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Tipping Points: Teachers’ Reported Reasons for Referring Primary School Children for Excessive Anxiety

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Kaitlin J. Hinchliffe  and
Marilyn A. Campbell
Kaitlin J. Hinchliffe
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Marilyn A. Campbell*
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Professor Marilyn Campbell, School of Cultural and Professional Learning, Faculty of Education, A Block, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, QLD, 4059, Australia. Email: ma.campbell@qut.edu.au
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Abstract

The current study explored the reasons that primary school teachers reported were tipping points for them in deciding whether or not and when to refer a child to the school student support team for excessive anxiety. Twenty teachers in two Queensland primary schools were interviewed. Content analysis of interview transcripts revealed six themes reflecting teachers’ perceived reasons for deciding to refer anxious children: (1) impact on learning; (2) atypical child behaviour; (3) repeated difficulties that do not improve over time; (4) poor response to strategies; (5) teachers’ need for support; and (6) information from parents/carers. Teachers considered different combinations of reasons and had many different tipping points for making a referral. Both teacher- and system-level influences impacted referral decisions. Implications and future research are discussed.

Keywords

teachers’ perceptionsreferralanxietyinternalising problemsmiddle childhood

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Type
Articles
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Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , June 2016 , pp. 84 - 99
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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