Overarching theme 2: Vicarious experiences.

People can develop a high or low self-efficacy vicariously through other people’s performances. A person can watch another perform and then compare their own competence with the other individual’s competence” (Bandura, 1977).

This theme examines the impact of vicarious experience upon the self- efficacy of the TA supporting a child with ASD. This theme includes indirect sources of learning such as listening to others and observation, rather than direct, hands-on, instruction.

Figure 10: Themes within overarching theme 2

4.5.2.1. Theme 2.1: Accessing outside agencies

All 4 of the TAs interviewed referred to the opportunities provided by outside professionals visiting the school. These visits could provide an opportunity to

enhance understanding of the needs of the child and to learn specific

strategies to support the child: “We do have XX people (ASD advisory staff) coming in and they will sometimes observe children and then speak with the TAs, give tips, advise” (Hannah).

Face-to-face communication with the professionals was seen as valuable, and something that might impact positively upon practice: “Sometimes I think it is nice if you have the TAs and the teachers together, because you’re not just passing on information you’ve had it straight from the professional’s mouth, so you might be more likely to give it a try,” (Laura).

Despite feeling that she had low SE in relation to the role, Laura felt a high level of interest, and perhaps some increased motivation after contact with advisory staff: “Whenever (ASD Advisory staff) have come in, I've always found them incredibly fascinating, as much as anything, and it actually re- engages you with what you’ve got to do”. She again mentions interest in relation to the Educational Psychologist visit: “the Educational Psychologist was really good, he came in for ten minutes and picked up so much, and it was really interesting”.

Helen reflected upon the model of support provided by outside agencies in terms that might appear more negative: “they come into the school, and they’ll talk to the SENCO, but they haven’t come in and talked to the whole school or anyone working with children, other than coming in to assess a child, and then you get to meet them”. How such contact – or lack of - might have impacted upon SE is explored within Chapter 5.

4.5.2.2. Theme 2.2: Visiting other settings

Some TAs interviewed had had the opportunity to visit, or expressed an interest in visiting specialist settings. Laura felt that: “it might help if they (TAs) were allowed to go to other schools… with a unit to see what they do

mainstream school you’re kind of run by what’s going on in the classroom, and you’re trying to fit in around that … if we could go to another school and observe…..”. Lisa reflected this view: “Because it’s just the little things that they do. I mean some things that they suggest you can’t really do, because it’s a mainstream school, but you can take ideas away from them”. Neither Hannah nor Helen identified such opportunities during the SSIs.

The lack of perceived specialist knowledge within a mainstream

environment, and the availability of that within local specialist settings was thus seen as a valuable resource for staff. Visiting such resource bases might appear to be a way to increase SE.

4.5.2.3. Theme 2.3: Seeing strategies applied

Although not providing explicit or direct instruction as would be seen with a hands-on opportunity, the low scoring TAs in particular talked about the value for them in observing others’ practice within their own settings. They took note of the ways in which their colleagues interacted with the pupils, and were able to determine approaches which were supportive and successful. Laura explained: “you’re looking around and you’re seeing… just watching how they deal with some of our tricky ones, so it’s observing”. Lisa similarly articulated: “I think I could have done with a lot more of just watching her (fellow TA). I think (she’s) most probably better at adapting it than me. I noticed today, because I was in there for a short while, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s a good idea’.”

Laura described how she had observed a “brilliant” staff member who had informed her practice: “I just fell in love with this lady… I felt that I learnt such a lot from watching her”.

Having felt that there was real value in the approach, she suggested that more formal opportunities should be provided: “I think we need to do more of that, I think we need to be allowed to be given the time to go and observe … because I think if you watch someone in action - what do they do, what sort

of things do they say, how do they say it, and how it works, then you can pick that up”. Again, such comments have implications for practice in relation to TA skill development.