Laurie Ford

Understandings of sexual orientation vary across individuals, cultures, geographic regions, and time. In queer theory, sexual orientation is seen as a social construction that is understood through the subjective experience of individuals. Queer newcomer youth are defined as immigrants, refugees, and international student youth between the ages of 19 and 24 who haveimmigrated in the last five years and identify broadly as non-heterosexual (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer, questioning etc.) (hereafter, QNY). QNY experience a process known as school integration, which is defined broadly as the adjustment of newcomer youth to student life both inside and outside school spaces. For these youth, school integration may also entail negotiating competing cultural understandings of sexual orientation with those of their host country. This process and the resulting understandings of sexual orientations may be of particular importance to QNY, as adolescence is considered a significant period for sexual identity development.However, extant literature has focussed on Western-centric, non-immigrant understandings of sexuality and sexual orientation and has subsequently failed to consider the intersectional experiences and understandings of QNY. In this study, I used a phenomenographic methodology guided by a queer theory theoretical framework to explore, understand, and compare various ways QNY understand sexual orientation through the process of schoolintegration. The aim of this study was to explore the ways QNY understand sexual orientation, and to inform broader conceptualizations of school integration and immigration. Data analysis revealed four qualitatively different understandings of sexual orientation collectively held byQNY: (a) attraction to gender; (b) attraction to type; (c) what you do; and (d) what you feel. Findings are discussed in the context of van Anders’ (2015) sexual configurations theory and Fuks et al.’s (2018) integrative model of cultural, sexual and gender identity development, alongside extant queer immigration, and sexuality literature. Limitations and strengths of this study, and implications for school psychology practice, training, research, and policy are also discussed.

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Youth in rural areas experience high rates of trauma exposure yet very few studies have explored specific mental health interventions for this population (James et al., 2017). Schools have long been identified as an ideal location to provide mental health supports (Rones & Hoagwood, 2000), and trauma-informed practices have been shown as an effective treatment for a range of trauma-related symptoms within the school setting (Nadeem et al., 2011). While trauma-informed practices are gaining in popularity, few research studies have explored the role of teachers in actualizing a trauma-informed educational approach. Rural areas have less access to professional mental health supports so that teachers and the broader school system have an opportunity to fill an essential void in providing youth mental health supports. In this study elementary school teacher perspectives on trauma-informed practices in rural areas of Alaska were explored, focusing on the specific strengths and challenges that these unique schools have in implementing the trauma-informed practices. A convergent, mixed methods design was used (Creswell, 2009) with an online survey (N=88) and individual interviews (N=6). Results from the survey revealed that teachers value the importance of trauma-informed practices, have received mixed levels of training, and feel somewhat to very prepared supporting trauma-affected students. From the thematic analysis, four overarching themes and 16 subthemes were identified, in which teachers identified key strengths and challenges of supporting trauma-affected students within their rural schools.

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Self-regulation involves individuals’ abilities to adapt cognitions, affect, and behaviors to respond to environmental demands and achieve goals. During childhood, self-regulation describes how children co-ordinate their deployment of basic executive functions and higher order process (e.g., metacognition, motivation, strategic action) to effectively engage with parents and siblings at home, and with teachers and peers, while learning in school. Research spanning the fields of developmental and educational psychology provides empirical support illustrating how children’s self-regulation predicts school adjustment. However, studies also reveal that children differ in their engagement in self-regulation in school, but fewer studies have examined the development of young children’s self-regulation in school trajectories, and how they may be shaped by features of classroom contexts that can serve to impact it. The current study fills a gap in the literature by using longitudinal data to examine trajectories of three young children’s self-regulation in school from Kindergarten to Grade Five. This longitudinal case study asks three research questions. First, how did the case study students’ self-regulation and achievement trajectories change from Kindergarten through Grade 5? Second, how might supports for self-regulation in classrooms attenuate for risk in children’s development of self-regulation? Third, how might classroom supports for self-regulation differentially support emotion regulation (ER), self-regulated learning (SRL), and socially responsible self-regulation (SRSR) in the case study students? Results from this study demonstrated that, in general, trajectories of self-regulation and achievement show similar patterns (i.e., when self-regulation scores increase or decrease so do achievement ratings). However, each student’s trajectory is unique and context needs to be considered when thinking about children’s development of self-regulation. This study suggests that certain classroom contexts and teaching practices provide more support for students’ development of self-regulation. These practices are discussed in detail in the results section. Implications for research and practice, as well as future directions, are also presented.

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The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about anti-Asian attitudes around the world. There have been many documented discriminatory acts towards Asians online and in person. However, surveys given to Chinese Canadians have indicated that there is a very low reporting rate from youth under the age of 18 who indicate they are experiencing anti-Asian attitudes compared to youth and young adults over the age of 18. Chinese Canadian youth’s experiences with anti-Asian attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic have largely been unexplored. It is important to give them the space to share their lived experiences and perceptions. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as the methodological framework, the purpose of the study was to explore and understand Chinese Canadian youth’s perceptions and experiences of anti-Asian attitudes during COVID-19. Six self-identified Chinese Canadian youth aged 16-17 from across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia participated in semi-structured interviews about their perceptions and experiences surrounding how anti-Asian attitudes are addressed at school and what type of support they receive. Following the step-by-step data analysis procedures described within the IPA methodology, three superordinate themes and 11 subordinate themes were identified. Participants expressed that they are indeed experiencing anti-Asian attitudes in multiple environments, and report that they feel unsupported with their mental health at school and in the community. However, from their perceived lack of support, they were able to create their own support systems. Findings are discussed within the context of the existing literature. Finally, future directions for research and school-based practices as reported by participants, and the implications for practitioners are discussed.

