Research pertaining to homophobic name-calling has largely focused on prevalence rates and the negative long-term effects on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) populations without considering the intention behind the use of the language, leading to an assumption the language used in these incidents is intentionally homophobic. This small-scale exploratory study focused on gathering the cross age and gender perspectives of male and female young people in years 7 (age 11-12) and 10 (age 14-15) from one secondary school, to illuminate whether they perceive name-calling, involving the word ‘gay’ to be bullying, harmful and intentionally homophobic. The study adopted a qualitative approach to research methodology to gain a richer understanding of young people’s perspectives, where single–sex focus groups were used to collect qualitative data, which were analysed through thematic analysis. Key findings from the study suggest there is agreement over age and between genders that using the word ‘gay’ is not intentionally homophobic or harmful. The study also highlights that the intent of the language is complex and dependent upon a number of factors including: the relationship between the user and receiver; whether they are friends or not and how the words are said. The language can be used as a form of joking, social bonding, expressing opinions and perceived as a common discourse amongst young people where there is no associated implication to sexuality. Further implications for anti-bullying and Educational Psychology practice are discussed, with a focus on developing an understanding of the use and intent of name-calling in schools at systemic and socio-cultural levels.

aPermanent and fixed-term exclusions were introduced in the Education Act (1986). Despite ongoing assertions by the government advocating a reduction in exclusions, the demographic of those excluded has remained similar. A managed move is an alternative to permanent exclusion. Little research has evaluated the process or assessed what constitutes best practice. This study establishes how the managed move process works, the reasons managed moves are initiated, what constitutes and influences success, the problems and how Educational Psychologists (EPs) can best impact upon their implementation. A single case study methodology was adopted. Within one Local Authority, four sub-groups were highlighted: school professionals (SPs), Local Authority (LA) officers, parents and young people (YP). A mixed-method design was used. Quantitative data on exclusion were gathered from the LA and national records. Semi—structured interviews took place with eleven SPs, five LA officers, five parents and five YP. These were evaluated using thematic analysis. Further data regarding YP views was elicited using personal construct psychology and solution-focused methods. The researcher, as an embedded member of the LA, was able to report informal observations around managed moves in context. Managed moves are discussed at the borough School Behaviour and Attendance Panel (SBAP) and brokered by Head-teachers. When a YP experiences a managed move, they remain on roll in their starter school and take part in a six week trial in a host school. Bullying/social isolation, breakdown in relationships and behaviour were the main reasons given for managed moves. Success was defined as where a YP experiences happiness and improved self-perceptions and makes progress in their learning. Factors contributing to success included: a fresh start for YP, without pre-judgement, effective home-school communication, early intervention, pastoral work, commitment of all stakeholders, school suitability and involving the YP in the process. A number of problems were identified, including: inter-school tensions, negative narratives around YP, use of the process as an alternative to permanent exclusion, a provision gap for YP with additional needs, accurate identification of special educational needs, the impact of the results agenda, issues around timing and family stress and systemic concerns regarding UK education policy. The findings suggest that EPs could maximise their impact by clearly explaining their skill set, working preventatively, accurately establishing YP’s needs and using systemic and social constructionist thinking. Potential implications at LA and national level are discussed.

This portfolio has three parts: Part one: A systematic literature review of the effectiveness of nurture groups upon emotional wellbeing. Part two: An empirical paper on the bullying experiences, perceived social support, and mental health of emerging adults. Part three: Appendices including documents relevant parts one and two, and a reflective account of the research process.

This Research Project critically appraises the current dispute resolution mechanisms for employment law in Ireland. This exploration provides the basis for submissions to improve the overall service for workers, employers and Government. The researcher undertook the following strands of analysis: A comprehensive study and critical analysis of existing employment dispute resolution fora in Ireland both on a systematic level, and on a forum-specific level.

