Scoping Review of Positive Mental Health Research for Students in Vocational Education and Training

Context: In this scoping review, we examine the knowledge base concerning positive mental health studies for students in vocational education and training (VET). The VET student population embraces approximately 30-52% of secondary school students in the Nordic countries, and 40% of the global student population. The risk of early school leaving (ESL) is substantially higher in VET than in general education and mental health may be a relevant factor in this matter. Yet, an overview of mental health studies in VET is lacking and therefore, this article aims to map empirical research studies that have explored positive mental health in VET students. The positive mental health framework, with its origin in Antonovsky's (2002) salutogenesis and positive psychology, focuses on factors that promote mental health and wellbeing rather than taking on a pathological perspective.  Methods: For our scoping review, we searched four databases, and 19 articles were found eligible for inclusion. These articles were systematically screened by means of a coding scheme to identify the following information: Country of origin of the study, its aim, research design, measures, conceptualization of mental health, and main findings.  Results: The evidence suggests that positive mental health is understood as a multifaceted concept, and wellbeing is the dimension that is explored most often, followed by resilience and quality of life. The majority of the included studies used a validated questionnaire to assess various aspects of positive mental health, and most of them sought to explore correlations between different dimensions of positive mental health. Main findings of the studies suggest that a supportive school environment, physical activity, and a strong vocational identity may contribute to positive mental health for students in VET. Furthermore, correlations have also been identified between environmental factors and positive mental health. Finally, findings from the review illustrate how even small-scale interventions may have far-reaching effects, due to the interrelatedness of the different dimensions within the positive mental health construct.  Conclusion: Findings from this review illustrate that numerous factors may affect the wellbeing of students in VET. In particular, a strong vocational identity, a supportive school environment, and physical activity may contribute to positive mental health. These findings suggest that VET teachers may promote the wellbeing of their students by providing a supportive psychosocial learning environment at school.

Scoping review of positive mental health research for students in vocational education and training

Context: In this scoping review, we examine the knowledge base concerning positive mental health studies for students in vocational education and training (VET). The VET student population embraces approximately 30-52% of secondary school students in the Nordic countries, and 40% of the global student population. The risk of early school leaving (ESL) is substantially higher in VET than in general education and mental health may be a relevant factor in this matter. Yet, an overview of mental health studies in VET is lacking and therefore, this article aims to map empirical research studies that have explored positive mental health in VET students. The positive mental health framework, with its origin in Antonovsky\u27s (2002) salutogenesis and positive psychology, focuses on factors that promote mental health and wellbeing rather than taking on a pathological perspective. Methods: For our scoping review, we searched four databases, and 19 articles were found eligible for inclusion. These articles were systematically screened by means of a coding scheme to identify the following information: Country of origin of the study, its aim, research design, measures, conceptualization of mental health, and main findings. Results: The evidence suggests that positive mental health is understood as a multifaceted concept, and wellbeing is the dimension that is explored most often, followed by resilience and quality of life. The majority of the included studies used a validated questionnaire to assess various aspects of positive mental health, and most of them sought to explore correlations between different dimensions of positive mental health. Main findings of the studies suggest that a supportive school environment, physical activity, and a strong vocational identity may contribute to positive mental health for students in VET. Furthermore, correlations have also been identified between environmental factors and positive mental health. Finally, findings from the review illustrate how even small-scale interventions may have far-reaching effects, due to the interrelatedness of the different dimensions within the positive mental health construct. Conclusion: Findings from this review illustrate that numerous factors may affect the wellbeing of students in VET. In particular, a strong vocational identity, a supportive school environment, and physical activity may contribute to positive mental health. These findings suggest that VET teachers may promote the wellbeing of their students by providing a supportive psychosocial learning environment at school. (DIPF/Orig.

‘Jeg fikk utfordret meg selv!’ – Elevsentrert læring for elever med utviklingshemming

Elevmedvirkning danner et viktig fundament for selvbestemmelse, men både selvbestemmelse og elevmedvirkning er ofte mangelvare for elever med utviklingshemming. I denne artikkelen reflekteres det over hvorfor elevmedvirkning er viktig, og hvordan man ved hjelp av en undervisningsmodell kan fremme medvirkning og selvbestemmelse også overfor for denne elevgruppen