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Canada has previously and continues to be built on the immigration of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Immigrating to a new country involves adapting to a new culture and set of norms (Beiser, 2009; Chuang, 2019; Vezina & Houle, 2017), where parents and children may face trauma and be at risk for developing physical and mental health issues (Beiser, 2005; Chuang, 2019; Pritchard & Ramos, 2018). Emotion-related skills play a key role in combatting these issues and increasing children’s future success, suggesting the importance of supporting the development of emotion-related skills early in childhood (Gagne et al., 2018). However, parents from a non-Western country resettling in Canada may have different perceptions and understandings of emotion that can impact the development of a child’s emotion-related skills. There is little research on how Iranian parents who are immigrants or refugees in Canada perceive the construct of emotions and the role of emotions in their parenting. Thus, in this study those aspects will be explored with Iranian Canadian parents.This exploratory qualitative descriptive study employed semi-structured interviews and photos as elicitation devices to understand the perceptions Iranian parents who are immigrants with young children hold regarding the construct of emotion and their perception on emotions in their parenting. A total of four parents with children between the ages of six and eight living in British Columbia and Ontario who immigrated to Canada at least five years ago participated in the study. A thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) of interview transcripts was used to identify patterns within the data and generate in vivo codes to describe the lived experiences of the participants. Analysis of semi-structured online interviews with each participant revealed that parents perceived emotion experiences to vary based on an individual’s age and environment and that the role of emotions was for protection and parents served as role models and teachers of emotions. These themes revealed that emotions exist everywhere and have cultural influences and that protecting their children was important when dealing with and sharing emotions. Moreover, each participant revealed that the environment they found themselves in impacted the emotions they experienced.

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The number of persons forcibly displaced worldwide has surged to levels higher than at any other point in history. In 2019 this population reached 79.5 million, with 26 million persons forced to flee across borders or state lines under the title or status of refugee (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2020). Of these 26 million persons, 52 percent are children under the age of 18, with 7.1 million children of school age, and 3.7 million of these school aged children living in regions without access to schooling (UNHCR, 2019). In 2018, 28,076 new Canadian citizens arrived from refugee backgrounds, with 10,999 of these new entrants, under the age of 17 (Mendicino, 2019). In the present study, academic settings were viewed as offering a viable point of observation in seeking to gain insight and understanding into the academic experiences of students from refugee backgrounds. A qualitative meta-synthesis was used to systematically source, appraise, and analyze qualitative research findings to explore the academic successes of students from refugee backgrounds (Sandelowski & Barroso, 2007; Spradley, 1979). Findings from 16 qualitative research reports were thematically analyzed to highlight seven themes, 26 subthemes, and 90 features of academic programs that were shown to contribute to the academic success of refugee students. Thematic results generated from the meta-synthesis highlight the importance of: educator care and creativity; representation of student language, culture, and experience; and additional school supports. These factors were shown to provide cumulative support for student learning and success, in addition to fostering feelings of safety, connection, enjoyment, and engagement for students from refugee backgrounds.

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Social-emotional competence is a significant aspect of early learning, and school teachers are expected to address the social and emotional needs of children. There are several concepts related to social and emotional competence that have influenced the way in which teachers implement practices for addressing the social and emotional needs of children. A common way that teachers exploit opportunities to address social and emotional competence is by using already developed primary intervention programmes. A series of phenomena are seen to compromise the efficacy of these programs, such as lack of fidelity and buy-in, and little is known about how kindergarten teachers integrate practices for the development of social and emotional competence into their daily practice. This Case Study used Thematic Content analysis of class plans, observations and interviews with one teacher to explore how an experienced kindergarten teacher plans opportunities and integrates practices for the development of social and emotional competence in her classroom. How this teacher articulates the process of planning and implementing opportunities for the development of social and emotional competence was also explored. This study took place in a public school in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada, where the school curriculum had focused on the issue of social and emotional competence for many years. The teacher used different planned and spontaneous strategies to support children's development of social and emotional competence. The most used strategies involved books and humour. Her experience helped her develop the expertise to integrate teaching practices that are effective in creating a positive environment for learning. However, teachers may benefit from getting more support to ease their job. As it was a case study, other contexts may reveal different findings. Future research may focus on studying how a teacher might use humour and internet search to support children's development of social and emotional competence.

