The facilitators and barriers to implementing Emotion Coaching following whole-school training in mainstream primary schools

Initial research into the use of Emotion Coaching (EC) in educational settings has suggested that it can support social and emotional development, and promote positive relationships and behaviour. This research used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the factors which impact on the implementation of EC. The views of 40 staff across six mainstream primary schools in the UK who had undertaken whole-school training in EC were examined via an online questionnaire. Follow-up semi-structured interviews with 13 staff from two of those schools were analysed using thematic analysis. Key facilitators to implementation included quality training, a school ethos where wellbeing was central, and an actively engaged senior leadership team. Key barriers to implementation were the pressure faced by school staff due to time constraints and curriculum demands. Implications for senior leaders in schools, educational psychologists (EPs), and policymakers are discussed

Emotion Controllability Beliefs and Young People’s Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Emotion regulation is a powerful predictor of youth mental health and a crucial ingredient of interventions. A growing body of evidence indicates that the beliefs individuals hold about the extent to which emotions are controllable (emotion controllability beliefs) influence both the degree and the ways in which they regulate emotions. A systematic review was conducted that investigated the associations between emotion controllability beliefs and youth anxiety and depression symptoms. The search identified 21 peer-reviewed publications that met the inclusion criteria. Believing that emotions are relatively controllable was associated with fewer anxiety and depression symptoms, in part because these beliefs were associated with more frequent use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. These findings support theoretical models linking emotion controllability beliefs with anxiety and depression symptoms via emotion regulation strategies that target emotional experience, like reappraisal. Taken together, the review findings demonstrate that emotion controllability beliefs matter for youth mental health. Understanding emotion controllability beliefs is of prime importance for basic science and practice, as it will advance understanding of mental health and provide additional targets for managing symptoms of anxiety and depression in young people

It’s all about beliefs: Believing emotions are uncontrollable is linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression through cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression

The aim of this study was to examine the link between personal beliefs about emotion controllability and symptoms of anxiety and depression, with a particular focus on the mediating role of emotion regulation. To date, there has been little research examining the mediating role of cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression in the link between beliefs about emotion controllability and symptoms of anxiety. Online questionnaires measuring emotion regulation, beliefs about emotion controllability, and depression and anxiety, were completed by 1227 participants (n = 336 males; Mage = 25.3, SD = 10.1; range = 16 to 83 years). The results indicated that perceived control over one’s own emotions predicted better psychological health (fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression). This link between beliefs about emotion controllability and psychological heath was partially mediated by cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, with cognitive reappraisal predicting a reduction in clinical symptoms and expressive suppression predicting an increase in clinical symptoms. These findings suggest that individuals’ beliefs about emotion controllability, leads to the use of certain emotion regulation strategies which in turn, have important consequences for psychological health

Preparing Software Engineering Apprentices for Industry

No abstract available

Devising Work-based Learning Curricula With Apprentice Research Software Engineers

Work-based learning (WBL) is a delivery model that attempts to address the isolation of theory and practice by integrating them into a single programme. The concern is that through lack of experience and understanding, both universities and industry may devise `Frankenstein' curricula, harming individuals rather than helping them. This poster introduces a small project to support curricula development by proposing universities act as both the learning provider and workplace for apprentice Research Software Engineers (RSEs)

What science has shown can help young people with anxiety and depression: Identifying and reviewing the ‘active ingredients’ of effective interventions: Part 2

In 2021, we published a report summarising the evidence for the ‘active ingredients’ of interventions for anxiety and depression. By active ingredients, we mean those aspects of an intervention that drive clinical effect, are conceptually well defined, and link to specific hypothesised mechanisms of action – the aspects of an intervention that make a difference. This report continues that work, summarising the evidence from 21 new teams and looking at 19 distinct active ingredients not covered in the last report. As with our 2021 report, we are keen to share our findings from this work, and we hope that the mental health science community finds this a useful resource

Callous-unemotional traits and child response to teacher rewards, discipline, and instructional methods in Chinese preschools: A classroom observation study

Atypical responses to teacher rewards, discipline and different forms of instructional methods have been identified as potential contributors to disruptive behavior, low school engagement, and academic underachievement in children with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. To date, research on CU traits in schools has relied on interview or questionnaire methods and has predominantly been conducted in Western countries. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between CU traits and children’s responses to teacher rewards, discipline and instructional methods in the Chinese preschool context using classroom observation. Eight teachers (7 females, 1 male; M = 37.66 years) and 116 children (56% girls; M = 5.16 years) from two mainstream Chinese preschools participated in the study. Of the 116 eligible children, the behavior of 108 children from four classes were observed during classroom activities. Findings indicated that CU traits were not related to children’s responses to discipline, nor did CU traits moderate the relationship between instructional methods and children’s academic engagement. Higher CU traits predicted a greater frequency of one-to-one teacher-child interaction. Our findings offer initial insights into the potential of early school-based interventions in fostering engagement and prosocial behavior among children with CU traits. However, they also highlight the need for additional support for preschool teachers, who face the challenge of managing these high-risk children who appear to require more individual time and attention

Online Delivery of Intensive Software Engineering Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread changes to how the higher education sector operates. In this paper, the experience of delivering an eight-week undergraduate Software Engineering programme during the pandemic is discussed. The programme in question exhibits a number of unique features, including the intensive nature of the teaching, and the timing of its delivery, which coincided almost exactly with the introduction of lockdown measures. Reflections are offered on the rapid transition to online delivery of three different modules, including consideration of students' wellbeing. The implications for Software Engineering education, and online education more broadly, are considered

Understanding box wing aircraft: essential technology to improve sustainability in the aviation industry

This paper presents an introduction to box wing aircraft technology, and an overview of current research efforts in this important area. Box wing technology offers a means of significantly reducing aircraft fuel consumption and hence improving economic sustainability. The result of this reduced fuel burn is a reduction in aircraft emissions, which will improve the environmental sustainability of the global aviation industry. This is important, because the industry has set an ambitious goal of reducing the current carbon emissions by 50% before 2050, in the face of continued exponential growth in demand. The motivation of this work is to ensure that sufficient education is provided at all levels of the aviation industry, to keep people informed, and to help them make decisions. That is, there is confusion about the fundamental principles involved in the aerodynamic improvements associated with these innovative aircraft configurations. As such, this work presents box wing technology in the context of the fundamental operational aerodynamics associated with their implementation, giving an understanding of the performance benefits associated with them, in addition to the other practical benefits associated with box wing configurations