Barn med autismespekterforstyrrelse i barnehagen

I Utdanningsdirektoratets rammeplan for barnehagen (2015) framheves det at barnehagen skal være et inkluderende fellesskap med plass til det enkelte barnet, der alle barn skal oppleve at de selv er betydningsfulle personer for fellesskapet. Dette er store ambisjoner som kan by på utfordringer i møtet med barn med spesielle behov. I dette kapitlet belyses diverse utfordringer som er knyttet til inkludering av barn med autismespekterforstyrrelse i barnehagen og deres deltakelse i vanlige barnehageaktiviteter. Innledningsvis skisseres diagnostiske kriterier og det typiske symptombildet for autismespekterforstyrrelse. Deretter gis det en introduksjon til tidlig og intensiv evidensbasert opplæring for førskolebarn med autismespekterforstyrrelse, som er det anbefalte tilbudet for førskolebarn med autismespekterforstyrrelse. I kapitlets hoveddel drøftes utfordringer som er knyttet til inkluderingens sosiale, fysiske og kulturelle dimensjon, sett i lys av noen av de sentrale autismesymptomene og rammene for tidlig intervensjonstilbud. Avslutningsvis beskrives bruk av smågrupper som et mulig tiltak for å fremme inkludering på barnets premisser. Innenfor autismefeltet finnes mange forskjellige behandlingstilbud, men flere av disse behandlingsformene bygger kun på anekdotisk «bevis», der det mangler vitenskapelig grunnlag for å kunne dra kausale slutninger om effekt av en behandling. Derfor er det viktig å behandle informasjonskilder på feltet med forsiktighet og en sunn skepsis. Innholdet i dette kapitlet er basert på fagfellevurdert norsk og internasjonal forskning innen autismefeltet, der det i hovedsak er hentet kunnskap fra anerkjente forskere på feltet, samt på erfaringer fra pedagogisk praksis

Getting Good at Small-Talk: Student-Directed Learning of Social Conversation Skills

For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), learning social skills is an intricate but essential task to facilitate social inclusion and participation. Limited research is available on social skills interventions for adolescents with ASD and intellectual disabilities (ID). This article presents a case study that illustrates how the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction was used to improve self-chosen social conversation skills in a Norwegian 14-year old student with ASD and mild ID. This case study illustrates that, also for students with ASD and ID, giving them the opportunity to set personally relevant goals may improve their autonomous motivation, thereby increasing the likelihood of goal attainment

Goal setting and planning for Norwegian students with and without intellectual disabilities: Wishing upon a star?

Being able to set personal high-quality goals and having the skills to make plans for goal attainment are associated with higher performance, increased student involvement at school, and higher levels of self-determination. This study examines self-reported goals of 83 Norwegian elementary and lower secondary school students with and without intellectual disabilities. The study also looks into whether students feel that they learn goal setting and planning skills at school. Findings suggest that students are able to identify process and product goals for themselves. Most students set academic goals for themselves, followed by career goals and sports-related leisure time goals. No significant differences were found between typically developing students and students with intellectual disabilities. While roughly two-thirds of all students reported that they feel encouraged to set goals for themselves at school, almost 60% of all students expressed that they did not learn planning skills at school. This finding indicates the need to assist teachers with instructional materials for how to teach students these important skills for self-determination

Considering the boundaries of intellectual disability: Using philosophy of science to make sense of borderline cases

Who should be diagnosed with intellectual disability and who should not? For borderline cases, the answer to this question may be as difficult to decide on as determining the borderline between being bald or not. While going bald may be upsetting to some, it is also an inevitable and relatively undramatic course of nature. In contrast, getting a diagnosis of intellectual disability is likely to have more far-reaching consequences. This makes the question of where the cutoff point for intellectual disability lies more imperative. Philosophy of science may help psychologists to understand the nature of this dilemma in a more profound manner. This article builds on the sorites paradox to explore the vagueness that surrounds the concept of intellectual disability and the consequences of this vagueness for the diagnostic process. While epistemicists argue that vagueness is a consequence of our limited knowledge of the world that we live in, semantic theorists claim that there is nothing that we do not know, but that our language allows for indecisiveness. What these different lines of understanding mean for psychologists who are diagnosing intellectual disability, is described in this article. Furthermore, the article discusses practical implications of these philosophical underpinnings

Aktør i eget liv : En teoretisk oppgave om hva selvbestemmelse innebærer for mennesker med lett utviklingshemning