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Decades of research on the impact of trauma in early childhood suggest severe risks to the mental health, emotional, social, and physical development of a young child. More recent research suggests that prolonged exposure to trauma can also affect a child’s ability to learn and their early academic success. Trauma-exposed students can pose a variety of different levels of challenges to schools and educators of young children and to date, few studies have addressed ECE teachers’ role in providing trauma support. An aim of the present study was to contribute to this literature by exploring the beliefs of BC early childhood education (ECE) teachers in their level of readiness and capability to work within a trauma-informed practice (TIP) framework to support their trauma-exposed students. Through a sequential, mix-methods approach, a self-report survey and semi-structured interviews were used to gauge BC ECE teachers’ knowledge of TIP, their preparedness, and their ability in using this framework to support their most vulnerable students. Teacher participants were recruited through the Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia conference and ECE community social media groups, Survey data was primarily collected through an online survey with interviews taking place in-person and audio-recorded. Survey results revealed that the majority of teachers believe they are somewhat prepared and able to apply the tenants of TIP in their classrooms despite a lack of training and resources provided by their schools and administrations. In follow-up interviews 14 subthemes emerged from a thematic analysis of the data under four broad themes: Challenges for ECE Teachers, Administrative Protocol and Support, Effective Approaches and Additional Support Desired by ECE Teachers. Findings of this study suggest ECE teachers are very interested in receiving more knowledge and training to provide optimal support for their trauma-exposed students.

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For all children, and especially those with special education needs, parent school involvement is important to their experiences in school. School involvement is an umbrella term that encompasses various activities, including parent-teacher conferencing, attending open house events at school, reading to children, helping with homework, checking homework, and conveying expectations about academic achievement. Another form of school involvement is advocacy, or the actions taken by parents to ensure their children are receiving the most appropriate services at school. This form of involvement is especially important for children with special needs; parent duties described in IDEA (Leiter & Kraus, 2004) and the BC Ministry of Education Policy Manual echo this notion. While biological parents of children with special needs often face barriers to advocacy, foster parents in British Columbia (BC) may face these barriers in addition to ones imposed by the rules of the Ministry of Child and Family Development. For example, foster parents are typically not permitted to make decisions related to the education of the children in their care. In order to better understand the school experiences of children in foster care, it is important to understand the involvement and advocacy experiences of caregivers. Using IPA methodology, the experiences of school involvement and advocacy from the perspective of caregivers who foster children with special educational needs was explored. Participants in this study reported engaging in numerous school involvement activities, both at school and at home. In general, they reported feeling supported by schools, but they identified barriers to school involvement that are unique to the foster parent role. Further research on this topic is needed to understand how educators might better collaborate with foster parents.

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As 10-20% of Canadian youth will experience a mental illness at some point, many efforts have been made in recent years to prioritize adolescent mental health across Canada, including British Columbia. Given the unique advantages schools have in reaching a large number of adolescents, the school has been identified as an essential setting in which to address and support students’ mental health. The school climate is an important component of a student’s school experience and much is known about the relationship between school climate and student mental health. On the other hand, the climate particularly towards mental health in Lower Mainland secondary schools has largely been unexplored. As a school climate towards mental health may have significant implications on students’ mental health, including their help-seeking behaviour, it is important to determine how schools are addressing and supporting students’ mental health from the student perspective. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as the methodological framework, the purpose of the present study was to explore and understand students’ perceptions and experiences of the current climate towards mental health in Lower Mainland secondary schools. Seven Grade 11 and 12 students from secondary schools across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia participated in semi-structured interviews about their perceptions and experiences surrounding how mental health is addressed and supported at school. Following the step-by-step data analysis procedure outlined within IPA, five broad and 14 subthemes were identified. While participants generally reported being supported at school when it comes to academic support and the availability of individuals to talk to about mental health challenges, they also acknowledged certain limitations about mental health support at school. Conversations surrounding mental health reportedly rarely occur; however, participants discussed the language used by students when it is talked about and the importance of relationships when disclosing mental health problems. Furthermore, students’ perceived mental health literacy and the stigma associated with mental health problems varies across schools. Findings are discussed within the context of the existing literature. Finally, future directions for research and for school-based practices as reported by participants, and implications for the practice of school psychologists are also discussed.

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At present, over 10% of students who attend public schools in British Columbia are identified as having a special need and require an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This plan is created or revised in yearly meetings in which parents, teachers, and others decide on individualized goals, adaptations, modifications, support, and measures for tracking achievement, all related to the student’s educational planning. Although students are encouraged to participate in these meetings, little is known about what students’ involvement looks like. Supporting students’ autonomy has several positive outcomes including increased academic motivation and academic self-efficacy. When students are given the training and opportunity to take on roles that go beyond passive participation during the IEP process, benefits including increased academic performance, motivation for learning, and the development of self-determination skills can result. However, at present, research surrounding IEP participation has only been conducted in the US and very little research has directly studied students’ perceptions of their involvement. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, in this study, semi-structured interviews were used to explore student perspectives on their participation in the IEP process and how students with learning disabilities felt they could become better involved in their educational planning. Themes that emerged related to the students’ perceptions of their involvement included involvement, lack of involvement, advocacy and perceptions regarding the purpose of the IEP and the IEP meeting. Themes regarding how the students thought other students could become better involved in their meetings included acknowledgement of successes, collaboration, honesty and acceptance.

