Identifying emerging trends for implementing learning technology in special education: A state-of-the-art review of selected articles published in 2008–2012

As electronic learning (e-learning) becomes increasingly popular in education worldwide, learning technology (LT) has been applied in various learning environments and activities to promote meaningful, efficient, and effective learning. LT has also been adopted by researchers and teacher-practitioners in the field of special education, but as yet little review-based research has been published. This review research thus carefully examined the trends of LT implementations in special education, providing a comprehensive analysis of 26 studies published in indexed journals in the past five years (2008–2012). Two research questions were addressed: (a) What are the major research aims, methodologies, and outcomes in these studies of implementing LT in the field of special education? and (b) What types of LT are mainly used with special education students, and for what kinds of students? Major findings include that examining the learning effectiveness of LT using was the most common research purpose (75%); researchers primarily relied on experimental studies (46%, 12 studies), followed by interviews and questionnaires (19%, 5 studies). Moreover, the most common use of LT was computer-assisted technology (such as web-based mentoring, educational computer games, laptop computers) in special education; studies investigating the use of LT with mentally disabled students were more than those with physically disabled ones. It is expected that the findings of this work and their implications will serve as valuable references with regard to the use of LT with special education students.     

An evaluation of research and training resources for the sex education of people with moderate to severe learning disabilities

To review the literature on issues surrounding the sexuality of people with moderate to severe learning disability (SLD), and evaluate available assessment and training methods. This research arose from an increasing number of referrals for clinical intervention in the training and education of appropriate social and sexual behaviour in people with moderate to SLD. What became apparent was the lack of suitable materials and assessments, which is significant as a large number of persons with SLD have problems with language, and so require tools and programmes which have enhanced levels of pictorial support. This research was necessary as people with SLD are vulnerable and have been open to emotional and sexual abuse [Ment Handicap Res 16 (1993) 193]. Also, the present study was also required to help keep clients safe and reduce their vulnerability. It has been proposed that this should be achieved through providing educative input. An extensive review of the literature revealed that the research on sexuality in SLD was limited. Furthermore, where research had been conducted, poor methodology or validation issues were common, and materials appeared overly complicated for clients with moderate to SLD. Further research into the development and validation of assessment tools and training programmes which increase appropriate sexual behaviours is urgently required.     

Research on Career Identity in China: A Literature Review

Career identity is one of the important topics to study the psychological problems of employees, especially after the outbreak of CoV-19. Being a populous country in the world, China has a large number of employees from all walks of life, and its research on career identity has attracted more and more attention. Thus, this study aims to sort out the history, characteristics, and trends of the research on career identity in China through a literature review, which can help more scholars pay attention to China’s career identity research. In this study, Citespace is used to statistically analyze the selected literature from China’s National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WOS). The results show that: (1) The historical evolution of career identity research in China can be divided into three stages: germination, development and maturity. (2) From the perspective of cooperation between authors and institutions, researchers tend to do independent research, mainly focusing on the research in the field of psychology. (3) From the key words, career identity and employability are the main high-frequency words. (4) From the cluster analysis, the research focuses mainly include social support, teachers’ career identity, influencing factors, and job involvement. (5) From the emergent analysis, it can be seen that the research on roles and differences between urban and rural areas is weakening, and the research on factors such as job satisfaction is gradually strengthening as the frontier theme. Finally, according to the existing analysis results, this study predicts the future trend of career identity in China and thinks that it will extend from the fields of concept explanation, interdisciplinary research, scientific research tools, and so on.     

A systematic literature review of the experiences and supports of students with autism spectrum disorder in post-secondary education

BackgroundPost-secondary students with ASD experience a range of academic and non-academic difficulties and represent approximately one percent of the post-secondary cohort. The purpose of this review is to conduct a systematic literature review of articles that examined the barriers, challenges, and benefits experienced by post-secondary students with ASD, and the supports and services provided to them, and also to analyze student satisfaction with those supports.MethodThree databases were searched and articles were screened against eligibility criteria.The twenty-three studies (reported in twenty-nine articles) that met criteria were also assessed for quality. Data pertaining to the benefits, challenges, and barriers experienced, and student satisfaction with supports and services provided, were extracted and analyzed.ResultsThe studies highlighted the diverse range of social, emotional and sensory difficulties experienced by students with ASD, and how those difficulties negatively impacted all aspects of their post-secondary education. Also, the supports provided were often incongruous with need and produced idiosyncratic benefits, demonstrating the need for individualized supports and novel solutions to be identified. Suggestions for future research were made.ConclusionsWhile prior research on post-secondary students with ASD is limited and geographically circumscribed, the current body of research suggests that students with ASD are often more concerned with non-academic issues than with their academic studies. Also, many post-secondary educational institutions were found proficient at providing traditional academic supports while non-academic supports and resources were often found inadequate. In addition, many students with ASD experienced anxiety or had poor advocacy skills and this impeded their ability to access available supports. Finally, students with ASD were found to be very diverse and to experience idiosyncratic responses to supports, suggesting that supports ideally needed to be individualized, ubiquitous, and continually monitored.     

