Aim: This position paper illustrates prominent theories of reading comprehension and considers how these models have informed reading instruction within the classroom. It then considers how reading comprehension can be supported by educational psychologists (EPs). Methods: This paper presents five sociocultural models of reading comprehension.…

In this paper the spread and direction of nurture within the context of Scottish schools is outlined. Through the process of interacting with key education stakeholders and consideration of the evidence base a picture of the development of whole establishment nurturing approaches in Scotland has emerged. The views of 27 of Scotland's 32 local…

The mental health of children and young people is of increasing concern both to educational psychology and to the Government's priorities throughout the UK. This paper reports the results of a survey of Scottish educational psychology services regarding views and information about meeting the mental health needs of school children. Services…

Aims: This position paper illustrates how Educational Psychological Services (EPSs) have been instrumental through ever more systemic and universal ways of working to identify links between the needs within Scottish schools and targeted and universal nurturing approaches. Method: This paper will initially demonstrate the appropriateness of a…

Anxiety disorders are common in children and may signal risk of depression, social, or academic difficulties. This study evaluated the effects of a universal mental health promotion intervention delivered in primary schools. Three hundred and seventeen 9- to 10-year-olds were randomly allocated by class group to intervention conditions…

Policies of inclusion in schools now transcend national boundaries; but much less is known about how teachers interact best with each other in order to establish a successful inclusion environment. School psychologists cannot work in isolation and require being fully conversant with this perennially polemic topic. This article reports on a study…

This article presents an innovative model of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that has been used in Scotland to encourage research and to develop research skills amongst applied educational (school) psychologists. This is a process-based CPD model rather than the traditional "attendance at CPD workshops" model, leading to active…

This article describes an initiative to evaluate the impact of educational psychologists' (EPs') casework. Previous studies have often focussed on evaluating processes or reducing outcomes to measurable units. The authors argue that qualitative research methods can be used to illuminate EP effectiveness. They describe a real world and…

This study examined each of the 192 Member States of the United Nations to address three important questions: (1) how many countries have professionals who provide school psychology services; (2) which countries do and do not have school psychologists; (3) what evidence of school psychology is available in each country. Of the 192 Member States of…

This paper outlines the efforts of an Educational Psychology Service (EPS) to develop its practice in the area of research. It will argue that the Action Enquiry model of service delivery can empower teaching staff and may allow an effective means of change and improvement to take place in schools. This model steers research towards providing…

Following a brief memorial message and a dedicatory tribute to Calvin D. Catterall, a leader in the field of school psychology, this volume provides a description of the origins of the International School Psychology Association and interviews with five school psychologists: Bram Norwich, University of London, England; Tony Cline, London, England;…

The toolkit has been developed by the profession and the two training universities of Dundee and Strathclyde to support self-evaluation. Educational psychologists from across Scotland, representing all professional levels, have been directly involved in the consultation and development of this document. The toolkit has been designed to provide a…

Describes the development of educational psychology in Scotland and discusses school psychology in Scotland today. Explores training of psychologists and reviews legislation related to school psychology in Scotland. Notes trend away from individual assessment and treatment to the consideration of social pressures and the offer of a consultation…

Attempts to identify the nature and origin of the new demands made on child guidance services since the late 1960s, looks at the responses of the services to those demands, discusses psychologists' changing perceptions of their roles, and offers some tentative indications of possible future lines of development. (Author/CM)

There are various views among academics and researchers about the best type of educational provision for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In the present study parents and professionals were interviewed to get a better insight into their perceptions regarding the various educational provisions on the specialist to mainstream continuum.…