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Individuals with intellectual disabilities are at a greater risk of developing mental health difficulties than typically developing individuals (Munir, 2016). One way that mental health difficulties have been targeted and treated in recent years is by providing people with education about mental health, what it is and strategies to promote it. Mental health literacy is the process by which people learn how to obtain and maintain positive mental health; understanding mental disorders and their treatments; decreasing stigma related to mental disorders; and enhancing help-seeking efficacy (Kutcher, Wei, & Coniglio, 2016). When individuals understand what positive mental health is, they are more likely to take steps that contribute to it (Barry & Jenkins, 2007). While individuals with intellectual disabilities experience higher than average levels of mental health difficulties, especially young adults, there is limited research about how they view mental health, specifically, positive mental health. The researcher in this study sought to gain a better understanding of how young adults with intellectual disabilities conceptualize and define the concept of positive mental health, by employing a phenomenographic methodology. Eight participants were interviewed by the researcher and the qualitative interviews were analyzed in accordance to the phenomenographic method. Categories of description were identified through data analysis, which provided insight into how study participants defined positive mental health. The main categories of description that emerged from the data included defining positive mental health as related to physical health, and participants expressing that they were not sure what positive mental health was. Additionally, positive qualities were part of some individual’s definition (including happiness and positive actions), and mental health issues. This study provides important information to clinicians as it highlights the need for further research about how to best support individuals with intellectual disabilities in their psycho-education around mental health issues.

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There are a myriad of cultural factors that influence the home-school partnership for families with children with disability (Boyd & Correa, 2005; Harry, 2002; Kalyanpur, Harry, & Skrtic, 2010). South Asian families contend with community stigmas, which may prevent them from openly discussing their child’s disability and actively engaging in their child’s school (Heer, Larkin, & Rose, 2015; Ravindran & Myers, 2012; Rizvi, 2017; Zechella & Raval, 2016). Teachers and schools need to understand the best way to communicate with the families, and encourage their involvement (Welterlin & LaRue, 2007; Zhang & Bennett, 2003). Trust is an essential component to the development of a positive partnership between schools and families (Adams & Christenson, 1998; 2000). The primary objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of the school experiences of South Asian parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (autism) as well as the role of trust in their school relationships. Using qualitative methods and an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with four South Asian parents of children who have been formally designated with autism. Participants were asked to share their experiences regarding their interactions with their child’s school and what role trust played in their experiences. Findings indicate that South Asian parents tend to have an innate trust with schools and teachers. As they interact with their child’s teacher and the school system, the frequency and severity of their positive and negative experiences impact their level of trust. Differences in experience relate to the differences in each participant’s contextually bound lifeworld.

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Current trends in Canada and the world reflect a gradual increase in the utilization of Teacher Assistants (TAs; otherwise known as education assistants, learning support assistants, or paraprofessionals, hereafter TAs) in inclusive classrooms to support students with special educational needs. Due to the increased number of TAs in schools, teachers will likely encounter and work with TAs in their own classrooms and likewise, students are likely to be supported by them. Seemingly, the purpose of TAs is to provide support for students with special educational needs thereby increasing their academic achievement and social inclusion. However, research internationally has found that TA support is not always fulfilling this purpose; instead, increased TA support can lead to lower academic achievement and social exclusion for these students. Studies internationally have identified a number of factors as contributing to ineffective TA support. However, research on TA support in Canada is sparse. The current study employed an online survey within British Columbia completed by 329 TAs and 48 teachers to gain a better understanding of the roles of TAs from the perspective of teachers and TAs including, how prepared they are for their work, and the impact they are perceived to be making on student outcomes. Findings suggested that the TA’s role is ever changing and diverse, but most of their time is spent working one-to-one with students with special educational needs. They report that they are well-trained initially and have much experience, but lack ongoing professional development opportunities in areas such as instruction and decision-making about student work. Issues were raised throughout the study such as the lack of collaboration and communication between TAs and teachers and little respect, appreciation, and recognition for TAs. This research is one of the first in Canada on this topic and has provided insights into changes that can be made to how TAs are deployed and prepared in order to maximize their impact on student outcomes.

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Parents of students with special needs may experience stressors in association with their interaction with the education system. Meetings with multiple professionals can be intimidating, the process of assessment can be confusing, terminology used may be unfamiliar, and realizing their child is having challenges may be upsetting. Following the designation, navigation of special education services can also be challenging. Parents of Indigenous children may experience additional stressors. There is an incompatibility between traditional Indigenous cultural values and mainstream education, constructs that exist in special education may not exist in the same way in Indigenous culture, and some parents believe assessment is attempted assimilation. In addition, many parents have previous involvement with residential schools. Students who attended experienced loss of language and culture, and many also experienced abuse. These factors may impact how Indigenous parents perceive the current education system. In the present study, the experiences of seven Indigenous parents of students with special needs in education were explored. The aim was to better understand the experience of Indigenous parents regarding the processes that lead to their child’s designation and their navigation of special education services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Six broad themes emerged following data analysis using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings indicate some commonalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous parent experiences. The use of special education terminology may be upsetting, feelings of guilt and intimidation may arise when interacting with educators, learning how to navigate the system can be time consuming, and parents may experience stress as a result of their child being bullied. In addition, findings identified which are specific to Indigenous parents and supported by previous studies include: significant parent involvement in their child’s education, the importance of relationships with educators, the inclusivity of Indigenous communities, possible cultural discontinuity between the home and school, the construct of special needs not existing or existing in a different way in traditional culture or language, and the possible impact having a family member who attended residential school may have on the current view of schools for children and their parents.

