Thomas (Tom) Gumpel studies issues of social psychology and education, specializing in aggression and bullying research and inclusive special education.
THOMAS P. GUMPEL The Hebrew University of Jerusalem We conducted three studies which examined the... more THOMAS P. GUMPEL The Hebrew University of Jerusalem We conducted three studies which examined the performance vs. skill acquisition model of social skills deficits. In Study 1, baseline social behaviors for a random sample of 12 boys with comorbid emotional and behavioral ...
Comparative studies of special education policy typically compare the provision of special educat... more Comparative studies of special education policy typically compare the provision of special education services in different countries, based primarily on comparative variables such as legal mandates, rules and regulations, and budgetary allocations. Aside from the analysis of these surface structures, it is imperative also to take into account the deep structures (i.e., sociohistorical background) of the culture that created those policies. In this study, different aspects of Israeli and Palestinian Authority special educational policies were compared on both surface and deep levels. The surface analysis revealed that both systems are currently undergoing major revisions and restructuring. On the one hand, the Israeli system is redefining how it will educate children with special educational needs in more inclusive settings (in stark contrast to previous segregationist policy). On the other hand, special education in the Palestinian Authority is an emerging field, currently experimenting with different models of inclusionary practices. Despite their differences, both systems are similar in that teachers are being asked to implement these changes. On a deep-structure level, Palestinian teachers tended to have a more radical view of issues concerning education and equity as they pertained to the necessity of educating all children in order to build a strong nation. Israelis tended to see their role as less steeped in the language of equity.
ABSTRACT This study explores correlations between bystanders’ intervention styles by means of the... more ABSTRACT This study explores correlations between bystanders’ intervention styles by means of the bullying circle model. Three aims were examined in this study. First, we reevaluated the number and type of bystander intervention styles in aggressive school incidents. Second, we examined the association between reports of relational aggression and victimization and bystander intervention styles. Third, we estimated relationships between the different bystander intervention styles, by examining two directional paths. Participants were 1,518 adolescents (61.9% boys, 38.1% girls) from 15 Israeli religious and secular middle and high schools. The data analysis indicated two new intervention styles: help-seeker and passive bystander. Two structural models, illustrating the path leading to and from provictim and antivictim bystander intervention styles are presented. The distinction between the “participant-role approach” and the bullying circle is discussed in order to address the theoretical difference between social categorization of fixed bystander roles as opposed to rating bystander intervention styles on a continuum.
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Sep 1, 2008
This study presents an attempt to widen the study of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to ... more This study presents an attempt to widen the study of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to include children not formally identified by the school as having EBD through examining the case of extreme school aggressors and their victims. The research describes the validation of the School Violence Inventory (SVI) and its use to map participant roles in six types of school aggression and victimization. Middle and high school students in Israel ( N = 10,383) completed the SVI and were designated as uninvolved, pure aggressors, pure victims, and mixed aggressor—victims for direct physical, relational, and sexual aggression and victimization. Results showed a main effect for grade level for all types of aggression. Multiple hierarchical regressions showed different trajectories for each of the four participant roles. Implications for future research delineating the psychological markers of each of the different roles and implications for the future study of EBD are discussed.
We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28–item Conners Teacher... more We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28–item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.
Journal of Educational Administration, Jun 19, 2020
PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive ... more PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive education while expanding upon, and incorporating, the articles in this special issue. The authors present their 3P model (philosophy, policy and praxis) and relate each paper in this special issue to different aspects of their model.Design/methodology/approachThis article serves as an epilogue to this special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration as well as a discussion of historical and conceptual distinctions between mainstreaming and inclusion while examining global trends in understanding the move toward inclusive education.FindingsThe authors examined the detrimental effects of ableism and a medical model of disability and their effects on the educational system. They conducted an analysis based on examining the philosophy, policy and practice of the inclusive movement, specifically by examining conceptual models and inclusive decisions, conceptual frameworks for describing inclusive policy and a focus of the application to educational administration. The authors examined the global movement from segregation/exclusion to integration and then to inclusionary praxis.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors maintain that the inclusion literature lacks a sound positivistic empirical base, and so they present throughout the article possible avenues for such research as well as future directions for comparative research.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the philosophical underpinnings of the inclusive movement is central to developing viable inclusive educational settings. The authors distinguish between inclusive schools and local educational authorities where stakeholders have moved toward an inclusionary system (the minority) versus locales who are reluctant to move systems to actual change.Originality/valueThis article takes a wider view of inclusionary practices, from one focusing on children with disabilities to one focusing on historical and traditional exclusionary practices. By widening the scope of the inclusion discussion, to one of exclusion, the authors present a viably wider lens to educational administration.
Abstract This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what ... more Abstract This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what the future holds with possible solutions to improve services for individuals with disabilities. Israel is a very complex society and, as such, the educational system is very complex as well. The development of the special education system in Israel will be described as well as the current policies. In addition, different service delivery models will be explained. Inclusionary practices in Israel will be discussed as well as the prevalence and incidence rates of different disabilities in Israel and how they have changed over time. Finally, different strategies and models for implementation of services will be described and the importance of teacher training to meet student needs will be highlighted.
