Hannu Soini

Peer consultation as a method for promoting problem-based learning during a paediatrics course

In problem-based learning (PBL) there are problems during tutorial group sessions, for example lack of participation, interaction and cohesion, and withdrawing. The authors evaluated whether these problems could be avoided with a peer consultation model. Peer consultation takes advantage of cooperation between students by encouraging them to accept more responsibility for learning from their peers. Forty-nine fifth-year students participated in three group sessions where they solved a paediatric case problem. The students were working in small groups, assuming the following roles in turn: presenters, facilitators and observers. The students reported that this consultative method forced one to actually define the problem, helped to develop communication skills and to identify problematic issues from different viewpoints and offered the possibility to evaluate personal problem-solving strategies. The method also gave an opportunity for students to learn in practice how to utilize new technology in data searching. These experiences suggest that the model of peer consultation adds new flavour, increasing enthusiasm in problem-based learning.

A pilot longitudinal follow-up study of the Brief Infant Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) in Northern Finland: examining toddlers' social-emotional, behavioural and communicative development

Developmental needs should be assessed in early infancy and followed longitudinally to improve identification, prevention and intervention efforts.The objective was to examine the relationship between competencies and areas of need in toddlers’ development, and to describe the properties and utility of the Brief Infant Toddler Social–Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) in a pilot study in Northern Finland. Parents (N = 50) evaluated toddler development at 18 and 36 months. Assessments included the BITSEA, the Child Behavior Checklist and the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories. Lower communicative skills were associated with an increase in toddler behavioural problems. Social–emotional competence (S-EC) was associated with better communication development. Parents reporting enhanced communication skills and S-EC in their toddlers also reported fewer behavioural problems in their young children; however, further research employing the BITSEA in a larger and heterogeneous sample of Finnish children is needed to determine appropriate cut-off scores and reliability especially for the unique subscales of BITSEA.

Development of the Counselor Response Observation System

The purpose of this study was to validate the measures included in the Counselor Response Observation System. The Counselor Response Observation System consists of the Counselor Response Coding System and the Skilled Verbal Responding Scale. Detailed results of their validity and reliability are presented.

Maternal Stress and Young Children's Behavioural Development: A Prospective Pilot Study from 8 to 36 Months in a Finnish Sample.

The relationship between maternal parenting stress and infant/toddler behavioural development was examined in a longitudinal pilot study. Fifty mothers reported parenting stress via the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form when their infants were eight months old. Parents subsequently rated their childrens emotional and behavioural problems with the Child Behaviour Checklist at both 18 and 36 months of age. Preliminary results suggest that mothers reporting higher stress levels in their infants first eight months also reported greater emotional and behavioural problems in their children at 18-and 36-month follow-up assessment. Parent report of childrens total and externalising problematic behaviours decreased over time, regardless of the maternal stress level. In contrast, parent report of internalising problem behaviours remained stable over time; however, at both 18-and 36-month follow-up assessments, high-stress mothers reported higher levels of internalising problems in their children than did low-stress mothers.

Changes in counsellor trainee responses to client’s message after Peer Group Consultation (PGC) training

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine changes in counsellor trainees’ ways of responding to clients’ messages after four weeks of Peer Group Consultation (PGC) training [Soini, Jämsä, & Kuusisto, 2006. Scaffolding and consultation of skilled performance. In K. Thompson J. Liukkonen, & T. Jaakkola (Eds.), Promotion of motor skills in sports and physical education (pp. 70–80). Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, Department of Sport Sciences. Publications 6/2006]. PGC training focuses on learning-specific client-centred skills; applying practice sessions with feedback; specific skills training; and a group review of videoed performances of the trainees. Pre-training results show that trainees use self-disclosure and suggestion as their primary way of communicating with the client, focusing on explanations behind the client problems. Post-training results show a significant decrease in the use of self-disclosure, and an increase in the use of reflection; indicating improvement in the counsellor trainees’ client-centredness. Overall, results indicate that PGC training can be an effective method in increasing trainees’ client-centred responses and reducing counsellor-centred responses.