School bullying research has often focused on children, but neglected the parent’s perspective. Little is known about how parents respond to their child’s peer victimisation and how these responses are related to children’s experiences. Thus, this thesis aimed to address three main research questions: (a) how do parents respond to their children’s peer victimisation? (b) What factors are associated with parents’ responses to their children’s peer victimisation? (c) How are parents’ responses related to children’s experiences of peer victimisation? A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design, comprising of three stages, was utilised. Firstly, focus groups and interviews were conducted with parents to gain greater understanding of their perspective. The focus group/interview findings informed the content of parent and child questionnaires which were developed in a series of pilot studies, during stage two of the research. In the third stage, these questionnaires were administered to parents and children (aged I 1-12 years) to examine parental responses to peer victimisation, factors related to parental responses, and children’s victimisation experiences. The findings suggested three categories of parental responses: supportive/problem solving, confrontational and avoidant. Parents’ responses were related to their perceptions of how their child would cope, and their attitudes towards how schools/teachers deal with bullying. Additionally, parents’ perceptions of their role in school bullying were influenced by what they thought a ‘good’ parent should do. Children’s perceptions of avoidant and parental supportive/problem solving responses moderated the relationship between peer victimisation and loneliness; there was also an indirect relationship between perceived parental responses and peer victimisation, through child coping. This thesis concludes that in school bullying situations, parents form one element of a broader system, which also involves children and teachers. Thus, parentteacher communication and collaboration is vital and the importance of empowering parents to take a supportive/problem solving approach when helping their child is highlighted.

The experiences of dyslexic adults in education as well as the ‘caring professions’ of nursing, teaching and social work continue to be fertile ground for academic study. This study extends the range of current academic knowledge of dyslexia in the workplace by exploring the experiences of dyslexic police officers across England and Wales. The context is the extension of disability-related equality legislation to the police service in 2004. The overarching aim of the study is to examine the experiences and perceptions of dyslexic police officers who are ‘on-the-streets’ and not in the classroom environment. This research is underpinned by the principles of the social model of disability (Oliver 1990) and in it, dyslexia is understood not as a stand-alone difference but rather as an aspect of neurodiversity (Cooper 2009) A qualitative and exploratory research strategy was adopted. Data was collected by way of self-completed questionnaires and from face-to-face semi-structured interviews with twenty-five serving or recently resigned dyslexic police officers from ten police services from across England and Wales. The data was analysed using Layder’s theory of domains and his adaptive theory (Layder 2005 & 2013). This study identified that the overwhelming majority of dyslexic police officers experienced a broad range of attitudinal, procedural and police ‘barriers’ to their full integration into the police organisation. All of the participants in this study had disclosed to their employing police service that they were dyslexic. Participant understanding of dyslexia and disability was deeply rooted within the medical model rather than the social model. The study identified substantial evidence of bullying, and discrimination was identified across the broad range of police services as well as significant failings in the provision of workplace assessments by Job Centre staff. Despite this treatment very few participants complained or sought redress. The dominance of the medical model of disability in wider society, together with negative aspects of police ‘occupational’ culture, were identified as key factors in the participants’ decision making processes. This research concludes that institutional disablism in terms of dyslexia is widespread across some police services in England and Wales despite the extension of the disability discrimination legislation to the police service. The research concludes with some recommendations for policy and practice.

This research aimed to explore the extent to which young people with learning/communication difficulties see themselves affected by feeling unsafe/bullying in the community. This research also investigated the views of parents of young people with learning/communication difficulties. The researcher wished to explore the extent to which parents endeavour to support their vulnerable offspring by curtailing their exposure to potential risks, as against helping them develop coping strategies to enable them to stay safe in community settings and be competent to avoid and address potential or actual risks. Finally, the study aimed to explore the perceptions of teachers who work with young people with learning/communication difficulties, of how much the young people are at risk of being bullied in the community, and how the school curriculum seeks to minimise/prepare young people to address any such risks. Through a multiple case study design, the perceptions of six young people with learning/communication difficulties were explored, as were the perceptions of one of the parents of each of the young people. Three schools were involved: one mainstream and two special schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the young people, with their parents and with one member of staff from each school. In addition, rating scales and photographs were used with the young people. The research was collaborative in that the young people were involved in identifying which places in the community to take photographs of, and took some of the photographs themselves with the help of school staff. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (Thomas, 2009). Findings point to the importance of taking an eco-systemic approach to the issue of how safe young people with learning/communication difficulties feel in the community, and to the issue of bullying.

