Increasing student involvement and engagement in extracurricular activities through intervention using the Behaviour Change Wheel

Claire Bowes

Introduction

• Context• Intervention and behaviour change - Behaviour Change

Wheel• Methodology• Results• Conclusions

Context

• Highly involved student• Links to success• Employability• Previous research on UCP has highlighted a lack of

extracurricular activity• Research Aim– Increase student involvement and engagement in

extracurricular activities through intervention using the Behaviour Change Wheel

Intervention and Behaviour Change

• Michie, Stralen and West (2011)• A systematic review of 1,267 articles from science

and social science databases, in collaboration with consultations of eight experts

• Revealed a plethora of behaviour change frameworks– Based on common sense assumptions on

behaviour change– Inconsistent– Incoherent– Limited – Lacking in theoretical underpinning

Academic Intervention

A strategy used to teach a new skill, build fluency in a

skill, or encourage an individual to

apply an existing skill to new

situations or settings (Wright,

2007)

Behaviour Change Wheel - Michie, Atkins, & West (2015)

•Underpinned by the notion that three conditions have to happen for behaviour to occur

Behaviour

•Strategies with which to change behaviour

Intervention Functions

•Structural changes to support/implement change

Policy Categories

Methodology• Design

– Framework of the Behaviour Change Wheel– Mixed method approach

1. Baseline measurements via academic profiles and questionnaires via Qualtrics

2. Focus Group – Content analysis utilising grounded theory to establish themes

3. Establishing Intervention Functions4. Three Interventions5. Comparison of baseline measurements

• Sample– Cohort of 41 students studying Psychosocial Studies or Sociology (BA

Hons) – First year - 22 (54%) and Third Year - 19(46%)– Mean age - 32– Parents – 25 (61%)

Stage 1 – Baseline Measurements

Measurable Outcomes Measurement Stage 1

Profiles on LinkedIn Number of students 7

Student initiated activities on campus

SocialAcademic

51

Student initiated activities off campus

Social Academic

123

Academic ProfilesYear 1 – Entry Profiles

AAB+ & Distinction (1st and 2:1)Below AAB & Merit (2:2 and under)

517

Academic ProfilesYear 3 – Grade profile end of year 2

1st

2:12:2Third

2872

Stage 2 - Focus group

Capability

• Psychological – Knowledge, or psychological skills, strength or stamina • Mental health• Confidence• Unaware of

personal skills• Physical – Skills,

strength, stamina• Physical

illness/disabilities

Opportunity

• Physical – physically accessible, affordable, time, resources, location• Time• Money• Childcare

• Social – interpersonal influences, social cues, cultural norms• Shyness/Not

knowing anyone

Motivation

• Reflective – conscious decision making, evaluation• Workload• Not reflecting on

experience• Laziness

• Automatic – impulses, urges, drives, habits, desires, reflex responses• Not in routine

Stage 3 – Intervention FunctionsIdentifying Intervention Functions

Education

Persuasion

Incentivisation

Coercion

Training

Restriction

Environmental restructuring

Modelling

Enablement

APEASE Analysis

Affordability Practicability

Effectiveness and cost-

effectivenessAcceptability

Side-effects/safety Equity

Intervention 1:- Ice Breakers

• COM-B components

• Intervention Functions:-

Function How Outcome

Incentivisation Cake Increased psychological capabilityIncreased social opportunity

Training Ice breakers Increased physical opportunityIncreased automatic motivation

Environmental restructuring Timetabling Increased physical opportunityIncreased automatic motivation

Enablement Timetabling Increased physical opportunity

Psychological capability

• Mental health• Confidence• Unaware of personal skills

Physical opportunity

• Time• Money• Childcare

Social opportunity

• Shyness/Not knowing anyone

Automatic motivation

• Not in routine

Stage 4 – Interventions Mentor SchemeIntervention 1:- Ice Breakers

Introduce your neighbour!

• Take 5 minutes to ask:-• Name• Occupation/role• Where they live• Favourite hobby• Major likes/dislikes• Greatest fear/ambition

Two Truths, One Lie

• Each person must think of three statements about themselves.

• Two must be true statements, and one must be false.

• For each person, he or she shares the three statements (in any order) to the group.

• The goal of the icebreaker game is to determine which statement is false.

• The group votes on which one they feel is a lie

Stage 4 – Interventions Mentor SchemeIntervention 1:- Ice Breakers

Rebuilding Society

• Well into the future, scientists have perfected a bomb which eliminates people without destroying anything else in the environment.

