This study aimed at validating a method for selecting expert teachers of students with behavioural problems. Participants were Dutch primary school teachers, head teachers and special needs support teachers. Data were gathered through an observation instrument developed for the benefit of the study, a self-efficacy scale and a nomination procedure. Factor-, reliability-, descriptive-, correlation- and sensitivity analyses were performed. Significant positive correlations were found between the instruments, indicating that these measure related but not identical dimensions of teacher quality in teaching students with behavioural problems. Via application of selection criteria, 8 expert teachers were selected.
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Academic learning has always been a serious issue for students with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD) and their teachers. However, teaching academic skills could be an important protective and curative factor for the problem behaviour of these students. The current review was conducted to study the effect of interventions developed to teach academic skills, on the behaviour of students with EBD. Thirty studies were included in this analysis, which was undertaken between 2000 and 2012. The studies which varied considerably in terms of design and implementation did not present a conclusive answer, indicating that systematic research on the effect of teaching academic skills on the behaviour of students with EBD is still in its infancy. However, the combination of findings in this review provides some support for the conceptual premise that teachers, confronted with problem behaviour, would do well to reconsider their curriculum instead of focusing only on the behaviour of these students. More systematic research is necessary to verify if teaching academic skills could be a key approach to reducing both behavioural problems as well as increasing the academic progress of students with EBD.
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Teaching students with behavioural problems is a challenge for many teachers but other teachers are able to bring out the best in these students. Much research has been done to find out what differentiates expert teachers from their less skilled colleagues. Recent evidence points to personality as an underlying core factor influencing teacher performance. This study reviewed the literature on the personality traits of expert teachers of students with behavioural problems. The studies selected report their key thoughts,feelings, and behaviours, which according to trait theory stem from personality. Two independent raters classified the personality variables according to the dimensions of the Five Factor Model of personality: Extraversion; Agreeableness; Conscientiousness; Neuroticism; and Openness to Experience. The evidenceindicates that a teacher’s ability to teach students with behavioural problems increases with his/her levels in four of the five personality factors. No variables relating to Neuroticism were reported in the literature. Implications for follow-up research are discussed.
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This toolkit, originating from the research group Psychology for Sustainable Cities, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), contains materials that help to promote behavioural change in relation to electric shared transport based in onstreet e-Mobility hubs (eHUBs). Behavioural knowledge is an essential ingredient for the successful implementation of eHUBs. Because behaviour is very dependent on the target group’s capabilities and motivation and on the social and physical context in which behaviour takes place, the research group has developed materials that municipalities can use to design a tailor-made eHUBs promotion intervention that suits their own situation. Therefore, practical examples and insights from earlier research are shared with regard to stimulating the use of eHUBs.
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This study provides an illustration of a research design complementary to randomized controlled trial to evaluate program effects, namely, participatory peer research (PPR). The PPR described in current study was carried out in a small sample (N = 10) of young adults with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) and severe behavioral problems. During the PPR intervention, control and feedback to individuals is restored by training them to become participant-researchers, who collaborate in a small group of people with MID. Their research is aimed at the problems the young adults perceive and/or specific subjects of their interest. The study was designed as a multiple case study with an experimental and comparison group. Questionnaires and a semistructured interview were administered before and after the PPR project. Results of Reliable Change Index (RCI) analyses showed a decrease in self-serving cognitive distortions in the PPR group, but not in the comparison group. These results indicate that PPR helps to compensate for a lack of adequate feedback and control, and in turn may decrease distorted thinking and thereby possibly later challenging behavior.