This thesis investigates the relationship between forms of self-concept and forms of aggression in adolescence. The relationship between self-esteem and aggression has been inconsistent in research, with both high and low self-esteem found to be related to aggression. The first paper presented here reviews the literature in the field and finds that this relationship becomes clearer when self-esteem is conceptualised in terms of a dual processing model, consisting of both explicit and implicit forms. The relationship with aggression is strongest when high explicit self-esteem is combined with low implicit self-esteem, as it is in narcissism. The literature review demonstrates that because of this, narcissism provides a better predictor of forms of aggression than the dual processing model of self-esteem can alone. Implications for future research and educational practice are discussed, with a particular emphasis on the need for future research to investigate the emerging link between narcissism and bullying. The second paper presented here reports an empirical study investigating the relationship between adaptive (i.e., leadership, self-sufficiency) and maladaptive (i.e., the tendency to exploit others, exhibitionism, entitlement) forms of narcissism and bullying as well as the possible mechanisms through which they are related. We surveyed 388 UK adolescents (160 boys, 190 girls) using measures of narcissism, bullying behaviour, affective and cognitive empathy, and need for power. Results highlighted that both adaptive and maladaptive narcissism were predictive of bullying for both male and female participants. We found that this relationship was not mediated by either cognitive or affective empathy, but that it was significantly mediated by a need for power. The study highlights the need for future research to begin to design and test interventions targeting the bullying associated with different forms of narcissism individually.

The experiences of women who stammer have not been explored for over 30 years, with most stammering research recruiting only men and not differentiating the results by gender. Therefore, to date, stammering research can be seen as exploring male or androgynous stammering. Furthermore, speech and language therapies (SLT) that are based on this research are arguably inappropriate in addressing the experiences of women who stammer. In light of the above, this study aimed to explore the experiences of women who stammer, whilst taking into account the influence of societal gender norms on these experiences. 12 women were recruited from either the British Stammering Association (BSA) or the City Lit (college that offers SLT). Individual interviews were conducted using semi-structured interviews and the data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The four main findings suggested that stammering had a profound influence on the women’s lives. They described other’s reactions to their stammers as mostly unhelpful and thought this was due to a lack of understanding and mediated by societal gender norms. These negative reactions consequently impacted on their self-perception. Stammering was also found to affect relationships, starting within the family and spreading to other future relationships. There was a trend to want to break these relationship difficulties with their own children. The findings showed that negative experiences in school, due to bullying and lack of teacher support, led to the women feeling as though their potential was overlooked. They then described seeking jobs with minimal speaking or ‘pushing’ themselves academically and professionally. Finally, the women described their experiences of stammering as a journey, whereby they started off ‘hiding’ it from others and then learnt to accept it, with the support of SLT. The research findings are discussed in relation to the literature and clinical implications are suggested.

