and need for such services (n = 214), and satisfaction with and impacts of the service (n = 359). Findings indicate that most schools are aware of headspace School Support and regard specialised suicide support as needed. Most respondents indicated that the service increased their perceived knowledge, skills, and capacity in managing suicide issues, and reported satisfaction was high. Continued availability of suicide support to secondary schools is warranted.

This exploratory study sought to differentiate 24 delinquent, 30 at-risk and 30 not at-risk adolescent males according to a multidimensional model of self-concept. Participants completed the Song and Hattie Test of Self-Concept (1992), which consists of seven dimensions of self-concept; namely, achievement self-concept, ability self-concept, classroom self-concept, family self-concept, peer self-concept, physical self-concept and confidence in self.

Significant differences between the not at-risk, at-risk and delinquent groups were found across six of the seven dimensions of self-concept. Implications of these findings suggest an effective procedure for differentiating between not at-risk and at-risk youth within the school context, prior to involvement with the Juvenile Justice system. The implications for intervention are discussed.

The field of school mental health promotion could be considered to be a new field of research and practice; however, this is not the case. Theoretically it is firmly grounded in both health and education bodies of research that have coalesced to advance practice to meet current imperatives. In reviewing these foundations prevailing dilemmas and challenges become evident. These include the ideologies of stakeholders about mental health; decision-making about entry points around risk and protective factors, and/or social context; and ethical and methodological problems in research and evaluation.

Australia has one of the most highly mobile populations in the Western World and yet there is very little awareness or appreciation of the social and educational impact of the phenomenon in this country. School personnel are particularly culpable in this regard, maintaining an image of schooling as a system focussed on relatively stable class groups. The available data, however, paint a very different picture, and one which compels not only the attention of educators but a variety of individuals from the helping professions and welfare agencies.This article explores the nature of student mobility and its effects on children. Particular attention is given to support programs for mobile children with the focus on policy development, remedial instruction, and counselling.

The dynamic nature of Australia's population is a significant demographic feature of Australian life and yet it is not widely recognized or appreciated by the community at large or by the country's policy makers. As with other highly mobile populations in developed countries around the world, there exists an illusion of stability in both the work-place and in domestic life (Settles, 1993).

Previous research shows that the first year of a school counsellor’s career is one of the most critical stages. However, despite this importance, there is a limited number of studies that examine what novice school counsellors experience during their first year. The primary purpose of this qualitative study is to examine in detail the common experiences of novice school counsellors who have worked the first year of their professional career and to explore comprehensive themes regarding these experiences. Following a purposive sampling strategy, 33 school counsellors who started their profession in 19 different cities of Turkey were interviewed. As a result of the thematic analysis, five major themes emerged describing the first-year experiences of school counsellors: ‘Introduction’, ‘Fighting against Prejudices’, ‘Organising Counselling Service Room’, ‘Incongruence between Training and Work Definitions’, and ‘Longing for College Years’.

This research investigated the reliability and validity of the Mindfields Assessment Battery (MAB), measuring three components of self-regulation (forethought, performance control, self-reflection) of young offenders. Participants were 57 12- to 18-year-olds from youth justice service centres, alternative education schools, and a youth correctional facility (Nmales = 46; NIndigenous = 7). Psychometric properties of the battery were sound with adequate alpha levels for the scales. The factor structure and internal reliability of three measures were replicated and validated. Positive significant correlations found between these subscales indicated consistent relationships with young people's responses to challenging situations. Prodelinquency scores were significantly positively correlated with minor misdemeanours and negatively correlated with social competency. Significant positive correlations were found between social competence and goal commitment, and self-regulation and life satisfaction. The battery provides a reliable, valid way of assessing forethought, performance control, self-reflection, and treatment amenability within the conceptual framework of self-regulation.