Selvbestemmelse for mennesker med utviklingshemning er et aktuelt tema, som har kommet mer og mer i fokus de siste to tiårene. Forskning har vist at økt grad av selvbestemmelse fører til fordeler på flere områder, bl.a. når det gjelder livskvalitet, arbeidsmuligheter, selvstendighet, med mer (Lachapelle m.fl. 2005, Wehmeyer 2008, Martin m.fl.2007). Lav grad av selvbestemmelse derimot, ses i sammenheng med psykiske vansker, lært hjelpeløshet og atferdsvansker (Clark m.fl. 2004). Det må derfor sies å være et mål for mennesker med utviklingshemning å oppnå størst mulig grad av selvbestemmelse. Skolen kan her spille en sentral rolle i opplæringen. Hva man legger i begrepet ”selvbestemmelse” kan imidlertid variere, og uklarhet i begrepets betydning kan ha bidratt til at opplæring i selvbestemmelse ikke alltid blir implementert i klasserommet (Weymeyer & Mithaug 2006). Derfor har jeg i denne oppgaven formulert følgende problemstillinger: 1. Hvordan kan man, ut fra en filosofisk og psykologisk tilnærming, forstå begrepet ”selvbestemmelse” i forhold til mennesker med lett utviklingshemning? 2. Hvilken sammenheng finnes det mellom den pedagogiske operasjonaliseringen av begrepet ”selvbestemmelse” (iflg. Wehmeyer 2007) og den filosofiske og psykologiske forståelsen av selvbestemmelse, slik denne utforskes i problemstilling nr.1? Den vitenskapsteoretiske bakgrunnen for denne oppgaven er basert på hermeneutikken, som handler om meningsdanning gjennom tolkningsprosesser (Krogh m.fl. 2003). Jeg har brukt en kvalitativ forskningsmetode med relevant faglitteratur som informasjonskilder. Oppgaven er dermed å betrakte som en teoretisk analyse av begrepet ”selvbestemmelse”. For å komme til en dypere forståelse av ”selvbestemmelse” har jeg belyst fenomenet fra en filosofisk og psykologisk innfallsvinkel. Innenfor den filosofiske tilnærmingen står Berlins (1961) forståelse av frihetsbegrepet sentralt, mens i den psykologiske tilnærmingen har jeg basert meg på Deci og Ryans (2002) selvbestemmelsesteori. Videre har jeg sett på selvbestemmelse i et pedagogisk lys, med utgangspunkt i Wehmeyers (2007) sentrale selvbestemmelseskomponenter. Her har jeg forsøkt å se en sammenheng mellom disse operasjonaliserte komponentene, og den filosofiske og psykologiske forståelsen av selvbestemmelse som jeg har lagt til grunn i oppgaven. Underveis har jeg drøftet forskjellige problemstillinger rundt disse tilnærminger, i forhold til hvilke utfordringer en lett utviklingshemning kan medføre. Noen av problemstillingene som blir diskutert, er hvordan indre begrensninger, i form av den kognitive svikten som kjennetegner utviklingshemning, kan påvirke mulighetene for selvbestemmelse. Også ytre begrensninger som mennesker med utviklingshemning ofte møter i samfunnet, blir drøftet i lys av selvbestemmelse. Videre tar jeg opp noen av utfordringene som er spesifikke for den pedagogiske konteksten i skolen. Her ser jeg blant annet på selvbestemmelse i forhold til det asymmetriske lærer-elevforholdet, og på hvordan opplæring i selvbestemmelse kan være et viktig steg på vei mot empowerment. Formålet med oppgaven har ikke vært å komme fram til en standarddefinisjon av hva selvbestemmelse er for mennesker med lett utviklingshemning. Derimot har jeg prøvd å problematisere fenomenet ved å belyse forskjellige utfordringer som er relatert til dette. En sentral konklusjon er at selvbestemmelse er et relasjonelt begrep, og at trygge nære relasjoner er avgjørende for hvor selvbestemmende mennesker med utviklingshemning kan bli. Videre har jeg argumentert for at miljøer som legger til rette for at grunnleggende psykologiske behov blir møtt, bidrar til økt selvbestemmelse. Gjennom opplæring i de operasjonaliserte selvbestemmelsesferdighetene kan skolen også bidra til at elever med utviklingshemning får større grad av selvbestemmelse

Student-directed learning of literacy skills for students with intellectual disability

Student-directed learning of literacy skills for students with intellectual disabilit

Promoting self-determination for adolescents with mild intellectual disability. Validation of a self-determination measure and evaluation of an educational intervention