Ireland has a comprehensive yet complex, statutory framework for the resolution of employment disputes. Various bodies offer conciliation, mediation, arbitration and regulation, however the processes are taking too long. The focus of this dissertation is on another form of dispute resolution – collaborative law and its suitability to the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The overarching question of this research is: Can a dispute resolution model based on collaborative practice be a useful addition to alternative dispute resolution in Irish employment law? A review of ADR and employment literature provides a context for this research. The first phase of the primary research consisted of a survey of collaborative practitioners in Ireland to identify the current usage and success of collaborative law and whaThis paper begins with a systematic review of the literature that looks at particular approaches and models to support girls aged 11-16 overcome the adverse effects of bullying. This revealed that girls seem to have less effective problem solving abilities in dealing with bullying. In addition, the review identified some potential criteria for group work, for example the age range, as it appeared that interventions were more effective with year 7 pupils (aged 11-12). The implications of the review for further research were considered and this informed an empirical study. A bridging document is presented in this paper between the systematic review and empirical study. This is to provide a rationale for the research and the links to the systematic review. In addition, it provides the underpinning epistemological position that guided the research, in particular the methodological and analytical approaches. The empirical study presented in this paper explored the benefits of a client centred approach to group work for girls, with a particular focus on ‘friendship’. This was considered within the context of the Targeting Mental Health in Schools (TAMHS) project (DfE, DCSF, 2008) where early intervention was considered as being crucial. The group work was facilitated by the author and supported by school staff. Structured ‘change’ interviews were used at pre, post and follow up stages in order to gather the participant’s views on the group work. Data was also gathered at these stages using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1999). A thematic analysis was carried out on the pre and post interviews. This resulted in 3 main themes for each data set. The ‘change pathway’ for each participant was considered. The potential implications for future research in this field and practice as an Educational Psychologist are considered. Key words: Bullying, friendship, intervention, group work.
ether practitioners felt collaborative law was suitable for the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The second phase entailed depth interviews with key employment stakeholders to verify the findings from phase A. Analysis of the findings indicate that collaborative law could be a successful method of dispute resolution and that practitioners feel it is an appropriate method of dispute resolution for employment disputes.

Ireland has a comprehensive yet complex, statutory framework for the resolution of employment disputes. Various bodies offer conciliation, mediation, arbitration and regulation, however the processes are taking too long. The focus of this dissertation is on another form of dispute resolution – collaborative law and its suitability to the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The overarching question of this research is: Can a dispute resolution model based on collaborative practice be a useful addition to alternative dispute resolution in Irish employment law? A review of ADR and employment literature provides a context for this research. The first phase of the primary research consisted of a survey of collaborative practitioners in Ireland to identify the current usage and success of collaborative law and whether practitioners felt collaborative law was suitable for the resolution of Irish employment disputes. TheaThis thesis will outline the incidence of suicide and self-harm in today’s society.  It will examine methodology and the impact on the family unit and significant others.  It will explore the various causative factors from obtaining a mental illness diagnosis to gender, age, marital status, physical illness, unemployment, occupation, trauma, abuse and bullying.  It will analyse the main theories of suicide, past and present, and the influence of modern society on suicide and self-harm.  It will refer to the research findings as discussed in this paper and focus on a proactive approach. Such a direction will be validated by the research findings as this MPhil will focus on the principle of positive risk management by analysing the principles a person has for living as opposed to reasons for dying.  It will challenge previous suicide and self harm strategies focused on a negative risk assessment.  Interventions therefore were defensive rather than defensible. The impetus towards a “Recovery” orientated delivery in mental health services will be highlighted.  It will put forward an innovative and practical initiative from the research findings that re individually centred and have the service user at its core.  This approach called “STRENGTH” has the potential to be a leading pathway towards a service that has recovery at its centre that will improve the safety and quality of services and promote consistency and standardisation of best practice.
second phase entailed depth interviews with key employment stakeholders to verify the findings from phase A. Analysis of the findings indicate that collaborative law could be a successful method of dispute resolution and that practitioners feel it is an appropriate method of dispute resolution for employment disputes.