Despite state support for mass education in Turkey, there are many primary school children who do not attend school or who drop out before finishing school. This study is part of a project investigating the problem of school dropout in a district of Istanbul. Factors related to school, such as failure, non-acceptance by teachers and peers, poor attendance, and low levels of involvement, have been associated with increased likelihood of dropout. Modifying the instructional environment, strengthening school membership, and creating alternative schools have been suggested as means to prevent dropout. A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward school was administered to 480 students from 13 elementary schools for the purpose of identifying the characteristics of schools that lead to dropout. Factor analysis results indicated five factors of school-related attitudes, including attitudes toward learning; toward teachers; toward school and school facilities; and students' perceptions of parent-school relationships.

Little is known about the criteria used in selecting applicants for guidance and counselling positions in schools. This article reports the findings of a survey completed by 91 Queensland secondary school principals and 115 guidance officers and senior guidance officers working in secondary schools. The instrument was a 105-item forced-choice instrument in which each of 15 criterion statements was paired with each other. Both groups indicate the applicant's practicum performance as a major factor in making selection decisions. Communication skills also were regarded as important. In contrast with similar studies conducted in the United States, teaching experience was not deemed to be a crucial consideration. The implications of the findings for training programs are discussed.

Different disciplinary groups are increasingly questioning current conceptualisations of young adults' educational, social and personal lives after compulsory schooling. New perspectives are being advanced on the life trajectories of choice and complexity now experienced by school leavers. A consistent theme is the changed nature of young adults' lives, reflecting social and economic pressures on educational, work and personal life goals. This age group has the highest incidence of mental disorders of any age cohort (Andrews, Hall, Teesson, & Henderson, 1999). The changed learning environment in the move to university entails life and environmental events that create risk conditions for young adults. In these circumstances varying degrees of loss, challenge and personal growth exist. Concurrent personal losses, such as death of a peer or family member, broken love relationships, and failure to achieve the dream of a future career, can create particular vulnerabilities. Loss may interfere with the natural progression of intellectual–emotional–psychological growing up (Kastenbaum, 2001). In this article the mental health of young adults is viewed through the lens of loss experiences within a context of change in their life trajectory. Data is drawn from a mixed method study involving questionnaire completion and in-depth interviews of students in four university campuses in New South Wales.

This study explored the conditions required for the practical implementation of dynamic assessment in schools. It involved the development and implementation of a curriculum-based dynamic assessment procedure in the area of school mathematics for use by school counsellors. Dynamic assessment has been developed within Vygotskian theories of learning, teaching and assessment. It incorporates a teaching or mediation phase that requires the application of clinical assessment and teaching skills. This paper argues that the competencies needed to conduct a successful dynamic assessment are a blend of professional skills possessed by school counsellors. The assessment procedures used in this study resulted in valid assessment information about students' cognitive development as well as aspects of their general cognitive, social and emotional functioning. The information gathered through dynamic assessment was particularly useful for informing classroom teaching. The practical problems associated with dynamic assessment identified in the literature were not found to be barriers to the use of these techniques in schools in this study. Instead, dynamic assessment, used to complement conventional assessment instruments, has the potential to enhance the classroom utility of assessments carried out by school counsellors.

Previous studies have shown that collaboration between school counsellors and other stakeholders such as teachers and administrators leads to improved outcomes for students and a better school climate. The current qualitative study explored the experiences and perceptions of novice school counsellors in India regarding collaboration with teachers and administrators. The sample included 11 novice school counsellors working in five different cities who were recruited using purposive sampling. The thematic analysis of the data collected via semistructured interviews revealed six main themes: ‘Counsellors’ perceptions about collaboration’, ‘Collaboration with teachers’, ‘Collaboration with administrators’, ‘Challenges faced during collaboration’, ‘Strategies helpful in collaboration’ and ‘Impact of training’. Implications discussed include the need for school counsellors to advocate for their role, the need for training programs to prepare stakeholders for collaboration, and the need for policies to integrate the role of a school counsellor into schools.

