Recent Reports
Report 2017-2019
of the
Standing Committee for Psychology in Education
To the EFPA General Assembly in Moscow on
6-7 July 2019
Executive summary
The report gives an overview of the activities that the Standing Committee for Psychology in Education (SC PiE) undertook between 2017 and 2019. Our top priority has been the implementation of a working method, which allows the sharing of tasks and responsibilities between all the representatives, both active and corresponding ones, in order to increase their involvement in the SC PiE activities.
The SC PiE met four times (February and October 2018, February and July 2019) in different states and has undertaken a range of activities. In particular, the SC has discussed and promoted the communication among psychologists in education and the dissemination of the book on inclusive education published in 2017; and has discussed an EuroPsy Specialist Certificate for psychologists in the educational system.
Introduction
This report covers the activities of the Standing Committee of Psychology for Education (SC PiE) performed during the period July 2017 – June 2019.
The top priority of the SC PiE work was the implementation of a working method to involve all the representatives, both active and corresponding ones; the increase in communication between psychologists in education; and the sharing of information between the States represented in the SC PiE.
The other activities planned and performed are in line with what has been done in the previous biennial period and have been focused primarily on inclusive education; the dissemination of the work of the SC PiE; and the debate on the emerging themes in Psychology in Education and its importance in attaining the aims of Psychology.
Activities
1. Implementing a method of working for all the representatives
1. Activities as performed:
1. Establishing the tasks: The representatives have defined the tasks of the SC PiE. The established tasks were:
o managing contacts with EFPA (convener and meeting organizer)
o attending to the convener meeting
o managing communications between representatives and with others
o organising meetings, seminars and symposia
o coordinating meetings
o preparing meeting minutes
o managing the website
o organizing and making documents available
o preparing the action plan
o preparing the biennial report
o carrying out planned actions
o defining the aims of the Sc PiE.
2. Assigning of Tasks: Tasks were assigned to members, so that every representative has been involved in the SC work and its functioning as a whole; each task has a responsible.
3. Increasing of the involvement of the SC’s members: Both active and correspondent representatives were involved in tasks as responsible. Each active member had personal contact – via mail or Skype call or phone – to at least one corresponding member for discussing tasks and activities, and involve them in responsibilities.
2. Achievements:
Twelve tasks and sixteen representatives responsible for the tasks have been defined and are listed in Table 1. In many cases, an active representative and a corresponding one share a task to engage the corresponding member in the ongoing activities. Many active members had personal contacts with corresponding members.
2. Improving communication among psychologists in education (practitioners, research, academics, associations)
1. Activities as performed:
1. Increasing the number of representatives involved at SC PiE meetings, and the involvement of corresponding representatives: The meetings were planned in different European Member States and one of the two annual meetings was organized in the host state of the European Semester of Psychology (Cyprus) and one during the EFPA congress. In this way, it was possible to meet colleagues from different countries and to disseminate information about SC PiE to people of the host country. During the meetings, Skype calls were organized to inform and share with corresponding representatives or absent active representatives on the ongoing activities and decisions. Moreover, active representatives had personal contacts – one-to-one (via mail and/or Skype and/or phone) to inform corresponding members of the SC PiE work and organization.
2. Using digital networks to exchange information and disseminate the SC PiE work:
- A shared Dropbox folder for SC PiE members was used regularly to share documents and information.
- The EFPA website has been regularly update for information and documents.
3. Dissemination of the SC PiE work by the representatives at national level: Representatives reported the work done by SC PiE at the association/s of psychologists in education.
4. Dissemination of educational psychology through presentations and journal articles by the members of the SC PiE
2. Achievements:
1. Twenty-six representatives (8 corresponding) from 25 nations are in the SC PiE. Between 8 and 10 representatives were present at each SC PiE meetings, from a total of 17 nations (see Table 1). Some corresponding members participated in the preparation of the meetings or attended them. Moreover, Skype calls were arranged during the meetings: 1 representative participated in Madrid, 4 in Cyprus and 2 in Brussels.
2. Dropbox was updated with all documents and shared between 34 representatives; Website was updated (see psyineducation.efpa.eu/introduction/). Information on countries national concerning psychologists in educational systems professional and legislative issues has been published on the website.
3. Many representatives presented reports or did presentations of the SC PiE in newsletter or congress at national level in different way: presentation in congress or meeting, newsletter, oral or written report to national organizations.
4. The following presentations and publications were organized or prepared:
- in Madrid in 2018 for the Spanish School Psychology Association;
- in Cyprus in 2018 at the University of Cyprus;
- a special issue of the Journal of “Psychology in Russia: State of the Art” titled “Educational psychology from a contemporary perspective” with two guest co-editors Dr. Christopher Arnold (UK) & Dr. Elinor Schad (Sweden). Around ten members of the SC PiE are going to contribute to the issue;
- At the ECP Moscow Congress, 2 symposia will be presented: one titled “Psychology in education: evidence-based practice” and one “Psychology in education: creating a future together”.
3. Follow up of the topic of inclusive education combined with child rights based practice
1. Activities as performed:
1. Promoting the book on inclusive education in representatives’ countries.
2. Achievements:
A seminar was organized to present the book and discuss inclusive education at the University of Cyprus titled “What psychology can do for inclusive education? A European perspective”.
4. Creating contact between SC PiE and other EFPA’s working groups with similar topics
1. Activities as performed:
1. Creating contacts with the Board on Cultural and Ethical Diversity and the Board of Educational Affairs.
2. Creating contacts at national level between SC PiE’s representatives and others EFPA’s working groups.
2. Achievements:
Christopher Arnold had a talk with the Board on Cultural and Ethical Diversity and planned a meeting between the two groups in Moscow. Margreet Versteeg had a talk with the Board of Educational Affairs (Helen Bakker).