• At the peak of increasing international tension you are selected, along with 400 other people chosen randomly (of all ages, children without parents, adults with husbands or wives, single adults), to shelter in a deep mine in Wales which, it is hoped, will give you some protection

• The worst happens and you all emerge a year later with the remnants of the food and water originally stored in the mine.

• You are the world’s sole survivors. Without anyone to come to your aid, you will be forced to construct a new society.

• How will you do this?

Intervention 2- Student Collaborations

• COM-B components

• Intervention Functions:-

Function How Outcome

Education Mentoring training Increase in student initiated activities – on campus – Socialising, student run study sessions, less emails. Increased psychological capability, increased social opportunity, increased reflective motivation.

Environmental restructuring

Timetabling Increased physical opportunity.Increased automatic motivation.

Enablement Timetabling Increased physical opportunity

Psychological capability

• Mental health• Confidence• Unaware of personal

skills

Physical opportunity

• Time• Money• Childcare

Social opportunity

• Shyness/Not knowing anyone

Reflective motivation

• Not reflecting on experience

• Laziness

Automatic motivation

• Not in routine

Intervention 2- Student Collaborations

• Timetabled once a week• Training on mentoring based on the

Oxford University Mentor Scheme which sets clear boundaries and guidelines alongside advice on emotional labour, active questioning and open listening

• Began with some facilitation• Third year led study sessions

Mentoring as a means of supporting peoples’ development Professional, career and personal development

Intervention 2- Student Collaborations

For mentees

• Provides impartial advice and encouragement

• Develops a supportive relationship• Assists with problem solving• Improves self-confidence• Offers professional and academic

development• Encourages reflection on practice

For mentors

• Good work experience• References on LinkedIn and CV• Opportunity to reflect on own

practice• Enhances peer recognition• It uses your experience, making it

available to a new person• It enables you to practice

interpersonal skills• It provides personal satisfaction

through supporting the development of others

Practice

Benefits• Student autonomy• Less pastoral care

requirements• Improved quality of

work (marking)• Substantially less emails

Costs• Initial set up time• Preparation of

mentoring and LinkedIn sessions

Intervention 3 - Employability

• COM-B components

• Intervention Functions:-

Function How Outcome

Education Skills Audit Lecture scheduled when students were already on campus

Increased psychological and physical capabilityIncreased motivationPresence on LinkedIn

Persuasion Lecture – importance of employability skills Increased psychological and physical capabilityIncreased motivationPresence on LinkedIn

Incentivisation Recommendations by peers and other lecturers

Increased psychological and physical capabilityIncreased motivationPresence on LinkedIn

Modelling Used own example I look like I have lots of friends

Psychological capability

• Confidence• Unaware of personal skills

Physical opportunity

• Time• Money• Childcare

Motivation

• Not reflecting on experience

Intervention 3 - Employability• Timetabled – First years and third years together

(scaffolding) - Skills AuditSkills Profile Exercise

• 21 transferable skills • Score, ranging from 1

(low) to 5 (high)• Identify 5 top skills and

where they were acquired or how they are put into practice

• Identify 2 skills with the lowest score – How could they be improved

Team work Written communication

Spoken communication Listening

Logical argument

Problem solving Analytical skills Creativity

Flexibility Practical Time management Self confidence

Self-development

Information technology Tact Commercial

awareness

Intervention 3 - Employability

• Education on LinkedIn• How to make a great

profile• Guidance• Endorsements• Recommendations

Stage 5 – Results - Measurable Outcomes

Measurable Outcomes Measurement Stage 1

Stage 5 Increase/Decrease

Profiles on LinkedIn Number of students 7 35 +400%

Student initiated activities on campus

SocialAcademic

51

36 10

+620%+900%

Student initiated activities off campus

Social Academic

123

218

+75%+166%

Academic ProfilesYear 1 – Entry Profiles

AAB+ & Distinction (1st and 2:1)Below AAB & Merit (2:2 and under)

517

2 & 9 (11)7 & 1 (8)

+120%-53%

Academic ProfilesYear 3 – Grade profile end of year 2

1st

2:12:2Third

2872

41410

+100%+75%-85%-100%

Conclusions and Recommendations

• Behaviour Wheel is an effective tool in planning and staging interventions to change behaviour

• Increase in student initiated activities on and off campus• Increased grade profiles

• More research into traditional students• Research into different degree pathways

References

• Cohen, L. M., & Manion, L. L. & Morrison, K., 2011 Research methods in education.

• Michie, S. F., Atkins, L., & West, R., 2015. The behaviour change wheel: a guide to designing interventions.

• Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R., 2011. The behaviour change wheel: a new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6(1), 42.

• Wright, J., 2007. RTI toolkit: A practical guide for schools. National Professional Resources Inc./Dude Publishing.