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All different or all the same? Exploring the diversity of professional practices in Portuguese school psychology

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Abstract

Studies have generally characterized school psychologists as a relative homogenous population. Understanding the differences in professional practices and related variables is important for the development of the profession. Using a sample of 446 Portuguese school psychologists, this study used cluster analysis to identify distinct profiles of professional activity, based on practitioners’ time distribution among different target audiences (i.e., students, parents, teachers, school board members, school non-professional staff, and other professionals within the school community). Three distinct profiles emerged from the data: a group highly oriented to work with students, a group that distributes time almost equitably between adults and students, and a group that concentrates attention and professional expertise on adults. Practice setting variables, such as school-psychologists-to-student ratio, school-psychologists-to-school ratio, number of referrals per year, and school community level of demand for different activities, were found to be significantly related to cluster membership. No personal- or professional-background-related variables differentiated the three groups. The main implications of these findings are discussed in light of recent literature regarding the models of service delivery for school psychologists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Sofia A. Mendes & Isabel M. P. Abreu-Lima

  2. State Texas University, San Marcos, USA

    Jon Lasser

  3. University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    Leandro S. Almeida

Authors
  1. Sofia A. Mendes
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  2. Jon Lasser
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  3. Isabel M. P. Abreu-Lima
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  4. Leandro S. Almeida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sofia A. Mendes.

Additional information

Sofia A. Mendes, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Centre of Psychology;Jon Lasser, State Texas University, Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology;Isabel M. P. Abreu-Lima, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Centre of Psychology; Leandro S. Almeida, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Minho; Jon Lasser, State Texas University, Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology.

This research was financially sponsored by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Doctoral grant, SFRH/BD/78646/2011). The authors would like to thank all school psychologists who participated in this study and to the Directorate-General of Education for supporting data collection.

Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Sofia A. Mendes, Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências de Educação, Rua Alfredo Allen, Sala FPCE136, 4200–135, Porto, Portugal, email: sofia.a.mendes@gmail.com.

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Sofia A. Mendes, MS.

Mendes, S. A., Abreu-Lima, I. M. P., Almeida, L. S., Simeonsson, R. J. (2014). School psychology in Portugal: practitioners’ characteristics and practices. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 2(2),115–125. doi:10.1080/21683603.2013.863171.

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Mendes, S.A., Lasser, J., Abreu-Lima, I.M.P. et al. All different or all the same? Exploring the diversity of professional practices in Portuguese school psychology. Eur J Psychol Educ 32, 251–269 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-016-0297-6

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