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Immigrant students and families are increasingly becoming important members of our education system. In 2014, Canada welcomed more than 200,000 newcomers (Citizenship & Immigration Canada, 2015). The experience and success of immigrant students has been linked to many school and home factors (Alexander, Entwisle, & Thompson, 1987; Fuligini, 1997). Culturally based explanations of success argue that immigrant students’ success and experiences in school can be fully explained by their race or socioeconomic status (Trueba, 1988). The effectiveness of their home (family) and school environments should also be considered (Trueba, 1988). Research has also demonstrated that immigrant families contribute to their child’s education in different ways (Fuligni, 1997; Lopez, 2001). Therefore, family-school partnership is very integral to immigrant students’ success. While schools have focused on different ways of integrating students and families in schools, some scholars argue that studying how immigrant individuals experience sense of belonging is a more appropriate direction (Hurtado & Carter, 1997). However, research is unclear on how immigrant families, who are new members of the community, can become part of the school community (Puig, Erwin, Evenson, & Beresford, 2015). Employing an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this study used semi-structured interviews to explore immigrant families’ perceptions and experiences of sense of belonging in their child’s school, and teachers’ perceptions of sense of belonging for school community members and experiences of enhancing sense of belonging for immigrant families. The findings suggest that families perceive sense of belonging as being informed, having a support system, and feeling emotionally safe. They experienced sense of belonging in their children’s schools when they felt included, and had effective communication. Teachers perceived that sense of belonging for school community members means having a welcoming environment. Teachers also discussed communication and relationship building as some of the strategies they use in enhancing sense of belonging for immigrant parents. Relevance of these findings with their implications in a broader sociocultural understanding is discussed.

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During the learning process, frustration can be a significant obstacle for students, particularly in a classroom, when learners perceive that their peers can solve a problem more easily. The processes and beliefs that enable students to control their thoughts and actions to achieve personal goals are referred to as self-regulation. Dweck (1986; 2000) posited that the beliefs individuals have about their abilities, in particular about their intelligence, described as either a fixed or growth mindset, may mediate their use of self-regulatory strategies. An extension of Dweck’s research suggests that individuals also have beliefs about the amount of mental resources they have for exerting self- control (i.e., willpower) that are described as either limited or unlimited (Job, Dweck, & Walton, 2010). The purpose of the current study was to investigate how students’ beliefs about intelligence and willpower influenced their self-regulation during a potentially frustrating task with opportunities for social comparison. Participants in this study were public school students, aged 11 to 13 (N = 64; 40 female, 24 male), who were asked to solve puzzles in pairs. One student was given a solvable puzzle and the other was given an unsolvable puzzle. Students were not made aware of differences in the difficulty of the puzzle task before solving it. Questionnaires, observations, and performance on a cognitive task were used as measures of their beliefs, behaviours, emotions, and self- control. Data were analyzed using correlations, independent samples t-tests, and analysis of variance. Results indicated that the implemented experimental procedures induced frustration: students in the unsolvable condition displayed and self-reported greater frustration than students in the solvable condition. In addition, results indicated that frustration does not necessarily induce self-control depletion: no statistical difference was found in students’ self-control between conditions. However, students’ self- regulation was influenced by their beliefs about intelligence: students who viewed their intelligence as fixed demonstrated significantly greater self-control depletion than students who viewed their intelligence as capable of growing. Finally, results suggested that the concept of willpower may not be fully understood by students at this age: no significant results were found for the influence of students’ beliefs about willpower.

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Participation in outdoor play is important for healthy development during the early years, as evidenced by numerous research studies linking participation in outdoor play with positive benefits for children. Previous research has found links between parent perceptions of their neighbourhood and children’s participation in outdoor play, suggesting the importance of considering how parents view outdoor play spaces. The purpose of this study was to explore and better understand the perspectives of parents regarding the outdoor play spaces in their neighbourhood for their young child. An urban neighbourhood within the City of Vancouver was selected as the location for this study, and 7 parents (6 female, 1 male) of children ages 2 to 5 years old living within the selected neighbourhood participated in the study. The qualitative research methodology photovoice was used to empower participants to share their knowledge and experiences of their community through photographing their community and participating in focus group discussions. Data was collected in the form of participant photographs and transcriptions of focus groups and interviews. Using thematic analysis, the themes that represent the perspectives of this group of parents were identified. The findings revealed two categories of outdoor play spaces, Designed Outdoor Play Spaces and Outdoor Play Spaces of Opportunity. Parents perceived that anywhere outdoors had the potential to be an outdoor play space if it afforded opportunities for play. Outdoor play spaces were used in a variety of ways by parents and their children for Play, Social Connections, and Outdoor Space. Parents also described Modifying Spaces with the goal of Enhancing Spaces or Reducing Concerns. Parents discussed issues of quality related to the outdoor play spaces in their neighborhood, identifying Supporting Factors, Limiting Factors, and Supporting and Limiting Factors that influenced their perceptions of quality and their desire to use a space. The findings of this study suggest the value of considering parent perspectives and indicate important considerations for the design of neighbourhood outdoor play spaces that meet the needs of families and support children’s outdoor play.

