ASN Dissertation Research Proposal
Introduction
Transition from primary to secondary school (or any form of transition) has been found to be challenging for both the young people transitioning and staff at the receiving end (West at al., 2010). Young people with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) might find dealing with the changes more challenging than others and are often considered vulnerable (Bailey and Baines, 2012).
In my current setting as Support for Learning Leader in a Scottish secondary school, I have been trying to find ways to support a targeted group of our new first year young people (S1s). Based on a relatively recent research into behaviour in Scottish schools it can be stated that there is an increasing ‘focus on social and emotional wellbeing and an ethos of mutual respect and trust’ (Scottish Government, 2013 p 2) in schools. A nurturing approach plays a key role in creating the right relational and emotional environment for pupils to be able to build connections with others, engage in learning and develop self-confidence, resilience and positive views about themselves. Although setting up nurture groups (NG) is a feature of primary schools historically (Bennathan & Boxall, 2000), more and more secondary schools choose this provision to cater for the needs of young people with various additional support needs (ASN) (Garner & Thomas, 2011).
Research Questions
‘There has been limited research into the effectiveness of nurture groups’ (Cooper & Whitebread, 2007 p.175). The findings, however, that are available are promising. The area this research is intended to explore is whether young people with SEBD will benefit from taking part in a NG in terms of being better able to cope in the mainstream educational setting and what the participating young people’s interpretation of this provision and its effects is.
I was greatly involved in setting up the NGs as well as screening and selecting the participants in a secondary school in Edinburgh between August and December 2018. Shortly after the NG had started, I was appointed as Principal Teacher Support for Learning in a Midlothian school. Therefore I have had to take on the role of an outside researcher. The main research question I intend to answer in this dissertation is
How do young people who have received / are receiving nurture support perceive the effectiveness and value of the intervention?
On order to supplement and support the main research question, I also aim to answer the following sub-questions:
- What is their perceived sense of belonging in the secondary school setting?
- How do the perceived changes align with the performance / behaviour presented in the mainstream classroom?
Literature Review
In my literature review I am planning to cover the key areas deemed relevant to the scope of the dissertation.
- To set the context, I intend to have a brief section on transition: its definition, the criteria of successful transition (Evangelou at al., 2008) and the importance of sense of belonging (Anderson at al., 2000).
- It is essential to explore the notion of SEBD in terms of definition (Armstrong & Hallett, 2012; Rees et al., 2003, etc.), its place within additional support needs, prevalence and its local (Scottish) features.
- The main focus of the literature review is on Nurture. Various aspects of it need to be and will be explored: psychological theories underpinning nurture (Vygotski, 1978; Bowlby, 1969; Maslow, 1970; etc.), principles of nurture including its extension to better suit local features and policies (Nurture Group Network, City of Edinburgh Council); nurture groups (Cooper & Whitebread, 2007; Seth-Smith at al., 2010; etc.); Boxall profile (Bennethan & Boxall, 2000), key features of nurture intervention, nurture groups in secondary schools (Cooper & Whitebread, 2007; Garner and Thomas, 2011; etc.).
At the end of the literature review, I plan to synthesise and combine the literature discussed thus be able to express the rationale for the dissertation.
Methodology
Having considered various methodologies, I have decided to undertake action research for multiple reasons. As my main focus is on the perception of young people receiving nurture intervention, it is crucial that I use a methodology that is concerned with ‘changing individuals’ as well as ‘the culture of the groups [the school in this case] to which they belong’ (Kemmis and McTaggart 1992:16 in Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2011 p.298). Another factor in choosing this methodology has been the fact that the first four stages of action research (Cohen, Manion and Morrison, 2011) mirrored what has been happening in the school. Having monitored the enhanced transition pupils, school staff were able to identify the problem a few weeks into the academic year. Having considered numerous possible interventions as the next step, I decided on establishing Nurture Groups with the aim of supporting young people with SEBD in the secondary school setting.
Case studies would enable me to gain a more extensive and comprehensive insight into the group members’ background, experiences before, during and after receiving the nurture provision but the size of the group (eight young people) would make it rather time-consuming to undertake. I feel that there would be a danger of producing a descriptive rather than an interpretative piece of work (Merriam, 1988).
Data collection methods
In order to answer my main research question, I am planning to use semi-structured interviews 4-5 months into the intervention. The questions of the interview will be based on the pre-determined success criteria of the intervention and the findings of the Boxall profiles. As there are only eight young people in the group, I believe that it will be manageable to carry out the interviews on an individual basis. Some of the participants have literacy difficulties so are much more able to express themselves verbally than in writing which rules out the use of questionnaires. According to Rabionet (2011) ‘qualitative interviewing is a flexible and powerful tool to capture the voices and the ways people make meaning of their experiences’.
To examine the participants’ sense of belonging in the school setting I intend to use the PSSM (Psychological Sense of School Membership) Questionnaire (Goodenow, 1993), an 18-item Likert-type scale which is relatively easy to administer as well as evaluate and can be repeated easily at a later date. Using the PSSM Questionnaire will bring a quantitative element into a mostly qualitative research.
