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Supporting Pupils' Psychological Wellbeing at School - EDU00101M

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  • Department: Education
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Beth Bell
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2021-22

Module summary

This module will provide you with in-depth critical understanding of the current approaches to supporting the social and emotional development of children and adolescents in schools. You will be critically examining the relationship between academic research, policy and practice in the area of wellbeing in both primary and secondary schools.

Professional requirements

none

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2021-22

Module aims

This module aims to provide you with a comprehensive critical review of the current intervention approaches to supporting wellbeing of children and adolescents in schools with focus on their social and emotional development. The module also aims to develop your critical analysis and synthesis skills via comparing and contrasting the policy recommendations with current wellbeing provisions in schools and their evidence-base. This will enable you to critically consider possible gaps in the current policy, research and practice and ways to positively transform and improve wellbeing provisions in schools. You will critically examine and compare wellbeing strategies and approaches to achieve this. You also gain a range of transferable skills in assimilating information from different sources and developing your own perspective on it, formulating reasoned arguments, analysing and synthesising information and research evidence from different sources, and developing effective communication, literature search and digital literacy skills.

Module learning outcomes

1. You will gain in depth knowledge of current wellbeing strategies, approaches and programmes applied in schools to support wellbeing of children and adolescents.

2. You will critically examine the links between the particular strategies, approaches and programmes implemented in schools, underlying research and relevant education policy.

3. You will expand your knowledge of wellbeing approaches in schools and their underlying evidence base in order to be able to effectively communicate these to a range of audiences.

4. You will critically consider how the wellbeing approaches discussed in the modules and the associated research might be further advanced in order to improve the wellbeing provisions in schools.

5. You will gain critical insights into ways researchers, policy makers and educators collaborate in supporting the wellbeing provision of pupils in schools.

Module content

Week 2 - Good Childhood Report and impact of COVID-19 on mental health

Week 3 - Mental health continuum: Key terms

Week 4 - Risks and protective factors: What matters to mental health and wellbeing?

Week 5 - Supporting pupils in primary schools: Universal approaches (I)

Week 6 - Supporting pupils in secondary schools: Universal approaches (I)

Week 7 - Supporting pupils in primary schools: Targeted approaches (II)

Week 8 – Supporting pupils in secondary schools: Targeted approaches (II)

Week 9 – Critical comparison report workshop

Week 10 - Sharing ideas/group presentations on designing psychological interventions for schools

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Case study of a wellbeing intervention in schools		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Critical comparison report on mental health/wellbeing programmes		 N/A 70

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Case study of a wellbeing intervention in schools		 N/A 30
Essay/coursework
Critical comparison report on mental health/wellbeing programmes		 N/A 70

Module feedback

Individual written feedback reports for summative assessments, with follow-up tutor meeting if necessary. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

Indicative reading

Dray, J., Bowman, J., Campbell, E., Freund, M., Wolfenden, L., Hodder, R. K., ... & Small, T. (2017). Systematic review of universal resilience-focused interventions targeting child and adolescent mental health in the school setting. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(10), 813-824.

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child development, 82(1), 405-432.try, 56(10), 813-824.

The Good Childhood Report. https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/resources-and-publications/the-good-childhood-report-2018


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.