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Given the history of immigration and refugee resettlement in Canada, its growing population of newcomers, particularly the recent influx of refugees, calls for a need to explore their experiences after migration. Previous research and clinical practice with refugee children and families have been predominantly trauma-based and focused on the maladaptive aspects of their post-migration lives. While it is important to recognize their unique challenges, this deficit-based model may risk pathologizing the refugee experience itself and disempowering refugee people. The present study uses a strengths-based approach and a qualitative methodology of interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand the lived experiences of children who arrived in Canada with refugee status. The purpose of the study was to explore the meaning of strength in their post-migration experiences by asking how they perceive their own assets and skills and how they describe the impact of their families, schools, and communities on their strengths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four girls between ages 10 and 14 using a narrative therapy- and arts-method called the Tree of Life as an elicitation device. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed for data analysis. Results revealed ten subthemes as strengths and sources of resilience under three broad themes of Individual Strengths, Family Impact, and School/Community Impact. Participants discussed their personal qualities, including Unique Talents, Ability to Face Challenges, Strong Family Bond, Openness to Diversity, Value in Own Culture, and Desire to Help Others, as well as social support in forms of Family as Role Models, Parental Involvement, Social Network, and New Experiences and Opportunities. Findings of this study suggest potential individual, familial, and school/community-related protective factors for refugee children, and significant implications for professionals who work with refugee families in Canada.

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Focus group discussions were analyzed to gain a better understanding of adolescent boys’ psychosocial processes of navigating their romantic relationships. In particular, the role of gender norms in boys’ navigation of romantic relationships was explored. Using grounded theory methodology, focused discussions were held with 23 boys in Grades 9 through 12 at high schools in an urban school district. The central phenomenon identified to be occurring during these participants’ relationship navigation was getting experienced in dating. Six other categories were identified: initiating dating relationships, benefiting/”gaining” from relationships, communication, managing relationship issues, relationship breakdown, and disengaging from dating. Contextual conditions were also found to be influencing participants’ relationship navigation: struggling to be confident, social/digital media culture, peers’ perceptions, parental expectations, multicultural context, female gender stereotypes, and finally, masculine gender norms. The significance of the findings in relation to boys’ relationship navigation, social and emotional learning, the development of psycho-educational interventions, and the implications for school psychologists are discussed.

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This case study was conducted to explore the use of the Teaching Pyramid model for supporting social emotional competence of young children within a Canadian child care program. The Teaching Pyramid is a systematic model that can be used to assist child care providers in supporting children who engage in challenging behaviours into their child care programs. This case study focused on one child care program located in a suburb of the lower mainland of British Columbia that has been applying the principles and practices of this model for almost five years. Semi- structured individual interviews and focus group interviews were conducted with the child care educators to gather information on their thoughts and experiences when working with children who engage in challenging behaviour and on their experiences with the Teaching Pyramid, including the ways in which an external coach may or may not have supported the implementation process. In addition to the interviews, the participants were asked to write short narratives that were used as a basis of the group interview. The data was then transcribed and codes and themes were uncovered. Nine themes emerged, the first two related to the participants’ motivation for the professional practice, followed by three themes concerning the strategies used by the participants. Finally, four themes related to the ways in which the participants engaged in their day-to-day practice.

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Being told that their child meets criteria for a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is life-changing news for parents. Prior to the diagnosis, they wait and worry and are faced with uncertainty about their child. After receiving the diagnosis, parents must adjust to the loss of “normalcy” and the demands of arranging services. In Canada, psychologists are regularly involved in conducting assessments and communicating the diagnosis of ASD to parents. Despite research examining parents’ experience with the diagnostic process, few studies have additionally considered clinicians’ perspectives and practices in conducting ASD assessments. In the present study, the experiences of mothers and clinicians before, during, and after a diagnosis of ASD were examined. The aim was to better understand how parents present when coming to an assessment for ASD, their reaction to the diagnosis, and the support they and their child received. This had the potential to provide insight into effective ways to meet the needs of parents as they process and attempt to move forward with their child’s diagnosis of ASD. In the present study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers and clinicians from lower mainland British Columbia. Data was categorized and analyzed using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. From the mother interviews, twelve themes emerged to depict experiences across the phases of assessment, while fourteen themes were revealed through clinician interviews. Findings revealed that mothers suspected ASD before the assessment began, clinicians made attempts to be clear and compassionate, and that information regarding resources was sufficient yet overwhelming for parents. In general, mothers were satisfied with the clinician and assessment approach yet discontent with the understanding and support received from outside sources.

