Heart of Supervision Episode 2: The Reflective Supervision/Consultation Model with Dr. Alyssa Meuwissen

Runtime 44:21In this episode of the Heart of Supervision podcast, Mimi Choy-Brown (host) talks with Dr. Alyssa Meuwissen from the Reflective Practice Center at the Center for Early Education and Development at the UMN about the basics of what reflective supervision is and how it could be an important tool for the child welfare workforce. Resources: https://ceed.umn.edu/reflective-practice-center/, https://ceed.umn.edu/reflective-practice-center/reflective-interaction-observation-scale-rios/Choy-Brown, Mimi; Meuwissen, Alyssa. (2021). Heart of Supervision Episode 2: The Reflective Supervision/Consultation Model with Dr. Alyssa Meuwissen. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/259222

Parenting in context: A systematic review of the correlates of autonomy support

Research has shown that autonomy-supportive parenting is associated with positive academic and socioemotional outcomes across childhood. Many studies have examined the correlates of parental autonomy support to understand who is most likely to be autonomy-supportive and under what conditions. The current systematic review synthesized findings from 63 studies that explored how sociodemographic, familial, parental, and situational factors are related to autonomy-supportive parenting. Results indicated that sociodemographic factors did not reliably predict autonomy support across studies. Parental factors, including socialization goals, need satisfaction, and mental health, were consistently linked with autonomy support. We propose a contextual model of autonomy support in which the associations between distal factors and autonomy-supportive parenting are mediated by parental factors, with situational factors moderating the relation between parental factors and autonomy support. Suggestions for future research include reconciling discrepant findings across different measurement approaches and considering how developmental timing influences the factors associated with autonomy-supportive parenting

Validation of the Reflective Interaction Observation Scale (RIOS) in Reflective Consultation for Child Welfare Workers

Child welfare workers are at high risk for burnout and turnover due to the emotional stress associated with their work. Reflective Consultation (RC) is a professional development strategy designed to address these issues by increasing professionals’ reflective capacity. However, little research has been done on RC’s effectiveness. This study aimed to examine the effects of RC on child welfare workers. Results showed that child welfare workers built effective group relationships across the 6 months. From pre to post, groups deepened their openness/vulnerability, and had greater reflection on parallel process (the interconnectedness of relationships). Individuals significantly increased their ratings of self-efficacy in RC and their positive perceptions of their consultant. Also, compassion satisfaction in their work was rated higher at the end of the experience. In sum, results are consistent with the hypothesis that reflective consultation increases compassion satisfaction and decreases burnout/secondary traumatic stress, although higher doses of consultation than in this study may be more beneficial.Work supported by College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Jump Start Gran

A lifelong learning scale for research and evaluation of teaching and curricular effectiveness

A 16-item lifelong learning scale (LLS), appropriate for college students and others, was evaluated using a sample of 575 college students. The scale demonstrated excellent reliability and was correlated with college grade point average (GPA), agreeableness, conscientiousness, and intellect/imagination. Scores were higher for those who had studied abroad. First-year and senior management majors differed whereas first-year and senior psychology majors did not. Women and seniors had higher scores, whereas the difference between senior men and women was almost negligible. Through its association with a broad array of measures associated positively with academic performance (e.g., college GPA), and negatively (e.g., sending text messages while in class), the scale showed excellent construct validity

Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce: Identifying and Filling Gaps in Reflective Supervision/Consultation Training

A nationwide survey of reflective supervision/consultation (RS/C) providers conducted in 2018, found that 25% of respondents perceive a lack of access to training as a primary barrier to improving and maintaining their RS/C skills. Some of the themes that RS/C providers felt were missing from their RS/C training included specifics about providing RS/C, group supervision, self-regulation as a provider, and diversity informed RS/C. The Reflective Practice Center recently released a set of self-study modules to provide training opportunities on specialized RS/C topics, which cover the previously mentioned themes as well as additional topics. The modules cover information pertinent to RS/C providers, recipients, and decision-makers. The new modules have been well received, with 86 individuals enrolling in the first three months of their being available. This poster presents the early evaluation findings based on feedback from the first 24 participants to complete a module. Preliminary results indicate positive reactions to the training material across participants from a variety of different roles in the field of early childhood. The vast majority found the content of the modules to be high-quality, applicable to their work, and reported it either strengthened their current knowledge, or offered new ways to think about a given subject.This project was generously funded by the Lynne & Andrew Redleaf Foundation, and was made possible by the assistance of Educational Technology Innovations (ETI) at the University of Minnesota

Changes in leadership attitudes and beliefs associated with the college experience: A longitudinal study

Incoming first-year college students completed a leadership survey prior to any formal leadership education. These students were reassessed during the spring of their senior year; 386 students completed both surveys. The differential effect of 33 leadership and demographic variables on change in hierarchical and systemic leadership beliefs were examined with stepwise regression analyses. Completion of a leadership certificate intended for students in supervisory student employment positions and racial/ethnic background were the only variables predicting changes in leadership beliefs. Results are discussed relative to Leadership Identity Development theory (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, 2005) and ecological leadership theory (Wielkiewicz & Stelzner, 2005)

Parent Provision of Choice Is a Key Component of Autonomy Support in Predicting Child Executive Function Skills

Although previous work has linked parent autonomy support to the development of children’s executive function (EF) skills, the role of specific autonomy-supportive behaviors has not been thoroughly investigated. We compiled data from four preschool-age samples in the Midwestern United States (N = 366; M age = 44.26 months; 72% non-Hispanic White, 19% Black/African American, 5% Multiracial) to examine three relevant autonomy-supportive behaviors (supporting competence, positive verbalizations, and offering choice) and their associations with child EF. We coded parent autonomy-supportive behaviors from a 10-min interaction between parent and child dyads working on challenging jigsaw puzzles together. Children completed a battery of EF. Overall, child EF was most consistently correlated with the offering choice subscale. Additionally, only the offering choice subscale predicted child EF while controlling for the other autonomy support subscales and child age. These results suggest that parent provision of choice is an especially relevant aspect of autonomy-supportive parenting and may be important to the development of EF in early childhood. Future research should directly measure children’s experience with choice and how it relates to emerging EF