The development of intrapersonal intelligence in pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

This article draws from an evaluative case study of a group work approach – Support Groups – designed by the author to support pupils perceived as having Social and Emotional Behavioural Difficulties within a Secondary school situated in an area of multiple deprivation in Scotland. The study, which is principally qualitative, draws from the accounts of 69 pupils who participated within the intervention during its first four years of inception and from a range of stakeholder accounts – parents, Support Group Leaders, class teachers and senior managers. The intervention focused upon collaborative, discussion-based activities designed to foster reflection, understanding and thinking skills. The study utilises data drawn from attendance, attainment and discipline statistics, comparing the Support Group population to wider comparator groups, in addition to questionnaires (open and closed), scheduled interviews and focus group discussion. This article focuses specifically upon the extent to which pupils developed intrapersonal intelligence. The findings indicate that the majority of pupils had, to at least an extent, developed greater understanding of their behaviour and that these outcomes were still in evidence up to two years after intervention.

Keywords:

• multiple intelligence theory
• intrapersonal intelligence
• support groups
• social and emotional behavioural difficulties
• constructivist theories of learning
• thinking skills
• inclusion

Notes

*The schedule was developed as a collaborative exercise with Support Group Leaders. The prompts were derived through examination of the responses of the first two cohorts of SG pupils to the interview schedule and applied to the subsequent cohorts. The interviewer would frame subsequent questions around the suggested prompts, as appropriate, using his or her judgement.

1. There was a “group effect” but the “individual effect” was stronger.

2. All materials required to carry out and evaluate the approach (including a guide for SGLs) can be found in the publication, Mowat (2007).

3. For further information about this project, please contact the author at [email protected] or access www.usingsupportgroups.org.uk.