Using the Wider Pedagogical Role model to establish learning support assistants' views about facilitators and barriers to effective practice

Abstract

This article reports on small-scale research exploring the views of learning support assistants (LSAs) about facilitators and barriersto effective practice. A focus group was conveyed involving all the LSAs working in one mainstream primary school in the north-west of England and thematic analysis was used to interrogate the resultant dataset. The Wider Pedagogical Role (WPR) model (Webster et al., 2011) was used as a deductive framework to conceptualise these findings under the headings of practice, deployment, conditions of employment, preparedness and characteristics. Findings revealed that LSAs could readily identify current facilitators and barriers under each of the five components, highlighting the usefulness of the WPR model. Possibilities for future research, including the refinement and further development of the WPR, are briefly discussed.

Teaching Assistants in Inclusive Classrooms: A Systematic Analysis of the International Research

“…Students with disabilities reported that although their TAs fostered their academic and social skills and social interactions with peers and were perceived positively by them and their classmates, the constant presence of TAs and the delivery of separate instruction served to limit students' interactions with their teachers and classmates and resulted in some students being viewed by their classmates as dependent and different (Egilson & Traustadottir, 2009;Rutherford, 2011;Tews & Lupart, 2008;Ward, 2011), which led some students to engage in behaviours that distanced themselves from their TAs (Rutherford, 2012). TAs identified having effective communication and collaboration, role clarification, planning time with supportive teachers, targeted professional learning for them and the teacher with whom they work, and being observed by and receiving feedback from other professionals as critical factors contributing to their efficacy (Angelides et al, 2009;Brown & Stanton-Chapman 2014;Cockroft & Atkinson, 2015;Docherty, 2014;Keating & O'Connor, 2012;Liston et al, 2009;Symes & Humphrey, 2011;Wasburn-Moses et al, 2013). Devecchi and Rouse (2010) found that effective teams of TAs and teachers supported each other by sharing information about students and lessons and teaching practices, having clear and flexible roles, and being respectful, knowledgeable, and approachable professionals.…”

“…However, TAs reported that their performance was hindered by unclear and inconsistent guidelines regarding their job responsibilities, sporadic opportunities for professional learning, a lack of communication with teachers regarding students and lesson planning and implementation, and limited supervision and performance feedback (Cockroft & Atkinson, 2015;Docherty, 2014;Egilson & Traustadottir, 2009;Fisher & Pleasants, 2012;Howard & Ford, 2007;Lehane, 2015;Logan, 2006). Other factors identified as negatively impacting the performance of TAs are feeling underappreciated (Brown & Stanton-Chapman, 2014;Symes & Humphrey, 2011) and underpaid (Fisher & Pleasants, 2012;Patterson, 2006), having heavy workloads (Deveechi et al, 2012), and receiving little supervision from teachers (Giangreco, Suter, & Hurley, 2013).…”

Teaching Assistants managing behaviour – who knows how they do it? A review of literature

“…Earlier research had lacked empirical research and mainly focused on ‘describing at the classroom level’ what TAs did (Cremin, Thomas & Vincett, ; Devecchi, ). However, research into TA's efficacy at improving educational standards and deployment has increased (Alborz, Pearson, Farrell & Howes, ; Blatchford et al ., ; Blatchford et al ., ; Blatchford, Russell & Webster, ; Cockroft & Atkinson, ; DfES, ; Graves, ; Hammersley‐Fletcher & Adnett ; Hammersley‐Fletcher & Qualter ; HMI, ; Radford, Bosanquet, Webster, & Blatchford, ; Russell, Webster & Blatchford, ; Sharples, Webster, & Blatchford, ; Webster et al ., ; Webster & Blatchford, 2013; Webster ). However, despite the increase in research there are still issues within the body of existing research.…”

“…The lack of guidance is significant when research (Cockroft & Atkinson, ; Devecchi & Rouse, ; Mackenzie, ; Radford et al ., ; Thomas, ; Tucker, ) shows collaboration as pivotal to a successful teacher–TA working relationship. Research (Devecchi, Dettori, Doveston, Sedgwick, & Jament, ) suggested that, although acknowledged as an ‘important’ aspect of both the TA role, ‘collaboration’ was also one of the most ‘challenging’.…”

“…Without training, Galton and MacBeath () found TAs resorted to using ‘common sense and family experience’, with one respondent suggesting that she had ‘drawn on her experience as a mum’ to plug the gaps in training. This is particularly apposite when behaviour management was identified by TAs as a training need (Butt & Lowe, ; Cockroft & Atkinson, ). Moves to improve training were made, specifically with the introduction of national professional standards for HLTAs (DfES, ), yet uptake for the training was low (Burgess & Mayes, ).…”