This article presents the results of an action-research project. The project consisted of a reflection process involving a year-long collaboration between a teacher, a teaching assistant and a speech therapist in a special education school, together with two researchers acting as counsellors. The reflection process sought to promote changes in the participants’ approaches to working on communication and language in the classroom. This article sets out to identify and describe the processes of change in the three teaching professionals’ conceptions of communication and language teaching and learning, and about their teaching role. The collaborative counselling lasted 32 weeks and consisted of a total of nine group counselling (GC) sessions. All of the nine GC sessions were transcribed in order to analyse the changes in the teaching professionals’ discourse. The ATLAS.ti 7.0 program was then used to select speech quotations and to group them into thematic clusters based on content analysis. The results indicate that the teaching professionals’ conceptions subtly changed during the collaborative counselling process; specifically, their conceptions about how to develop communication and language, classroom interaction, the educator’s role, organisation of context and curriculum planning.

Students who are refugees need understanding and support to settle successfully into mainstream Australian classrooms. Teachers not aware of students' prior learning and the process of second language acquisition may have difficulty providing the most appropriate learning environments to meet these students' needs. This study found that, with no coordination of information on students' learning backgrounds nor of their learning needs and development, students were in danger of being identified as at-risk of having a learning disability, with little support to substantiate such claims.

The incidence and circumstances of young people carrying knives and dangerous implements was investigated through surveys conducted with 150 ‘street youth’ and 184 ‘school youth’ in Sydney. It was found that a significant proportion of both samples carry and use knives/dangerous implements and that these implements had been used within the last week by many respondents. These implements are most commonly carried by young people between the ages of 13 and 14 years. A significant proportion of the sample reported having been threatened with knives/dangerous implements in the past. Police involvement was reported for both samples, but there was a higher proportion reported for the street sample. Young people report carrying knives/dangerous implements for safety, pressures from within and outside themselves, and to exert power and control over others. The research suggests that more emphasis needs to be placed on making young people feel safer in the community in order to address this problem.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the anxiety disorders with particularly debilitating effects due to flashbacks and hypervigilance in daily life. Treatments commonly focus upon either pharmacological or psychotherapeutic modalities, but there is often a need to merge both of these approaches to deal effectively with the somatic, as well as the psychological, symptoms of PTSD in particular clients. This case study reports the application of a combined approach, using both client-centred counselling plus biofeedback of respiratory sinus arrhythmia to train the client to control his exaggerated sympathetic nervous system responses. Results indicated that both physiological and psychological measures of PTSD in this client significantly reduced during the seven treatment sessions.

The aim of the MM+ initiative is to build the capacity of secondary schools to ensure optimal mental health outcomes for all students at risk. This is achieved in a number of ways, including early identification, implementation of preventative and early interventions, refining processes, policies and strategies, and encouraging the development of community partnerships. This article will focus on the latter of these strategies: how schools can further develop partnerships with their local community in order to build their capacity to support student mental health. Research indicates that it is beneficial for schools to work with individuals and agencies in the community, as it can result in more resources and services for students than are possible when schools work alone. This article will outline research in the area of building community partnerships including an examination of the types of partnerships, that can be formed and the issues to be considered. In addition, the article will provide a practical discussion of what the MindMatters Plus demonstration schools have learned as a result of their experience in building community relationships.

This paper looks at social skills intervention programs for students. The arguments and research evidence for teaching social skills are discussed as well as the issue of which social skills should be taught. Conclusions are drawn about the most effective kind of intervention programs and arguments are presented for educational psychologist to work in collaboration with teachers to present social skills programs. The issue of peer reputations is discussed.

This paper overviews school psychology at the close of the 20th century, exploring the profession's location within public sector bureaucracies. The paper draws liberally from various literatures: the dynamics of globalisation and its impact on nation-states, perspectives on public sector organisational change, developments in school psychology, international perspectives from practicing school psychologists, and, a case example which illustrates the dynamic and problematic relationship between organisational reform and professional practice. The paper concludes with several themes around which practitioners are encouraged to reflect upon the profession, and their own practices, with the view to considering how best to develop pro-active responses in their own organisational and workplace circumstances.