British Educational Research Journal, Jun 14, 2023
Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents ch... more Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents challenges for school staff and professional development is lacking. Training is not always available when needed, strategies suggested by external experts can be impractical and staff lack autonomy in choosing the best way of being resourced. Additionally, the experience and knowledge of the range of school staff is not utilised. A collaborative working group of school staff and a researcher explored an alternative method of ADHD resourcing. Co‐construction of knowledge defines how the group discursively identified actionable knowledge from the different perspectives and knowledge brought by individual group members. A systemic framework was used to critically reflect on the collaboration. The framework enabled reflection on four areas to understand how and why the collaboration led to a published web‐based school staff ADHD resource. Firstly, starting conditions and assumptions were considered to identify and articulate the rationale for the resource. Secondly, the context and system dynamics enabled consideration of the socio‐cultural and political landscape of the project and the impact of COVID‐19. Thirdly, the different voices of participants and power dynamics were reflected on. Finally, emergence was a frame in which to elucidate knowledge production and changes in practice. The collaborative working group addressed the research–practice gap and the need for diversity of voices to be heard across the school. Knowledge co‐construction positions staff as knowledge bearers and, together with different forms of knowledge, they can be empowered to create new, contextualised evidence‐based knowledge.
International journal of qualitative methods, Jan 28, 2023
The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in... more The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in research and practice. Research is challenged methodologically in accessing the views of autistic people who, by definition, are characterised by social and communication difficulties. Consequently, many voices remain unheard and experiences undocumented. This has important implications for the validity of research that is interested in improving the life experiences of marginalised groups since the representation of those experiences is partial and dominated by research perspectives that prioritise particular kinds of evidence. This situation matters because there remains a substantial gap between research and practice such that the longer-term outcomes for autistic people across social, educational and economic indices remain poor. We argue that research can only make an impact on practice if there is a genuine commitment to gathering and understanding these different sources of evidence in ways that connect research and practice from the start. This protocol describes a methodological project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council in the UK. The ‘Our Stories’ project applies and extends a participatory Digital Stories methodology to explore the research challenge of gathering a range of views from autistic children, families, and practice in authentic ways and at points of transition. Digital Stories is an accessible and inclusive methodology that supports the sharing of views and experiences in visual, video form. We describe the rationale for, and design, of the project across four pilot studies in different contexts as well as our approach to analysis and ethics. While our project focuses on autism, the knowledge we gain is applicable to research and practice much more widely and to any voices or groups who are marginalised from the traditional ways of doing research and to any contexts of practice.
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Jul 3, 2021
ABSTRACT Teachers report feeling ill-equipped to meet the needs of ADHD children. Previous studie... more ABSTRACT Teachers report feeling ill-equipped to meet the needs of ADHD children. Previous studies on ADHD teacher training have been largely quantitative, focused on measured gains in ADHD knowledge and use of behavioural strategies. Traditional training shows initial improvements which deteriorate over time necessitating a new approach. Staff perspectives identifying important factors in teaching children with ADHD and staff training are largely missing from the literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 primary staff in England. Interviews were analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Five themes are reported: being equipped to provide for the individual needs of children with ADHD; a joined-up team approach which draws on the knowledge of others; creating the opportunity for every child to succeed; supporting all children in the classroom; training and support which meets the needs of all school staff. Findings will enable ADHD training to be better tailored to meet school staff’s needs.
The knowledge of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families, is... more The knowledge of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families, is essential for informing educational transition planning and decision-making. However, often their v...
British Educational Research Journal, Jun 14, 2023
Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents ch... more Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents challenges for school staff and professional development is lacking. Training is not always available when needed, strategies suggested by external experts can be impractical and staff lack autonomy in choosing the best way of being resourced. Additionally, the experience and knowledge of the range of school staff is not utilised. A collaborative working group of school staff and a researcher explored an alternative method of ADHD resourcing. Co‐construction of knowledge defines how the group discursively identified actionable knowledge from the different perspectives and knowledge brought by individual group members. A systemic framework was used to critically reflect on the collaboration. The framework enabled reflection on four areas to understand how and why the collaboration led to a published web‐based school staff ADHD resource. Firstly, starting conditions and assumptions were considered to identify and articulate the rationale for the resource. Secondly, the context and system dynamics enabled consideration of the socio‐cultural and political landscape of the project and the impact of COVID‐19. Thirdly, the different voices of participants and power dynamics were reflected on. Finally, emergence was a frame in which to elucidate knowledge production and changes in practice. The collaborative working group addressed the research–practice gap and the need for diversity of voices to be heard across the school. Knowledge co‐construction positions staff as knowledge bearers and, together with different forms of knowledge, they can be empowered to create new, contextualised evidence‐based knowledge.
International journal of qualitative methods, Jan 28, 2023
The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in... more The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in research and practice. Research is challenged methodologically in accessing the views of autistic people who, by definition, are characterised by social and communication difficulties. Consequently, many voices remain unheard and experiences undocumented. This has important implications for the validity of research that is interested in improving the life experiences of marginalised groups since the representation of those experiences is partial and dominated by research perspectives that prioritise particular kinds of evidence. This situation matters because there remains a substantial gap between research and practice such that the longer-term outcomes for autistic people across social, educational and economic indices remain poor. We argue that research can only make an impact on practice if there is a genuine commitment to gathering and understanding these different sources of evidence in ways that connect research and practice from the start. This protocol describes a methodological project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council in the UK. The ‘Our Stories’ project applies and extends a participatory Digital Stories methodology to explore the research challenge of gathering a range of views from autistic children, families, and practice in authentic ways and at points of transition. Digital Stories is an accessible and inclusive methodology that supports the sharing of views and experiences in visual, video form. We describe the rationale for, and design, of the project across four pilot studies in different contexts as well as our approach to analysis and ethics. While our project focuses on autism, the knowledge we gain is applicable to research and practice much more widely and to any voices or groups who are marginalised from the traditional ways of doing research and to any contexts of practice.
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, Jul 3, 2021
ABSTRACT Teachers report feeling ill-equipped to meet the needs of ADHD children. Previous studie... more ABSTRACT Teachers report feeling ill-equipped to meet the needs of ADHD children. Previous studies on ADHD teacher training have been largely quantitative, focused on measured gains in ADHD knowledge and use of behavioural strategies. Traditional training shows initial improvements which deteriorate over time necessitating a new approach. Staff perspectives identifying important factors in teaching children with ADHD and staff training are largely missing from the literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 primary staff in England. Interviews were analysed using a reflexive thematic approach. Five themes are reported: being equipped to provide for the individual needs of children with ADHD; a joined-up team approach which draws on the knowledge of others; creating the opportunity for every child to succeed; supporting all children in the classroom; training and support which meets the needs of all school staff. Findings will enable ADHD training to be better tailored to meet school staff’s needs.
The knowledge of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families, is... more The knowledge of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families, is essential for informing educational transition planning and decision-making. However, often their v...
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