The aim of this research is to examine, from children’s perspectives, where bullying exists in their everyday experiences of school. A Foucauldian perspective is used to conceptualise bullying and perceives it as involving power which is fluid and involves struggles between individuals. Different modalities of bullying are examined (between pupils, between teachers and pupils and systemic bullying). This research also investigates different severities of bullying from clear to ‘grey’; and different perspectives and feelings children have. Traditional definitions are challenged which distinguish bullying as a specific form of aggression, experienced by a minority of people. Observations, focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with children in five state schools, a private school and a pupil referral unit, 84 children in total were interviewed. This research found that although most children experienced characteristics of bullying such as name-calling and humiliation, which often caused them distress, few children considered it as bullying and no-one referred to themselves as a bully. Teachers were subject to powers of normalisation and panopticism where they were under surveillance to ensure children conformed to education norms. Although bullying was found to be multi-causal, a particular finding in this thesis is the role played by boredom. Working-class boys with learning difficulties were particularly under ‘the gaze’ and increasingly targeted for punishment, which usually increased their boredom. Some of these children wanted revenge and engaged in bullying. Because they often felt increasingly targeted for punishment, they also experienced bullying by teachers and systemic bullying. Another reason children bully is to be popular and exercise social power over others. This research is an original contribution to knowledge because of its complex and multi-faceted understanding of bullying. These findings have wider resonance and are likely to apply where these processes occur, for example, in other schools.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of refugee children, refugee parents and school staff regarding what they believe contributed to the positive adaptation of refugee children after facing adversity. This research examined how the participants understood the factors inherent in the new social milieu and its effect on refugee children’s mental health and psychological well-being. This included an exploration of resilience and the role of risk and protective factors. Few studies have focused on exploring views from a resilience perspective and studies that have, have also tended to focus on exploring factors through quantitative rather than qualitative measures. This mixed methods piece of ‘real world’ research, adopted a ‘what’s working well’ perspective, aimed to explore the important voices of children, parents and staff. The views of three refugee parents and twenty one refugee children aged between 9 and 19 years old, of various ethnic origins and length of stay in the UK (six months to eight years) were explored through semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The children’s level of well-being in different domains such as school was assessed using the Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Survey (Huebner, 2001). The views of sixty-three staff members were also gathered via questionnaire. Findings from this research reveal the valuable perspectives parents and young people can offer. The psychological construct of resilience was of relevance to the children in the present research, with several themes reflecting factors that have been shown to impact on resilience in positive or adverse way. Young people’s comments suggested that they were not protected from all negative experiences, but were able to succeed in the face of such adversity due to a number of factors that provided a defence against it. The key differences that children identified, that could be protective as well as a risk for them featured in the following main themes: factors within the family, experiences at school and individual/personal characteristics. Staff, parent and child responses were triangulated to provide a rich picture of the potential protective factors operating within the school and family environment. Implications for future practice for schools and Educational Psychologists in areas such as the voice of the child, bullying, home-school and community partnerships and mental health interventions are discussed. Methodological issues are also considered, together with suggestions for future research to create a deeper understanding of the role of culture, schools, coping styles and the community. Further opportunities for research exploring risk and resilience in unaccompanied refugee children are suggested.

The transition to secondary school can be a period of excitement and apprehension for all children; however increased anxiety surrounding change can make periods of transition challenging for children with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) and can affect their ability to adapt to the new social and physical environment. This study explored the experiences of eight children with ASC during the transition to secondary school. Children were interviewed towards the end of the summer term at primary school and during the first term at secondary school. Children’s drawings and models were used to facilitate the interview process and as a focus for discussion. Findings suggest that some of the aspects of transition experienced by children with ASC are common to all children moving from primary to secondary school, such as familiarisation with the school environment, social relationships, fear of bullying, looking forward to new subjects and people, and new opportunities. However, some of the children in this study experienced heightened anxiety, particularly pre-transition when they were uncertain what to expect, how other children would react to them, who they should make friends with and what they would do if they had difficulty managing their emotions. Induction visits successfully addressed some of these issues however most children still experienced uncertainty about some aspects of secondary school. In contrast, familiarity with the new environment and a greater degree of predictability about the structure of the school day in addition to knowing school staff and making new friends contributed to children’s positive emotions about school. There were some aspects of transition that children felt could be improved such as preparation, peer support, preventative support from teachers and the opportunity to talk about transition and social and emotional issues. Findings emphasise the importance of adequate preparation and individualised planning involving children in the process.