Developmental psychiatry and intellectual disabilities: an American perspective

The Natalie Cobbing Travelling Fellowship gives the opportunity to medical professionals trained in the Psychiatry of Intellectual Disabilities to gain experience in their field from centres overseas. This article concentrates on specialist work settings and the practice in developmental disabilities in Boston, USA. The authors conclude that such training opportunities not only are important educational milestones but also help in creating a network of professionals who can work together to improve standards of research and clinical practice across different cultural and ethnic divides.     

Psychiatry towards the year 2000

After a brief historical introduction, the future of psychiatry is discussed by considering trends in mental disorder, treatment ideology, research and evolution of society in general with a focus on western Europe and North America.     

Psychiatric trainees in Finland 2001

This study examined Finnish psychiatric trainees’ views on their education. This was a survey study of nationwide data on Finnish psychiatric trainees in 2001. The quality of training was considered at least moderate by 84% of the respondents. Training on epidemiology, on taking history and status, and on psychopharmacology was considered the best. Quality was rated bad for training in leadership and administration, and educating the community. Research was done by 20%, and a personal clinical supervisor was appointed to 52% of the respondents. Offensive treatment had been experienced by 49% of the trainees in this study. Generally, studies of training also reflect strengths and weaknesses of the profession. Based on our results, it seems especially that training in leadership and in educating the community need to be improved; both of these are quintessential skills to survive in the struggle for economic and human resources. Furthermore, treatment of the trainees could still be better; attention should be paid to supervision of all trainees. Moreover, research must become more attractive. Psychiatry can be developed by the development of psychiatric training.     

Current issues in continuing education for contemporary behavioral health practice

The evolving health care system poses a number of challenges for the continuing development of the professional workforce. An overview of continuing education is provided, including typical objectives, format, content, and sponsors. Data are presented on continuing education requirements by discipline and by state. The forces of change that have driven the need for revised approaches to continued professional development are described, including research findings on the apparent lack of effectiveness of didactic learning activities. Current issues in continuing education are discussed, with a focus on educational content, financing, and the use of emerging technologies as a medium for these activities. The authors conclude with five recommendations for improving the process and content of continuing education for the professional behavioral health workforce.     

Evidence-based practice: A quality indicator analysis of peer-tutoring in adapted physical education

The purpose of the research was to conduct a quality indicator analysis of studies investigating peer-tutoring for students with a disability in adapted physical education. An electronic search was conducted among English journals published from 1960 to November 2012. Databases included ERIC, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus. Fifteen research studies employing group-experimental (Gersten et al., 2005) or single-subject designs (Horner et al., 2005) met inclusion criteria. Each study was assessed for the presence and clarity of quality indicators. Group designs met an average of 62.5% essential and 69% desirable indicators. An average of 80% of indicators was present for single-subject designs. Results suggest claims of peer-tutoring being an evidence-based practice are premature. Recommendations for clarifying and applying the quality indicators are offered.     

Inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in Arab countries: A review of the research literature from 1990 to 2014

BackgroundIn this study, a literature review was conducted to analyze studies published from 1990 to 2014 in English-written literature on inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in Arab countries.AimsThis study sought to review and analyze research conducted on Inclusive Education (IE) in Arab countries.Methods and proceduresThe following electronic databases were used in searching the relevant literature: ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, PsychINFO, EBSCOhost Databases, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database, ERIC, and Google Scholar. After the publications to be included in this study were retrieved, each study was reviewed and analyzed. Each study was examined for details such as authors, title of research, publication year, country, purpose, methods, and key findings.Outcomes and resultsThe results showed that a total of 42 empirical studies related to inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in Arab countries have been published. More than two-thirds of these studies came from United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The majority of the studies were published in the last 6 years. The main parameters in these studies were: attitudes toward inclusion, barriers to inclusion, and evaluating inclusion.Conclusions and implicationsThe results of the current study revealed that relatively little IE research has been conducted in Arab countries. More research is warranted to test the generalizability of the results of the current study. Further research is also needed to analyze IE practices and demonstrate strategies for the effective implementation of IE in these countries.     