As running the Boxall profile on each participant is an organic part of NGs, I find it essential to include it in my action research. The Boxall Profile, a detailed and rigorously trialled normative, diagnostic instrument (Bennathan and Boxall, 1998), examines two aspects therefore is divided into two sections: Diagnostic Profile and Developmental Strands. A Likert-type scale is used and the online platform prepares the profile of the young people. By repeating the assessment, changes in the participants’ behaviour characteristics and ‘developmental factors underpinning the individual’s ability to engage effectively in the learning process’ (Couture, Cooper & Royer, 2011) can be detected. Positive progress over time in the Diagnostic Profile section appears in the form of a declining score and the latter one in the form of a rising score. The complexity of the platform allows to examine the overall profile or just specific features. I intend to repeat Boxall profiling of the participants with the help of the nurture practitioners at the same time as the PSSM questionnaire.
Considering the principles outlined in the British Educational Research Journal (BERA) (2011) Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research, I will ensure the anonymity and confidentiality of all participants and the institution in which the research takes place. Permission and verbal as well as written consent will be gained from the head teacher of the school and both the NG participants and their parents. It will be made clear that all participants are free to withdraw from the research at any time.
I believe that the different data collection methods will enable me to analyse data to such an extent that I will be able to draw conclusions and answer the proposed research questions.
References
Armstrong, D., & Hallett, F. (2012) Private knowledge, public face: Conceptions of children with SEBD by teachers in the UK – a case study. Educational and Child Psychology, 29(4), p.77-87.
Bailey, S. and Baines, E. (2012) The impact of risk and resiliency factors on the adjustment of children after the transition from primary to secondary school. Educational and Child Psychology, 29 (1), p.147-63.
Bennethan, M. and Boxall, M. (2000) Effective intervention in primary schools: nurture groups (2nd edition) London, Fulton
Bennathan, M. and Boxall, M. (1998) The Boxall Profile: A guide to effective intervention in the education of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. East Sutton and Maidstone: Association of Workers for Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and Loss. Vol 1. New York: Basic Books
British Educational Research Journal (BERA) (2011) Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. London: BERA. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BERA-Ethical-Guidelines-2011.pdf (accessed 01/12/18)
Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education. Oxon: Routledge
Cooper, P. and Whitebread, D. (2007) The effectiveness of nurture groups on student progress: evidence from a national research study, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 12:3, p.171-190
Couture, C., Cooper, C. and Royer, E. (2011) A Study of the Concurrent Validity between the Boxall Profile and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The International Journal of Emotional Education, 3(1), p.20-29.
Garner, J. and Thomas, M. (2011) The role and contribution of nurture groups in secondary schools: perceptions of children, parents and staff. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 16 (2), p.207-224.
Goodenow, C. (1993) The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in the Schools, 30, p.79-90.
Evangelou, M., Taggart, B., Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P. and Siraj-Blatchford, I.(2008) What makes a successful transition from primary to secondary school? Research Report DCSF – RR019. Nottingham: DCSF Publications
Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and Personality. New York: Harper and Row.
Merriam, S. B. (1988) The Jossey-Bass education series, The Jossey-Bass higher education series and The Jossey-Bass social and behavioral science series. Case study research in education: A qualitative approach. San Francisco, CA, US: Jossey-Bass
Rabionet, S.E. (2011) How I learned to design and conduct semi-structured interviews: an ongoing and continuous journey. The Qualitative Report, 16(2), p.563-566
Rees, C., Farrell, P., & Rees, P. (2003) Coping with Complexity: How do educational psychologists assess students with emotional and behavioural difficulties? Educational Psychology in Practice, 19(1), p.35-47.
Seth-Smith, F., Levi, N., Pratt, R., Fonagy, P., & Jaffey, D. (2010) Do nurture groups improve the social, emotional and behavioural functioning of at risk children? Educational and Child Psychology, 27(1), p.21-34.
Vygotsky, L. (1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. London: Harvard University Press
West, P., Sweeting, H. and Young, R. (2010) Transition matters: pupils’ experiences of the primary–secondary school transition in the West of Scotland and 246 consequences for well‐being and attainment, Research Papers in Education, 25 (1), p.21-50.
| 6. Aim(s) of the research – summary /abstract
In my current setting as Support for Learning Leader, I have been trying to find ways to support a targeted group of our new first year young people (S1s). Based on a relatively recent research into behaviour in Scottish schools it can be stated that there is an increasing ‘focus on social and emotional well being and an ethos of mutual respect and trust’ (Scottish Government, 2013 p 2) in schools. A nurturing approach plays a key role in creating the right relational and emotional environment for pupils. The areas this research is intended to explore are whether young people with SEBD will benefit from taking part in a NG in terms of being better able to cope in a new (mainstream) educational setting and what the participating young people’s interpretation of this provision and its effects is. |
| 7. Outline the methods to be used (please give sufficient detail for the School Ethics Committee to be clear about what is involved in the research, including where the research will take place).