THOMAS P. GUMPEL The Hebrew University of Jerusalem We conducted three studies which examined the... more THOMAS P. GUMPEL The Hebrew University of Jerusalem We conducted three studies which examined the performance vs. skill acquisition model of social skills deficits. In Study 1, baseline social behaviors for a random sample of 12 boys with comorbid emotional and behavioral ...
Comparative studies of special education policy typically compare the provision of special educat... more Comparative studies of special education policy typically compare the provision of special education services in different countries, based primarily on comparative variables such as legal mandates, rules and regulations, and budgetary allocations. Aside from the analysis of these surface structures, it is imperative also to take into account the deep structures (i.e., sociohistorical background) of the culture that created those policies. In this study, different aspects of Israeli and Palestinian Authority special educational policies were compared on both surface and deep levels. The surface analysis revealed that both systems are currently undergoing major revisions and restructuring. On the one hand, the Israeli system is redefining how it will educate children with special educational needs in more inclusive settings (in stark contrast to previous segregationist policy). On the other hand, special education in the Palestinian Authority is an emerging field, currently experimenting with different models of inclusionary practices. Despite their differences, both systems are similar in that teachers are being asked to implement these changes. On a deep-structure level, Palestinian teachers tended to have a more radical view of issues concerning education and equity as they pertained to the necessity of educating all children in order to build a strong nation. Israelis tended to see their role as less steeped in the language of equity.
ABSTRACT This study explores correlations between bystanders’ intervention styles by means of the... more ABSTRACT This study explores correlations between bystanders’ intervention styles by means of the bullying circle model. Three aims were examined in this study. First, we reevaluated the number and type of bystander intervention styles in aggressive school incidents. Second, we examined the association between reports of relational aggression and victimization and bystander intervention styles. Third, we estimated relationships between the different bystander intervention styles, by examining two directional paths. Participants were 1,518 adolescents (61.9% boys, 38.1% girls) from 15 Israeli religious and secular middle and high schools. The data analysis indicated two new intervention styles: help-seeker and passive bystander. Two structural models, illustrating the path leading to and from provictim and antivictim bystander intervention styles are presented. The distinction between the “participant-role approach” and the bullying circle is discussed in order to address the theoretical difference between social categorization of fixed bystander roles as opposed to rating bystander intervention styles on a continuum.
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Sep 1, 2008
This study presents an attempt to widen the study of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to ... more This study presents an attempt to widen the study of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to include children not formally identified by the school as having EBD through examining the case of extreme school aggressors and their victims. The research describes the validation of the School Violence Inventory (SVI) and its use to map participant roles in six types of school aggression and victimization. Middle and high school students in Israel ( N = 10,383) completed the SVI and were designated as uninvolved, pure aggressors, pure victims, and mixed aggressor—victims for direct physical, relational, and sexual aggression and victimization. Results showed a main effect for grade level for all types of aggression. Multiple hierarchical regressions showed different trajectories for each of the four participant roles. Implications for future research delineating the psychological markers of each of the different roles and implications for the future study of EBD are discussed.
We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28–item Conners Teacher... more We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28–item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.
Journal of Educational Administration, Jun 19, 2020
PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive ... more PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive education while expanding upon, and incorporating, the articles in this special issue. The authors present their 3P model (philosophy, policy and praxis) and relate each paper in this special issue to different aspects of their model.Design/methodology/approachThis article serves as an epilogue to this special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration as well as a discussion of historical and conceptual distinctions between mainstreaming and inclusion while examining global trends in understanding the move toward inclusive education.FindingsThe authors examined the detrimental effects of ableism and a medical model of disability and their effects on the educational system. They conducted an analysis based on examining the philosophy, policy and practice of the inclusive movement, specifically by examining conceptual models and inclusive decisions, conceptual frameworks for describing inclusive policy and a focus of the application to educational administration. The authors examined the global movement from segregation/exclusion to integration and then to inclusionary praxis.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors maintain that the inclusion literature lacks a sound positivistic empirical base, and so they present throughout the article possible avenues for such research as well as future directions for comparative research.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the philosophical underpinnings of the inclusive movement is central to developing viable inclusive educational settings. The authors distinguish between inclusive schools and local educational authorities where stakeholders have moved toward an inclusionary system (the minority) versus locales who are reluctant to move systems to actual change.Originality/valueThis article takes a wider view of inclusionary practices, from one focusing on children with disabilities to one focusing on historical and traditional exclusionary practices. By widening the scope of the inclusion discussion, to one of exclusion, the authors present a viably wider lens to educational administration.
Abstract This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what ... more Abstract This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what the future holds with possible solutions to improve services for individuals with disabilities. Israel is a very complex society and, as such, the educational system is very complex as well. The development of the special education system in Israel will be described as well as the current policies. In addition, different service delivery models will be explained. Inclusionary practices in Israel will be discussed as well as the prevalence and incidence rates of different disabilities in Israel and how they have changed over time. Finally, different strategies and models for implementation of services will be described and the importance of teacher training to meet student needs will be highlighted.
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