Ireland has a comprehensive yet complex, statutory framework for the resolution of employment disputes. Various bodies offer conciliation, mediation, arbitration and regulation, however the processes are taking too long. The focus of this dissertation is on another form of dispute resolution – collaborative law and its suitability to the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The overarching question of this research is: Can a dispute resolution model based on collaborative practice be a useful addition to alternative dispute resolution in Irish employment law? A review of ADR and employment literature provides a context for this research. The first phase of the primary research consisted of a survey of collaborative practitioners in Ireland to identify the current usage and success of collaborative law and whether practitioners felt collaborative law was suitable for the resolution of Irish employment disputes. The second phase entailed depth interviews with key employment stakeholders to verify the findings from phase A. Analysis of the findings indicate that collaborative law could be a successful method of dispute resolution and that practitioners feel it is an appropriate method of dispute resolution for employment disputes.

Aim The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) on the lives of young people and identify factors that promote resilience to mental health difficulties within this population. Methods The study used a mixed methods approach. Results from the analysis of data from a longitudinal population-based birth cohort, the Avon longitudinal Study of Parents and Children {n=6,902) were synthesised with qualitative data from a purposive sample of 11 young people with clinically diagnosed DCD aged 11 to 16 years. Findings from the qualitative study highlighted areas that were important in the lives of the young people interviewed. These areas, such as the importance of friendship groups, bullying and a positive sense of self, were added to the final analytical model as explanatory mediators in the relationship between DCD and mental health difficulties. Findings In total, 123 young people (1.8% of the eligible cohort aged seven years), met all four diagnostic aThis thesis presents research that explored the nature of bullying amongst girls aged 12 to 15 years old in Northern Ireland. The aim of the research was to provide insight into bullying amongst girls of this age through investigating types of female friendships and the impact they may have on the ways in which girls can experience bullying. The roles adopted by girls in relation to bullying are seen from multiple viewpoints of bully, target and bystander. Furthermore, the thesis considers the relatively new phenomenon of ‘cyberbullying’ by exploring how girls use technology such as mobile phones and the Internet in their everyday lives and how this technology offers new and alternative ways to participate in and experience bullying. In order to investigate the participants’ different perceptions and experiences of bullying. Goffman’s theory of social interactions as a performance has been used as an analytical framework. The study sample consisted of 494 questionnaire responses from girls aged 12 to 15 years old across eight schools in Northern Ireland, and eight semi-structured interviews conducted online using instant messenger. A social networking site, Bebo, was used to communicate more widely with possible participants. The study found that the majority of girls have been a target of bullying at some stage with participants reporting experiences involving a diverse range of methods. The findings provide insight regarding the methods girls use to bully and how age is a significant factor regarding the ways in which girls tend to participate in bullying. The study found that over ninety five percent of participants owned a mobile phone and had internet access at home. As these technologies may be used as alternative ways to bully, it is important that adults understand this new area in order to assist girls in their experiences of bullying.
criteria for DCD using strict (5th centile) cut-offs (severe DCD). In addition, 346 young people met wider inclusion criteria (15th centile of a motor test and activity of daily living scales) and were defined as having moderate or severe DCD. These young people with moderate or severe DCD had increased odds of difficulties in attention, short-term memory, social communication, non-verbal skills, reading and spelling. They also had increased odds of self-reported depression, odds ratio: 2.08 (95% confidence interval (Cl) 1.36 to 3.19) and parent reported mental health difficulties, odds ratio: 4.23 (95% Cl 3.10 to 5.77) at age nine to ten years. The young people interviewed did not see themselves as disabled. Factors that increased a positive sense of self were inclusion in friendship groups, information that helped them understand their difficulties and being understood by parents and teachers. These findings were mirrored in the quantitative analysis which showed that the odds of mental health difficulties reduced after accounting for social communication difficulties, bullying, lower verbal intelligence and self-esteem. Conclusions Developmental Coordination Disorder is a common developmental disorder in childhood. The difficulties seen in these young people are complex and assessment needs to be multidisciplinary and consider neurological causes of poor motor coordination, the presence of coexisting developmental difficulties and associated mental health difficulties. Due to the high prevalence of the condition, ongoing one-to-one therapeutic interventions are not feasible. School based interventions, using therapists as trainers, working within a socio-medical model of disability, could work to promote resilience within the individual and improve the acceptance of differences in abilities within the school.