Self-determination is considered best practice for students with intellectual disability (ID), as it is linked to positive post-school outcomes (Wehmeyer, 2015). The promotion of self-determination through student-directed learning may also be beneficial for students’ academic performance and motivation for school work (Reeve, 2002). However, research suggests that students with ID may be less susceptible to self-determination interventions, as they gain lower effects from such interventions than their typically developing peers (e.g. Wehmeyer et al., 2012). In Norway, self-determination for individuals with ID is both a political and an educational goal (Norwegian White Paper, 2016). However, there is a lack of validated instruments that can assess self-determination in a Norwegian school context, and Norwegian special educators lack evidence-based instructional models that can be used to enhance the self-determination of their students with ID. This doctoral thesis addresses these issues by i) validating the AIR Self-Determination Scale for use with Norwegian students with mild ID, ii) investigating the effects of an intervention with the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction on the self-determination and academic goal attainment of Norwegian students with mild ID, and iii) exploring which specific adaptations are required to both the measure and instructional model in order to meet the specific cognitive needs of students with mild ID. The first two papers in this thesis spring from the validation of the AIR-S-NOR (student form). The first paper (Garrels & Granlund, 2018) reports on the adaptations that were made to the original AIR Self-Determination Scale and that were found necessary to make it fit for use with students with mild ID after initial experiences from a pilot study. The validation study indicates robust psychometric features of the AIR-S-NOR, and it also found a significant difference between self-determination scores for students with ID compared to typically developing students, where students with ID scored significantly lower. Data from the validation study were then used to explore how students with and without ID experienced their opportunities for learning and practicing goal setting and planning at school, two important component skills of self-determined behavior. Further, it was also explored which kind of goals students set for themselves. This analysis resulted in the second paper of this thesis (Garrels, 2017), and findings suggest that, while approximately two-thirds of the students feel encouraged to set goals for themselves at school, 38% of all students report that they never or rarely feel that they can engage actively in goal-setting processes, and almost 60 % of the students report that they do not learn planning skills or goal attainment skills at school. Whereas typically developing students most frequently identified leisure time goals for themselves, students with ID more often identified academic goals, but these differences were not statistically significant. However, the observed trend may suggest difficulties for students with ID to generalize goal setting skills to other arenas than school. Findings from this first and second paper contribute to the rationale for the second part of this doctoral study, as they underscore the need for evidence-based practice to aid teachers with implementing instruction in self-determination skills for their students with ID. The second part of the doctoral study consists of an intervention study with the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction. This intervention study is covered in the third (Garrels & Arvidsson, 2018) and fourth (Garrels & Palmer, 2019) paper of this thesis. Research suggests that students with ID experience less effect from self-determination interventions than their typically developing peers (Wehmeyer et al., 2012), and therefore, it is important to reflect on how such interventions may be adapted to the specific needs of students with ID. Hence, in the third paper, a Vygotskian perspective on ID is presented, as this view takes into consideration both the individual’s cognitive impairments as well as the necessity to adapt educational interaction to these impairments, so that complex cognitive abilities such as self-determination skills may develop. Challenges that were encountered during the intervention and remedies are reported in this paper. Finally, the fourth paper presents a summary of the intervention study, as it looks into how the intervention with the SDLMI affects students’ academic goal attainment and self-determination. Findings suggest that student-directed learning with the SDLMI may have positive effects on students’ academic goal attainment. When students get to practice goal setting and goal attainment, they gain proficiency in important self-determination skills. A pre-posttest comparison of AIR-E-NOR (educator form) scores suggests that educators experience that the SDLMI provides their students with ID with more opportunities to practice self-determined behavior. Students themselves did not report a similar change on the AIR-S-NOR. This may indicate that a three-month intervention with the SDLMI may not be sufficient to change students’ self-reported self-determination, but that initial change may occur at the environmental level, as educators get a functional tool to infuse their educational practice with opportunities to train self-determination skills. This is in line with Mithaug’s (2003) self-determined learning theory, which explains how self-determination develops within the individual. This theory, which accentuates the importance of frequent exposure to opportunities to practice self-determined behavior, forms the theoretical framework for this thesis. Findings from the validation study suggest that there is sufficient reason for special educators to direct more attention towards teaching their students with ID self-determination skills, and this may also prove to be good practice for teachers in mainstream education. Findings from the intervention study indicate that the SDLMI may be a useful instructional model for educators who wish to introduce more opportunities for self-determined behavior in their classrooms. It is recommended that student-directed learning (such as e.g. with the SDLMI) becomes a natural part of Norwegian classroom practices. This may lead to multiple benefits for students, such as e.g. enhanced educational citizenship, improved academic goal attainment, and increased self-determination