There will be three data collection methods used throughout the research. First of all, all participants will be assessed using the Boxall Profile Online platform (https://boxallprofile.org/) twice during the course of the research. However, as it is an integral part of the Nurture Group setup, no explicit consent was obtained from parents at the start of the program. Parents are familiar with Nurture Groups as there were such groups in the feeder primaries (Primary schools the young people in the school have come from). Just to cover all basis, I will include it in the description of the research (Appendix 2). Boxall profiles are anonymous, there is an individual code assigned to each entry. The only data that appears on the profiles is whether the person assessed is male or female and part of their date of birth (year and month). No paper copies are kept of the profiles, they are all stored on the password protected online platform. Only the Nurture Practitioners and I will have access to the online platform. Secondly, the PSSM Questionnaire (Appendix 6) was administered prior to the start of the Nurture Group. The questionnaire will be repeated 4-5 months into the intervention. In order to be able to see and analyse changes, these questionnaires included the participants’ names. The paper copy of the questionnaires are kept safely in a locked cupboard and will be destroyed (using a paper shredder) at the end of the research. The third method I will be using is semi structured interviews with all eight young people aged 12 and 13 given I receive their assent and their parents’ consent to carry out and record these discussions. The audio files will be stored on a USB stick until the transcriptions are done. Students’ names will not appear on the recording or the transcription. Files will be deleted once the research has been completed.
– append to the application form copies of any instructional leaflets, letters, questionnaires, consent forms or other documents which will be issued to the participants. |
| 8. Are there potential risks to the participant(s) in this research? YES/NO
If yes: I believe that there is minimal risk in the action research I intend to carry out.
(a) what is the nature of the risk(s)? Physical harm: no possibility of physical harm. Psychological harm: some students may become anxious or stressed on a one-to-one interview situation (based on their previous experiences). Economic: there is no financial aspect of the research. Social: stigmatization of being removed from class for the interview.
(b) what precautions will be taken to minimize the risks to participant(s)? Physical harm: the interviews will take place in school grounds. Psychological harm: the pupils know me quite well as between August and December 2018 I worked with some of them quite closely (one-to-one) and with others to a lesser extent. The students will be informed about the interviews well in advance. I plan to make sure that the interviews are carried out in a friendly manner and environment as well. The students will have the option to stop the interview or refuse to answer questions if they do not feel comfortable. I will also contact the Nurture teachers before the interview to see if there have been any significant events in the young people’s life that I should be aware of. Social: the young people have been participating in the nurture group since the end of October so their peers are by this point aware of the fact that they are part of this ‘special’ group. All issues if any around ‘being singled out’ or ‘being special’ by coming to this group were dealt with at school level at the very beginning of the programme. Therefore, I believe that extracting the participants from class for a short period of time for the interview will not cause any sort of embarrassment in the students’ peer groups. |
| 9. (a) How will the participants’ consent be obtained?
Due to the age of the participants, I will seek parental consent (Appendix 3) in order to be able to undertake the semi structured interviews. Participants’ assent will also be obtained at the beginning of the interview (Appendix 5). (b) What will participants be told as to the nature of the research? The nature of the research will be outlined in the information leaflet designed for the students (Appendix 4). They will be informed that the interview is part of an action research project which I undertake in order to obtain my Master’s Degree.
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Semi-Structured Interview Format
Interview with the Nurture Group participants
Introduction:
Thank you for meeting with me. I have returned to Forrester High School to see how you are all getting on since we last met at the end of November. I would like to talk to you for half an hour about your experiences in secondary school in general and also in the Nurture Group. I hope it will help me to have a clearer picture of why Nurture Groups are useful and how they help young people especially in their first year in secondary school. I will record our conversation with my phone so I can remember what you have said. Your name will not appear in either my dissertation or any related documents. You can leave at any time during the interview.
Do you have any questions?
Assent
It is totally up to you whether you take part. It is fine if you decide not to do so. Can you please fill in this form if you are happy to take part?
Warm up questions:
How are you today? Are you having a good day?
How are you feeling about this interview?
Main questions/content:
Tell me some good things about coming to secondary school.
How did you find becoming a high schooler at FHS? (Were there any challenges you had to face? Do you mind sharing with me what these were?)
How do you feel about being part of the group?
What are some of the activities you do in the Nurture Group?
What do you like about being involved in the Nurture Group?
What are some of the things you would want more of and are there anything you would change if you could? Why?
How do you think being part of the Nurture Group changed you or your feelings about being in secondary school?
Would you like to stay in the Nurture Group? Why?
Prompts:
Tell me more about…
What do you mean by…?
Can you give me some examples?
Paraphrasing what they have said in order to clarify understanding.
Closing:
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you for taking part in the research. It has been really useful and very interesting to hear your views. I hope it will help me understand how being part of a Nurture Groups affect young people in secondary school. Do you have any questions?