5. Reviewing and analysing experiences for assessing educational services
1. Activities as performed:
1. The SC representatives had discussed and shared experiences for assessing educational services, and exchange of viewpoints. For some countries this topic appeared not relevant, thus it was not implemented.
2. Achievements:
None.
6. Promoting the development and implementation of a Specialized EuroPsy Certificate for Psychologists in the Educational System
1. Activities as performed:
The development of a EuroPsy Specialized Certificates for Psychologists in the Educational System is recommended in EFPA position paper on psychology in the educational system and their contribution to Life Long Learning (2009-2010). Two members of the SC PiE, F. Corman and S. Bahia, participated in the NAC EuroPsy meetings (March 2017, August 2017, March 2018 and 2019). The EuroPsy Specialized Certificates for Psychologists in the Educational System have to be voted in EFPA’s General Assembly and must be proposed by three countries. Due to the need of developing a thoroughly grounded proposal, this aim has been postponed for the next period.
2. Achievements:
Two members of the SC PiE, F. Corman and S. Bahia participated in the EuroPsy meeting held in March 2018.
Meetings (also videoconferences, or skype meetings) during term 2017-2019
1. Madrid, 8 & 9 February 2018
2. Cyprus, 4 & 5 October 2018 (hold in conjunction with the European Semester of Psychology in Cyprus)
3. Brussels, 21 & 22 February 2019
4. Moscow, 1 & 2 July 2019 (hold in conjunction with ECP EFPA, 2-5 July 2019)
Around 10 representatives were attending each meeting. Table 1 shows specific information on the representatives present at the meetings.
Information & recommendations for GA & Member Associations
The General Assembly is asked to take notice of the following:
a. In Europe there is still a great diversity between countries with respect to the presence, role and standards of Psychologists in the Educational System. The SC on Psychology in Education aims to continue to work on the recommendations of the ESPIL project and the 2010 EFPA position paper, to disseminate information, documents and publications on psychology in educational systems.
b. Inclusive education was an important topic during the 2015-2017 working period, resulting in a monograph. The SC intends to continue to work on inclusive education and human right, contributing to the wellbeing of young people in the educational systems.
Proposals for decisions by GA
The General Assembly is advised to accept the following proposals:
a. to not aggregate the SC PiE and the Boad of Educational Affairs because, as it is clear from their pages in the EFPA website, their role, aims and tasks are different.
b. promoting the monograph on inclusion as EFPA.
Members of the group
See Table 1.
Page Break
Table 1: Members, representatives, tasks and meeting presences for the SC PiE.
|
Member |
Representative |
Task responsible |
Madrid 2018 |
Cyprus 2018 |
Brussels 2019 |
|
EC LIAISON |
Bruna Zani |
|
|
|
|
|
Austria |
Luise Hollerer |
Minutes Cyprus |
|
X |
|
|
Croatia |
Zvjezdan Penezic |
|
|
|
|
|
Cyprus |
Evita Katsimicha |
Cyprus meeting organizer in 2019 |
|
X |
|
|
Czech Republic |
Bohumíra Lazarová |
Documents organizer - Dropbox |
|
|
X |
|
Denmark |
Poul Skaarup Jensen |
Website manager |
|
|
|
|
France |
Francine Corman |
EUROPSY - Brussels meeting organizer in 2019 |
|
|
|
|
Germany |
Susanne Fitzner |
Minutes Cyprus |
|
X |
X |
|
Greece |
Evdokia Lagakou |
|
|
X |
|
|
Hungary |
Éva Szabó |
|
|
|
|
|
Iceland |
Erla Margret Hermannsdóttir |
|
|
|
|
|
Ireland |
Jacqueline Horan |
|
|
Skype |
|
|
Italy |
Paola Perucchini |
Report 2017-2019 – Implementation of facts table |
X |
Skype |
X |
|
Latvia |
Aliona Lagutina |
|
|
|
|
|
Lithuania |
Ala Petrulytė |
|
Skype |
|
|
|
Luxembourg |
Antoinette Thill Rollinger |
|
|
|
X |
|
Netherlands |
Margreet Versteeg |
Agenda meetings and chair |
X |
X |
X |
|
Norway |
Sturla Helland |
Website manager – Minutes Brussels |
X |
X |
X |
|
Norway |
Bjornhild Stokvik |
|
|
|
|
|
Portugal |
Sara Bahia |
Website manager - EUROPSY - Action plan |
X |
X |
Skype |
|
Russia |
Anastasia Sidneva |
Moscow meeting organizer in 2019 |
X |
Skype |
X |
|
Russia |
Elena Soldatova |
|
|
|
|
|
Slovakia |
Eva Gajdosova |
|
|
|
|
|
Slovenia |
Mojca Jurisevic |
Action plan - Implementation of facts table |
X |
|
X |
|
Spain |
Jose Antonio León Cascón |
Madrid meeting organizer - Competences questionnaire |
X |
Skype |
|
|
Sweden |
Elinor Schad |
Communicator – Editor Special Issue Journal |
X |
|
Skype |
|
United Kingdom |
Christopher Arnold © |
Convenor and EFPA contacts -– Editor Special Issue Journal |
|
X |
X |
|
United Kingdom |
David Traxson |
Minutes Madrid |
X |
|
|
|
ISPA |
Paul Bartolo |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
26 |
|
9 |
8 |
9 |
|
TOTAL Active |
18 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL Corresponding |
8 |
|
|
|
|
Legend: © = convenor, Italic = Corresponding member