Training healthcare providers in patient–provider communication: What speech-language pathology and medical education can learn from one another

Background: While the field of speech-language pathology and medical education both provide training to improve the abilities of their students to communicate with patients, these fields rarely interact or collaborate with one another to maximise the effectiveness of this training. With a recent emphasis on the communication needs of patients with aphasia and other communication disorders in healthcare, and barriers these patients often face in accessing healthcare services, it has become increasingly important to review current research regarding patient–provider communication training, as well as what speech-language pathology and medical education can learn from one another in this area.

Aims: The purpose of this literature review was (1) to examine the impact of communication disorders on patient–provider communication, (2) to identify gaps in current patient–provider communication training in medical education that speech-language pathology can help fill, and (3) to highlight innovations in medical education that may enhance the clinical training of speech-language pathology students.

Main Contributions: There is a significant body of research to demonstrate the effectiveness of patient–provider communication training in medical education. However, research and training in this area often neglects patients with aphasia and other communication disorders, who are more vulnerable to medical errors and poorer health outcomes than patients without communication disorders. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are uniquely qualified to train other healthcare providers in communication techniques to use with patients with communication disorders. The field of speech-language pathology can also benefit from using patient–provider communication frameworks and standardised patients to improve student training and service delivery for patients with communication disorders.

Conclusions: Collaboration between speech-language pathology and medical education can help to ensure the highest-quality healthcare services are offered to the patients they serve.     

Key priorities,challenges and opportunities to advance an integrated mental health and education research agenda

A critical priority for the fields of education and mental health is to develop an integrated research agenda to advance empirical and practical progress towards the goal of reducing a significant research to practice gap. This study presents qualitative findings from an intensive dialogue meeting held with a multidisciplinary sample of 35 leaders in education, children's mental health and related fields. Comprehensive data from the meeting by three independent notetakers were analysed and integrated to fully capture the discussion of research priorities for education and mental health. Synthesized content represented the three categories of key priorities, challenges and opportunities towards an integrated mental health and education research agenda. Themes identified by qualitative analysis of the notes, as well as suggestions, current progress and future directions for reducing the research-to-practice gap, are described.     

Neuropsychology in South Africa: confronting the challenges of specialist practice in a culturally diverse developing country

Objective: This was an invited paper on the history and current status of neuropsychology in South Africa. Method: Information was gathered from literature searches, personal communication, and the authors’ experiences while occupying relevant professional and academic positions for over 30 years. Results: Since its origins in the 1950s, the development of neuropsychology in South Africa has faced numerous challenges, against a background of extreme sociocultural and socioeconomic disparity in the country that is on-going. The creation of the South African Clinical Neuropsychological Society in the 1980s, a credentialing and training body, gave impetus to the discipline. In the absence of a neuropsychology category within the South African professional framework, university instruction has been ad hoc with vastly different levels of competency depending on the institution involved. The small number of practitioners and/or academics involved in neuropsychology includes mainly masters, and some doctoral level psychologists registered in clinical, counseling or educational categories. A prime emphasis of neuropsychological research has been local norming of psychometric tests to facilitate valid assessment practices in the country. South Africa is on the cusp of achieving a hard-won neuropsychology professional register. It is anticipated that this development will provide impetus to the discipline by promoting training programs, the creation of neuropsychology posts, wider service delivery, and increased research funding. Conclusions: Despite significant challenges in a culturally diverse, developing country, neuropsychology has evolved sufficiently to warrant the creation of a separate category in the professional framework. This development will facilitate training, research, and services in the country.     

Music therapists’ attitudes and actions regarding the LGBTQ community: A preliminary report

This is a preliminary report on survey research currently being conducted by a team of music therapists across the United States. The study's purpose was to explore the attitudes and actions of music therapists across the globe in regards to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) clients, coworkers, and students. The survey questions were designed to explore areas of knowledge as well as deficits in order to direct future educational offerings for music therapists and music therapy students. These results are preliminary, reflecting the first 2 months the survey was open representing a total of 409 respondents. Results indicate a need for further education and training of music therapists regarding LGBTQ issues.     

A questionnaire survey of the provision of training in human sexuality in schools of nursing in the UK

The inconsistent and haphazard approach to the provision of training in human sexuality to health professionals in the UK and elsewhere has been a matter of concern for over half a century. This article discusses the implications of findings from a questionnaire survey of 41 schools of nursing in the UK regarding their provision of training in human sexuality. Schools of nursing were chosen, as nurses form by far the largest employment group in the NHS today. The aim of this questionnaire survey was to obtain information on the provision of training in human sexuality in schools of nursing in the UK. The 20-item mixed qualitative and quantitative questionnaire was designed to elicit maximum information about research questions, it was independently validated after focus group discussion. The results drawn from this study will be primarily presented as observations, rather than statistically tested statements. The provision of training in human sexuality in the pre-registration nursing curricula in the UK is inadequate to meet the current varied needs of patients. On average, a mere 6.8 hours out of a potential 2300 hours of theoretical learning is dedicated to teaching human sexuality in schools of health in the UK. This is considerably less time than is dedicated to other areas of learning within the curriculum. The overall provision of training in human sexuality in the nursing curricula does not seem to have significantly improved, regardless of pleas from such esteemed bodies as the World Health Organisation and others.     