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It is often the parent’s responsibility to follow through with the recommendations outlined in their child’s psychoeducational report. Yet, despite research demonstrating the importance of effective professional-client communication in fostering follow-through with recommendations, as well as low adherence rates, few studies have examined how to best communicate recommendations to parents. This is an unfortunate reality given that the recommendations are often the most crucial component of the psychoeducational report in enriching the child’s future functioning. In turn, many children’s needs are not attended to and the usefulness of the psychoeducational report is drastically diminished. In the present study, parents’ preferences for the way in which recommendations are communicated in a psychoeducational report was examined. Specifically, by developing a procedure to assist in exploring this topic and field testing different recommendation formats, we hoped to gain insight into parents’ preferences for how written recommendations are presented and communicated. Additionally, the recommendation formats influence on parent’s likelihood to adhere to recommendations was also explored. To accomplish this, a multi-stage, Vignette based, case-study design was employed which combined the Vignette technique with a survey format. Four broad themes and nine subthemes emerged from parents’ review of the different recommendation formats, including: organize recommendations into subject areas with headings, provide recommendations with detailed instructions, provide goals and explain how to monitor progress, and, make recommendations specific. Results also indicated a statistically significant difference in likelihood of adherence depending on which recommendation format was reviewed.

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This study utilizes a multiple-case study to investigate the knowledge, experience, and needs regarding professional development opportunities of Chilean early childhood educators. The cases of the study are the professional development of the staff employed at two centers that belong to JUNJI and Fundacion Integra foundation, the two main institutions offering state-funded early childhood education in Chile. The participants of this study included two center’s directors and four early childhood educators. Data collection was undertaken using semi-structured interviews, review of documents and a reflective journal. Data were categorized and analyzed adopting an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Four broad themes were identified trough the analysis: different types of professional development, perceptions about the value and effectiveness of professional development activities, professional development needs, and working conditions.Participants of this study described their experiences in a variety of professional development activities including orientation; ongoing training in the form of workshops, talks and courses; learning communities; beginning of the year intensive training; and diplomas and degrees. In general, professional development was regarded by all participants as an essential component in their careers as early childhood educators. However not all participants shared the same perception about the effectiveness of different types of professional development activities available to them. Participants expressed several needs that in their view would maximize the potential benefits of professional development activities. Those needs encompassed greater duration and depth in orientation sessions and ongoing training activities; access to ongoing training activities for a greater number of educators; more opportunities to receive training guided by subject matter experts both inside and outside the centers; more training focused in topics related to language development, socioemotional development, and assessment; greater economic support to pursue postgraduate studies; and improvement of the initial training of early childhood educators. In one center the participants discussed several working conditions that affected their overall daily experiences at work. Participants indicated that lack of time, increased administrative work, and low staff-child ratio were factors that hampered their work at the center, including but also transcending professional development activities.

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Entry into kindergarten is a critical developmental time for children and research consistently demonstrates the need for specific practices to facilitate this transition (Pianta, 2007; Schulting, Malone, & Kenneth, 2005). Although successful transition into kindergarten is a consideration for students in general education, students with special education needs, such as students with autism spectrum disorder, may require additional transition planning (Beamish, Bryer, & Klieve, 2014; Forest, Horner, Lewis-Palmer, & Todd, 2004; Villeneuve et al., 2013). More empirical evidence is needed to draw conclusions about the types of transition practices that best facilitate this developmental period for children with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of the current study was to add to this literature base by providing empirical evidence of kindergarten transition practices for children with autism spectrum disorder. Data were collected from a sample of 24 parents on concerns about child behaviour, implementation of transition practices, perceived importance of transition practices, and barriers to implementing transition practices. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine the mean level of child behaviour concerns, transition practices, and barriers to implementation. Dependent t-tests were performed to evaluate differences between the implementation and perceived importance of transition practices. Results from the survey indicated that parents have a number of behavioural concerns as their child enters kindergarten. Levels of implementation and perceived importance of kindergarten transition activities varied, but parents rated significantly higher levels of perceived importance compared to implementation for 26 of the 28 transition activities. Results are discussed with regard to previous research, study limitations and strengths, and implications for future practice and research.

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The relationship between perceived social support and parent self-efficacy was investigated in this study. The concept of self-efficacy as defined by Bandura was explored and the concept of perceived social support examined. It was hypothesized that high levels of perceived social support would be related to high levels of parent self-efficacy. Participants were 77 parents of children 2 to 5 years who had not yet started kindergarten. Parent self-efficacy was measured using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC; Gibaud-Wallston & Wandersman, 1978). Parents’ perceived social support was measured through the Social Provisions Scale (SPS; Cutrona & Russell, 1987). The shortened Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10; Cohen & Williamson, 1988) was used to determine the levels of parents’ general life stress. The possibility of a stress-moderated model was explored and analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software. A significant positive relationship between social support and parent self-efficacy was noted as were significant negative relationships between stress and social support and stress and parent self-efficacy. There was no significant difference in the social support and parent self-efficacy relationship based on the levels of stress (moderated model). There was significant mediation of the social support/parent self-efficacy relationship by stress. Including stress in the regression accounted for 34% of the variance in parent self-efficacy scores (compared to 15% when only social support was included). The present study discusses the benefit of social support programs for families with preschool-aged children within a specific population.

