Teachers' opinions of interdisciplinary reports: The Children's Assessment team

Abstract

There has been almost no investigation of reports produced by interdisciplinary teams. Feedback was obtained from 30 teachers regarding a typical (but fictional) report written by the Children‟s Assessment Team at Flinders Medical Centre. Quantitative and thematic analysis revealed that the same features that contribute to the effectiveness of a psychological report were relevant to inter-disciplinary reports. Readability, explanation of technical terms, use of behavioural examples and an initial summary paragraph were cited as useful report components. While teachers appreciated the clarity and detail of the report, they requested more detailed, concrete recommendations for interventions within a classroom setting.