Will Filmed Presentations of Education and Contact Diminish Mental Illness Stigma?

This study examines the impact of two versions of anti-stigma programs—education and contact—presented on videotape. A total of 244 people were randomly assigned to education or contact conditions and completed pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measures of stereotypes. Results suggest that the education videotape had limited effects, mostly showing improvement in responsibility (people with mental illness are not to blame for their symptoms and disabilities). Watching the contact videotaped showed significant improvement in pity, empowerment, coercion, and segregation. Contact effects were evident at post-test and 1 week follow-up. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed. Patrick W. Corrigan and Jon Larson are affiliated with the Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA. Molly Sells is affiliated with the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. Nathaniel Niessen is affiliated with Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. Amy Watson is affiliated with the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.     

Gateways to Mental Illness Discourse: Tools for Talking with Teenagers

The existence of mental health discrimination is well-documented, and research suggests that negative attitudes to mental illness are particularly prevalent among adolescents. While recent years have seen much activity aiming to reduce this discrimination, little of it has been targeted at young people or based in schools. The first stage of targeted anti-discrimination enterprise must be to understand the current views of the target group. However, research into how young people construct and occupy mental illness discourse is sparse. In this qualitative study, the ways in which adolescents construct understandings of mental illness are explored, using an innovative photovignette technique. Eighteen young people aged 14—18 participated. The photo-vignette method enabled participants to engage with figurative narratives of mental illness, and responses indicated that life history explanations for mental illness helped young people adopt non-discriminatory positions. These findings are considered in relation to the development of strategies for reducing mental health discrimination through education.     

Chronic disease self-management interventions for adults with serious mental illness: a systematic review of the literature

Objective

While there is strong evidence in support of chronic disease self-management programs, much less is available with regard to individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI). The objectives of this review are to identify and appraise chronic disease self-management studies tested with samples of US adults living with SMI. We include an appraisal of methodological quality of the chronic disease self-management (CDSM) studies that met our final criteria.

Methods

Systematic search methods were utilized to identify intervention studies published before 2012 that describe CDSM outcomes for adults with SMI.

Results

Eighteen unduplicated articles were identified that included outcomes of CDSM studies, while 10 met all inclusion criteria. Favorable treatment effects were observed for adults with SMI across 10 studies that took place in different types of clinical settings. CDSM studies that met all search criteria had a wide range of methodological quality, indicating that this is a nascent field of study.

Conclusions

Given the high chronic disease burden experienced by individuals with SMI combined with our nations health care reform, emphasis on self-management to improve population health, coupled with advancing the quality of research to evaluate CDSM programs for adults with SMI, is critically needed.     

Death and people with learning disabilities: empowering carers

This study investigates the provision of loss and bereavement education to carers of people with learning disabilities within a small community home. The literature that informs this study reviews the history of care of people with learning disabilities, theories of education and theories of loss and bereavement. The research approach is a micro ethnographic one. It considers the results of an evaluation of an educational session based on 12 individual needs assessment interviews. Results show increased personal insight as a result of the educational session with carers being able to identify areas of change to care provision as an outcome. In conclusion, this study shows the place and value of a ‘small scale approach to training’ and promotes proactive care provision around loss and bereavement to people with learning disabilities.     

Postsecondary education: Kindling opportunities for people with mental illness

Education is recognized in many sectors of society as essential for empowerment and better lives, and postsecondary education is increasingly a prerequisite for many occupations. Given its onset in late adolescence and early adulthood, mental illness frequently disrupts secondary or tertiary education, and resulting lower educational attainment contributes to reduced lifetime employment and earning potential. Yet, supporting people with mental illnesses to pursue postsecondary education offers pathways to vocational qualifications and more diverse opportunities for employment and career advancement. While substantial efforts have been made to develop evidence‐based interventions to improve employment outcomes for people with mental ill health, less is known about the best ways to enable people with mental illness to successfully return to study and to pursue their educational goals. This paper briefly discusses supported education, an approach designed to provide pathways and supports for reengagement in education; it highlights the potential of modeling educational support on Individual Placement and Support principles used in supported employment programs; and calls for greater efforts in research and practice to enable youth or adults with mental illness to reengage in education so as to improve their educational outcomes and career prospects.