Professional reputation and identity in the online world

The interface between new entrants to professional disciplines, professional reputation management and social media usage is an under-researched and little understood phenomenon. A small-scale study on social media usage conducted with new social workers and teachers, working in the Irish context, revealed interesting in-sights into the complexities of reputation management for new professionals and the particular issues related to development of their professional reputations raised by online interactions, relationships and behaviour. Key messages for professionals and professional educators emerge from the findings outlined in this article

“I Find It Really Difficult to Control Myself Too”:A Qualitative Study of the Effects on the Family Dynamic When Parent and Child Have ADHD

If having one child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) contributes to family stress and dysfunction, then what happens when more than one family member has ADHD? This paper explores this question by drawing on findings from a multi-case study that explored the voices of stakeholders (child and parent/carer) affected by ADHD in Ireland. There were eight case studies (families) included. Each case had one parent/carer with ADHD and a child with ADHD. Eight children (aged 7–17 years; Mean = 12.6; S.D. = 3.4) and ten parents (2 males) participated. Four parentw/carers reported a diagnosis of ADHD themselves (2 females) and 6 mothers participated who had a spouse with ADHD. Triangulation was achieved using multiple interviews (parent/carers and child), a demographic survey, and creative methods with the children to contribute to a highly contextualised understanding of stakeholders’ experiences. Research findings demonstrated that there may be positive and negative consequences when both parent and child have ADHD. On the one hand, it may contribute to greater dysfunction, when parents with ADHD struggle to stick to routines and remain calm and organised. On the other hand, children with ADHD may feel a sense of belonging and less different, parents believe they have greater understanding, and shared interactional preferences may have benefits. Findings will be discussed in terms of their implications for practice with families and future research

Tomorrows Disability Officer - A Cornerstone on the Universal Design Campus ‘there are no strangers here – only friends you haven’t met yet” - W B Yeats

This paper will explore the evolution of one of the key roles on campus for students with a disability in the context of Universal Design for Learning - that of the Disability Officer. The role of Disability Officer, while neither a teacher or a learner – is primarily occupied with all those engaged in making learning accessible. It is a role that is very much part of the learning experience for any student with a disability. The challenge for Disability Officers on a UDL campus is that while they are part of the learning environment on campus they - similar to other non-teaching professionals - can find it challenging to position themselves on the current UDL framework. In recent years Disability Officers in Ireland started an exploratory journey on their role in the future of Higher Education on a UDL campus and developed the first role document. As higher education becomes more attainable, curriculum develops and technology improves; making decisions about what will work for a student with a disability can require knowledge and expertise about not just teaching and learning, but also disability in the learning environment in and of itself. In creating this document, it became increasingly evident that UDL on campus was transforming not just the world of the student but also the world of others on campus, including that of the disability officer. Thus, while UDL is making waves on campus and redesigning not just pedagogical approaches; is it timely to explore the UDL principles and ask – what do we mean by learning community

Bullying and cyberbullying studies in the school-aged population on the island of Ireland : a meta-analysis

Background. Bullying research has gained a substantial amount of interest in recent years because of the implications for child and adolescent development. Aim and sample. We conducted a meta-analysis of traditional and cyberbullying studies in the Republic and North of Ireland to gain an understanding of prevalence rates and associated issues (particularly psychological correlates and intervention strategies) among young people (primary and secondary school students). Method. Four electronic databases were searched (PsychArticles, ERIC, PsychInfo and Education Research Complete) for studies of traditional bullying and cyberbullying behaviours (perpetrators, victims or both) published between January 1997 and April 2016. Results. Afinal sample of 39 articles fit our selection criteria.CMAsoftware was used to estimate a pooled prevalence rate for traditional/cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. A systematic review on the psychological impacts for all types of bullying and previously used interventions in an Irish setting is also provided. Conclusions. The results demonstrate the influence moderating factors (e.g., assessment tools, answer scale, time frame) have on reported prevalence rates. These results are discussed in light of current studies, and points for future research are considered

Validez de contenido del Cuestionario de Ciberagresión

The purpose of this work is to present the content validation process of the Cyberbullying Questionnaire designed in Ireland by Corcoran and Mc Guckin (2014). In this instrumental study, 15 judges with expertise and experience in the subject participated, who quantitatively and qualitatively weighted the questionnaire. Regarding the qualitative analysis, all contributions were taken into account. The quantitative data were systematized using Aiken's V coefficient supplemented with the use of confidence intervals. The results indicate a wide degree of agreement among the judges, as they present confidence intervals greater than .50. Therefore, it is concluded that the Cyber-aggression Questionnaire is an adequate tool to measure this construct in school-going adolescents in Argentina. This study offersthe first valid instrument in Spanish to measure this phenomenon.El propósito de este trabajo es presentar el proceso de validación de contenido del Cuestionario de Ciberagresión diseñado en Irlanda por Corcoran y Mc Guckin (2014). En este estudio instrumental participaron 15 jueces locales, con experticia y trayectoria en la temática, quienes ponderaron cuantitativa y cualitativamente el cuestionario. Se han tomado en cuenta todas las aportaciones realizadas en el análisis cualitativo. Los datos cuantitativos se sistematizaron utilizando el coeficiente V de Aiken complementado con el uso de intervalos de confianza. Los resultados indican un amplio grado de acuerdo entre los jueces, en la medida en que presentan intervalos de confianza superiores a .50. Por todo ello, se concluye que el Cuestionario de Ciberagresión es una herramienta adecuada para medir dicho constructo en adolescentes escolarizados de Argentina. El presente estudio ofrece el primer instrumento en español válido para medir dicho fenómeno

From theory to practice: Two ecosystemic approaches and their applications to understanding school bullying

School professionals, particularly school counsellors and school psychologists, require detailed knowledge of many important factors that contribute to the personal, academic, and vocational development of the students in their charge (e.g., psychosocial development, curricula developments, local community developments and initiatives, national and international policy developments). The amount of detail and knowledge required by school counsellors/psychologists is bewildering, even before consideration of the individual differences in those who require their help. A framework can provide school professionals with a parsimonious approach to organising, synthesising and understanding all the information that needs to be considered in relation to a child within a particular environment. The current article reviews and comments upon the usefulness of two such theoretical frameworks - Bronfenbrenner's ecological model (1979, 1989) and Spiel, Reimann, Wagner, and Schober's (2008) Bildung-Psychology approach - to an exploration and understanding of a common issue; namely, bully/victim problems among school pupils. It is argued that such ecological/systemic approaches could usefully inform the design and evaluation of future efforts to address school bullying and violence. By extension, we propose that the simplicity of such models is of great value to the school professional who seeks a framework that can guide them in their work. Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013

Experiences of school bullying, psychological well-being and stress in Northern Ireland: Data from the 2005 Young Life and Times Survey

Comparatively little is known about the nature, incidence and correlates of bully/victim problems in the Northern Ireland school system. The present study examined the prevalence of self-reported experiences of bully/victim problems and the relationship between such experiences and levels of stress and psychological well-being among a representative sample of 819 16 year olds who participated in the 2005 `Young Life and Times Survey? (YLTS: ARK, 2006). Bully/victim problems among these adolescents were pervasive. Personal experience of involvement in bully/victim problems was associated with self-reported stress and impaired psychological well-being. Findings are interpreted within the context of previous data from YLTS and the wider national and international literature on bully/victim problems