Phyllis Leung

• BSc (Hons) Psychology with Professional Placement
• Support for Teaching Assistants – What Needs to Change?

The role of a Teaching Assistant (TA) has changed over time from a helper role to a more direct role in supporting children’s learning process. Recent studies found TA input may not benefit pupil’s academic progress due to issues such as lack of training. This study aims to 1) investigate the range of training TAs have and perceive they need 2) use the COM-B model to better understand the effectiveness of TA support. The COM-B (‘capability’, opportunity’, ‘motivation’ and ‘behaviour’) model is a framework for understanding behaviour which indicates the barriers and enablers of the behaviour.

TA participants completed an online questionnaire and we found that TAs have the motivation and capability to effectively support children in the classroom, but are lacking certain physical and social opportunities. Based on the findings, we recommend providing TAs with dedicated time for training, planning and feedback time with a senior member of staff.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Supervisor: Dr Helen Stringer