Disproportionate Representation of African Americans with Exceptionalities

The majority of school corporations across the nation have a disproportionate number of African American students with exceptionalities. Disproportionality means that a group within a category is being represented more or less than what would be expected from the proportions in the general population. Disproportionate in this case means there is a higher proportion of African American students in Special Education than there is in the general student population. The purpose of this study is to determine whether teacher attitudes or student self-sabotage play a role in the underrepresentation of African American students in Gifted/Talented programs and the overrepresentation of African American students in Special Education. Teachers completed surveys via Survey Monkey. The survey was not able to answer the question of why African Americans are overrepresented in Special Education and underrepresented in Gifted and Talented programs locally or nationally. This survey does not show a definitive answer to the question of whether African American students or their parents are choosing to not be included in Gifted and Talented programs or whether African American students are knowingly neglecting their education, however based on the teacher’s answers it appears that teachers feel that some students are choosing to avoid the G/T classes/curriculum/label. Also it appears many teachers feel G/T classes are not equally accessible to African American students and it seems that most teachers feel that attitude is crucial in both students and teachers in determining either G/T or special education

NICE shared decision making guidelines and mental health: challenges for research, practice and implementation

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) initiated an ambitious effort to develop the first shared decision making guidelines. The purpose of this commentary is to identify three main concerns pertaining to the new published guidelines for shared decision making research, practice, implementation and cultural differences in mental health

ViPER - Introducing a service to deliver restorative supervision for nursing students, to improve retention and raise the quality of student experiences.

Abstract ID 239:Introduction:Restorative Supervision (RS) is increasingly being delivered to post qualified healthcare staff, via the growth of the PNA role (NHS England,2023). The benefits of delivering this to pre-registration students in education have been previously documented. The potential of RS to support student personal and professional development has been demonstrated (Stacey et al, 2017: Stacey et al, 2020). The restorative function of supervision is most valued when facilitated in an environment where humanistic principles are present (Sheppard et al, 2018). This approach may be suitable for nursing students, who manage significant emotional demands in clinical practice, alongside additional challenges resulting from their academic studies.The aim of this project was to support student’s health and wellbeing skills and coping strategies. A dedicated ‘Nursing Student Advocate Support (NSAS) Lead’ was appointed to deliver different modes of RS to nursing students (including group sessions, individual 1-1’s and telephone contacts).To sustain the project in the long term, RS training was developed and offered to HEI staff.Methods:The impact of the service was evaluated over the timeline of the project. Qualitative feedback from student mentimeter surveys was used to collect anonymous data. This type of data collection can provide valuable insights into student experiences of educational programmes (Mohyn et al., 2022).Results:Qualitative data from students demonstrated that RS was a positive experience for all those who engaged in it. Five common themes emerged (anxiety, communication, competing priorities, employment, family commitments). Results suggest that RS supports a nurturing educational environment which develops student professional practice. Facilitating RS in a safe environment enables increased self-awareness and time out for student reflection.Conclusion:RS was found to support growth in students’ self-efficacy, self-esteem and problem-solving skills

Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework

This paper focuses on scoping studies, an approach to reviewing the literature which to date has received little attention in the research methods literature. We distinguish between different types of scoping studies and indicate where these stand in relation to full systematic reviews. We outline a framework for conducting a scoping study based on our recent experiences of reviewing the literature on services for carers for people with mental health problems. Where appropriate, our approach to scoping the field is contrasted with the procedures followed in systematic reviews. We emphasize how including a consultation exercise in this sort of study may enhance the results, making them more useful to policy makers, practitioners and service users. Finally, we consider the advantages and limitations of the approach and suggest that a wider debate is called for about the role of the scoping study in relation to other types of literature reviews

Stop with the FLO: using text messaging to improve retention rates in University Students

Student attrition rates in undergraduate programmes are unacceptably high. The study undertaken evaluated the use of ‘FLO’, a mobile phone automated text messaging service, designed to provide information, support and reassurance in order to help alleviate the stress and anxieties that some new undergraduate students experience during the early phase of their studies. The objectives of the study were to evaluate how use of automated mobile phone texts using a system known as FLO could usefully supplement the pastoral support currently offered to new undergraduate students. A qualitative and quantitative evaluation was conducted using an open-ended questionnaire designed specifically for the study.The sample were 39 first year, undergraduate, Level 4 students from Social Welfare Law (n=16) and Sport and Exercise (n=23) who signed up to receive texts from FLO. The questionnaire was administered in a classroom situation one week after use of FLO had ceased. Data were analysed through use of a descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Thirty nine students signed up to receive texts from FLO and 25 (64%) completed the Qualtrics questionnaire. Largely positive findings predominated including that text messages increased a sense of belonging to the University and helped students to stay on the course. It is concluded that FLO or use of similar mobile phone protocols may be a useful addition to approaches to improve undergraduate student retention rates