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The ideology of inclusive education signifies that every child should be able to attend a regular school, unless there are insoluble barriers which make this impossible. This principle is voiced in treaties such as the Salamanca Statement and the No Child Left Behind Act. Accordingly, many countries nowadays aim at integrating students with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream education.A specific challenge for teachers who apply for inclusive education is teaching students who show challenging behaviour in the classroom1. A growing number of teachers report feelings of professional inadequacy in teaching students with behavioural difficulties. Feelings of professional inadequacy are said to occur when a teacher lacks pedagogic and/or didactic skills to act adequately in demanding classroom situations.Teachers of students with behavioural difficulties are found to be particularly at risk for experiencing occupational stress. Moreover, these teachers are more likely to end their career in education earlier than teachers who are teaching students with other SEN or without. Many teachers of students with behavioural difficulties tend to pay too much attention to controlling student behaviour rather than to teaching.At the same time, in this respect, students with behavioural difficulties are a population at risk as well. Regardless of the underlying cause of their behavioural problems, students with behavioural difficulties gain less academic progress than students who go through a normal development. Strikingly, this academic delay appears to increase rapidly over the years.For all the feelings of professional inadequacy, there are also teachers who are somehow able to bring out the best in all their students. These teachers are able to engage students, meet their differing needs and increase their potential. These teachers are commonly said to be equipped with a teacher’s X-factor; an enigmatic, yet unexplained talent causing a teacher’s excellence in the classroom.A widely accepted key determinant of successful schooling is teacher quality. Accordingly, the competencies of expert teachers have already been studied in detail. However, recent evidence points at personality as an underlying core factor from which these competencies may arise. In the literature, personality is defined as relatively enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings and behaviours.Much literature has already been published on the relationship between personality and job performance. Virtually all studies on the subject report strong correlations between the Five-Factor Model of Personality and job performance. However, until recently, these relations were not explored in the field of education. A first study of this kind was conducted by the authors. The results of this study were presented at last year’s ECER in Istanbul.The personality dimensions of Conscientiousness (facets of competence, self-discipline, ambition) and Neuroticism (facets of depression, vulnerability, shame) were found to discriminate expert teachers from non-experts. Furthermore, significant relationships were found between teacher personality and teacher quality in teaching students with behavioural difficulties for Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Extraversion (assertiveness).With the aim of contributing to finding ways to accurately recruit expert teachers of students with behavioural difficulties, a cohort of in-service teacher-trainees was studied on their personality and performance in teaching students with behavioural difficulties. The authors wondered whether the relationships found in the previous study could be established or replicated in teacher education?
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This workshop provides participants with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Behavioural Lenses Toolkit. This toolkit supports designers in using theory from the behavioural sciences to inform their work. The workshop consists of an introduction to the toolkit and a couple of hands-on exercises in which we will demonstrate and try out the toolkit in establishing use (r) contexts in behavioural design projects. Furthermore, we will try out a new prototype tool that supports making an evidence-based transition from user insights to behavioural change strategies.
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ABSTRACT: Introduction: The literature shows that Korsakoff’s syndrome is associated with a wide range of severe comorbid somatic and psychiatric health problems that lead to care needs in several domains of functioning. Aim: To provide a comprehensive overview of Korsakoff patients’ health conditions and related care needs. Method: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched MedLine, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library and CINAHL up to January 2019. After applying our inclusion criteria, two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed methodological quality. Results: Twelve articles were included. The commonest somatic comorbid conditions were liver disease, cardiovascular disease, COPD and diabetes mellitus. The commonest psychiatric comorbid conditions were mood disorder, personality disorder and psychotic disorder. Anxiety, aggressive/agitated behaviour, depressive symptoms and care needs in social functioning and (instrumental) activities of daily living were also very commonly reported. Discussion: In patients with Korsakoff's syndrome, somatic and psychiatric comorbid conditions co-occur with behavioural and functional problems. They are compounded by patients’ poor self-awareness regarding their health status and functioning. Adequate responses to their care needs require high-quality integrated care.
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Forensic and behavioural science are often seen as two different disciplines. However, there is a growing realization that the two disciplines should be more strongly integrated. Incorporating psychological theories on human behaviour in forensic science could help solving investigative problems, especially at the crime scene. At the crime scene it is not just about applying scientific methods to analyse traces; these traces must first be perceived and categorized as relevant. At the crime scene, the behavioural perspective of an investigative psychologist could play an important role. In this study, we examine to what extent (1) investigative psychologists detect deviant behavioural cues compared to forensic examiners when investigating a crime scene, (2) forensic examiners can find the relevant traces that can be associated with this behaviour and (3) the availability of a psychological report highlighting these behavioural cues helps forensic examiners in finding more relevant traces. To this end, a total of 14 investigative psychologists and 40 forensic examiners investigated a virtual 3D mock crime scene. The results of this study show that investigative psychologists see significantly more deviant behavioural cues than forensic examiners, and that forensic examiners who receive a psychological report on these cues recognize and collect significantly more traces that can be linked to deviant behaviour and have a high evidential value than examiners who did not receive this information. However, the study also demonstrates that behavioural information is likely to be ignored when it contradicts existing beliefs.
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Teaching students with behavioral problems is a challenge for many teachers in inclusive education. To assess a teacher's quality in teaching students with behavioral problems and to explore what differentiates them from less effective teachers, this study aimed to validate a method for measuring this type of teacher quality. Based on classroom observations, special needs support teachers (n = 12) rated the extent to which teachers met the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness of students with behavioral problems. Primary school teachers (n = 137) completed a self-efficacy questionnaire related to teaching students with behavioral problems. Head teachers (n = 12) and the same teachers participated in a nomination procedure. Factor, reliability, descriptive, correlation, and cluster analyses were performed. Significant positive not fully overlapping correlations were found between the instruments. A group of 10–15 expert teachers of students with behavioral problems were selected. Future directions for research are discussed.
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