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Children do not grow up in a vacuum. For this reason, the examination of children’s environments and relationships within those environments is important to understanding human development. Social capital – a sense of connection, trust, and solidarity with others – has been identified as an important variable in neighbourhoods. Researchers are actively seeking to understand how neighbourhood interactions influence families, but there are important methodological considerations to be made. Given that parents play a key role in children’s lives, it is important to discover how much their perception of social capital may differ from other members of the community. The purpose of the present study was to examine social capital from the perspective of caregivers of young children. Structured phone interviews were used to explore neighbourhood attachment, social cohesion, informal social control, and other aspects of social capital within a British Columbia community. Responses for caregivers of children ages zero to five were compared to two groups: a sample of caregivers of children older than five years old; and a non-caregiver sample. The presence of significant differences in the experiences of these variables between these groups was examined. Results indicated no statistically significant differences in perceptions of social capital between caregivers and non-caregivers for social cohesion, informal social control, or intergenerational closure. However, some small differences did exist in reported neighbourhood attachment and neighbour exchanges. The present study did not provide evidence that it would be necessary to survey parent populations separately for estimations of social capital within a community.

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The main purpose of this study was to explore, understand, and describe children’s perspectives of safety in their neighbourhood. Participants included 15 children aged 7 to 9 years, who lived in a neighbourhood in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia characterized by high crime rate and characteristics associated with high vulnerability. The methodology used was symbolic interactionism. Data collection included individual and collective drawing activities and semi-structured group interviews conducted across three group sessions. Field notes and memos were used to document the data analysis process, in addition to peer debriefing sessions. A constant comparison method guided the coding, categorization, and analysis of all data, which were reviewed by a peer audit. Through the social interaction in groups, children co-constructed the meanings of safety, enriching the discussions and expanding the findings. Two interrelated core categories emerged: protective conditions that serve to help the children prevent or avoid risky events. Protective conditions were associated with places and people the children perceived as protective and with protective actions taken and protective accessories used to prevent harm. Risky events included neighbourhood disorder, crime, contact with strangers, and accidents. The fear of exposure to such events could result in harm and, consequently, damage children’s sense of well-being. The dynamic relationship between the obverse meanings of safety -safe and unsafe- contributed to children’s understanding of this concept. It is suggested that the social context where the children live and the social interaction among participants shaped their perspectives of safety. While examples of extreme dangerous situations, descriptions of safety rules taught by adults, and media violence illustrated children’s “negative” perspectives of safety, a few participants indicated that supportive relationships promoted sense of security. Implications of these findings for parents, psychologists, and other professionals working with children suggest efforts to (a) understand and recognize the benefits and risks of teaching children strategies to protect themselves, (b) promote positive and stable relationships within the child’s proximal environments (family, school, and neighbourhood), and (c) reduce situations in the neighbourhood associated with disorder as children perceive themselves as unable to maintain their sense of well-being.

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In this study South Asian immigrant parent-child play interactions and parents’ perceptions of the role of play in their children’s development were examined. Most studies regarding play were conducted in North America; however only a few studies focused on immigrants. This study used an ethnographic approach and had two phases. In the first phase participant observations were conducted with thirteen parents and their children in a drop-in centre and a staff member from the drop-in centre was interviewed. In the second phase, two families were observed in their home environment, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the parents and the mothers completed calendar logs on their children’s activities. The findings from both the drop-in centre and the families’ homes suggested that there were two main approaches to play and development. The first was a directed approach to play with a focus on educational play activities, and an emphasis on cognitive development. At the centre some parents stayed physically close to their children and focused on structured art activities and alphabet or number toys. The second approach was a natural approach to play in which the parents did not guide their children during play, and believed that in order to learn children should make their own decisions regarding with what and with whom to play. At the centre some mothers spent most of their time socializing with other mothers while the children played by themselves or occasionally with other children. There were also differences in the play patterns in Canada and India, and the parents found themselves caught between those two contexts. In their own culture and tradition parents did not play much with their children because there were always other play partners close by such as neighbors, cousins, siblings, friends and grandparents. However, in Canada the parents were influenced by what they heard in the centre regarding the “learning through play” philosophy and how parents should devote time to play with their children.

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Reading comprehension is a multi-dimensional process that includes the reader, the text, and factors associated with the activity of reading. Most research and theories of comprehension are based primarily on research conducted with monolingual English speakers (L1). Thus, it is important to investigate the cognitive and linguistic factors that have an influence on reading comprehension of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) speakers, especially during the higher grades, when there is a shift from “learning to read” to” reading to learn”. This study examined the cognitive aspects of reading comprehension among L1 and ESL speakers in the seventh grade. The performance of both groups was compared and the role of relevant processes, including, memory, phonological awareness, morphological and syntactic awareness, word reading and fluency was assessed. Three comprehension groups were examined: (1) children with poor comprehension in the absence of word reading difficulties, (2) children with poor word reading and poor comprehension, and (3) children with good word reading and comprehension abilities. ESL and the L1 students in grade 7 performed in a similar way on all the reading comprehension measures, word reading and underlying cognitive measures. Only on two language related measures, syntactic awareness and working memory for words, the L1 students performed better than the ESL. Similar prevalence of reading comprehension subgroups was found for ESL and L1 students, with under 2 percent of students classified as reading disabled. The profile of students with poor comprehension was presented as well as profile of students with poor reading skills. Implications for identification of reading comprehension subgroups and for reading comprehension programs were discussed. In addition, the role of the school psychologist in relation to reading comprehension skills was presented.

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