Joseph Giordmaina - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by Joseph Giordmaina
Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 2016
This paper focuses on the evaluation of the therapeutic use of photocards by prisoners and facili... more This paper focuses on the evaluation of the therapeutic use of photocards by prisoners and facilitators in a counselling psychology led European project, based on responses to open-ended questionnaires. It is part of a wider project, involving seven partner organisations in six European countries (England, Finland, Greece, Italy, Malta and Romania), which developed and trialled four different approaches to using photography in the context of counselling in prisons. Of the 51 inmates that participated in the project, 48 (94%) completed the questionnaires; of those, 39 (77%) were available for individual analysis due to prison restrictions in one partner organisation only allowing group data. Of those 39, who returned their completed questionnaires, over 92% found the therapeutic use of photographs either very helpful (56.4%) or helpful (35.9%), and the remaining 7.7% described it as average. From the thematic analysis, main themes emerging regarding inmates’ experiences of working with photocards were that it: facilitates emotional expression and sharing; unlocks memories and reconnects with life outside; fosters insight, reflection and self-growth; breaks the monotony of prison life and, overall aids emotional learning. A thematic analysis of 11 psychological therapists/facilitators’ perspectives showed that the use of photocards: gives clients a voice; provides a safe and collaborative frame and a therapeutic relationship; and, provides a useful icebreaker, helpfully overcoming anxieties of both client and psychotherapist/facilitator. Overall, photocards were considered useful as their projective nature can help facilitate prisoners’ strong need for expression in a context where there are limited opportunities and trust is fragile.
Education Sciences
The aim of this paper is to show how changes in the social fabric of Malta have resulted in amend... more The aim of this paper is to show how changes in the social fabric of Malta have resulted in amendments to the school curriculum in respect to the teaching of moral values. The curriculum now caters for a new subject in schools called Ethics, which is aimed at students who opt out of the mainstream Catholic Religious Education classes. As educators directly involved in its introduction in Maltese schools, as well as in the training of the subject teachers, we reflect on how this new subject relates to the development of both Maltese and migrant students’ identities. We highlight some of the challenges the subject of Ethics presents to parents, teachers and students, and the tensions some students encounter between the religious values taught at home and secular values taught at school.
This article reflects the experiences of the authors as two prison teachers conducting research i... more This article reflects the experiences of the authors as two prison teachers conducting research in the prison. It signals the pressures experienced in conducting qualitative research in a prison setting and explores the conditions within which the prison researcher functions, particularly if one already forms part of the prison regime. The article should serve as an eye-opener for those planning to carry out research in prison, notably to the novice prison researcher. The article discusses two types of encounters a researcher will meet in prison: physical challenges and emotional concerns. The reflection exemplifies the distinctiveness of doing research in prison.
Abstract: This monograph contains a case study of a controversial curricular innovation in Malta:... more Abstract: This monograph contains a case study of a controversial curricular innovation in Malta: the introduction of a subject called Systems of Knowledge at the postsecondary education level. The first part of the case study provides a historical interpretation of how ...
Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 2016
This paper focuses on the evaluation of the therapeutic use of photocards by prisoners and facili... more This paper focuses on the evaluation of the therapeutic use of photocards by prisoners and facilitators in a counselling psychology led European project, based on responses to open-ended questionnaires. It is part of a wider project, involving seven partner organisations in six European countries (England, Finland, Greece, Italy, Malta and Romania), which developed and trialled four different approaches to using photography in the context of counselling in prisons. Of the 51 inmates that participated in the project, 48 (94%) completed the questionnaires; of those, 39 (77%) were available for individual analysis due to prison restrictions in one partner organisation only allowing group data. Of those 39, who returned their completed questionnaires, over 92% found the therapeutic use of photographs either very helpful (56.4%) or helpful (35.9%), and the remaining 7.7% described it as average. From the thematic analysis, main themes emerging regarding inmates’ experiences of working with photocards were that it: facilitates emotional expression and sharing; unlocks memories and reconnects with life outside; fosters insight, reflection and self-growth; breaks the monotony of prison life and, overall aids emotional learning. A thematic analysis of 11 psychological therapists/facilitators’ perspectives showed that the use of photocards: gives clients a voice; provides a safe and collaborative frame and a therapeutic relationship; and, provides a useful icebreaker, helpfully overcoming anxieties of both client and psychotherapist/facilitator. Overall, photocards were considered useful as their projective nature can help facilitate prisoners’ strong need for expression in a context where there are limited opportunities and trust is fragile.
Education Sciences
The aim of this paper is to show how changes in the social fabric of Malta have resulted in amend... more The aim of this paper is to show how changes in the social fabric of Malta have resulted in amendments to the school curriculum in respect to the teaching of moral values. The curriculum now caters for a new subject in schools called Ethics, which is aimed at students who opt out of the mainstream Catholic Religious Education classes. As educators directly involved in its introduction in Maltese schools, as well as in the training of the subject teachers, we reflect on how this new subject relates to the development of both Maltese and migrant students’ identities. We highlight some of the challenges the subject of Ethics presents to parents, teachers and students, and the tensions some students encounter between the religious values taught at home and secular values taught at school.
This article reflects the experiences of the authors as two prison teachers conducting research i... more This article reflects the experiences of the authors as two prison teachers conducting research in the prison. It signals the pressures experienced in conducting qualitative research in a prison setting and explores the conditions within which the prison researcher functions, particularly if one already forms part of the prison regime. The article should serve as an eye-opener for those planning to carry out research in prison, notably to the novice prison researcher. The article discusses two types of encounters a researcher will meet in prison: physical challenges and emotional concerns. The reflection exemplifies the distinctiveness of doing research in prison.
Abstract: This monograph contains a case study of a controversial curricular innovation in Malta:... more Abstract: This monograph contains a case study of a controversial curricular innovation in Malta: the introduction of a subject called Systems of Knowledge at the postsecondary education level. The first part of the case study provides a historical interpretation of how ...