Researching the Teacher Classroom Management Programme in Jamaica
Helen Baker-HenninghamSupporting Parents, Children and Teachers:
Research and PracticeWednesday 7th March 2012
Cardiff
Violence prevention is a public health priority in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region.
School violence is – wide media coverage, national action.
Paucity of prevention and treatment services for children with mental health problems (including conduct problems).
The Problem
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews: significant reduction in aggressive / disruptive behaviour
Benefits also found for children’s competencies: Social skills School achievement School attendance and school participation Internalising problems
Benefits have been sustained over the long term.
Benefits of school-based violence prevention programmes
No reports of such interventions from low and
middle income (LAMI) countries.
Almost 90% of total world population of children and adolescents live in LAMI countries – large burden of child mental problems.
Urgent need to implement and evaluate feasible interventions in different cultural and economic contexts
School Based Interventions
Why Early Childhood? Intervene early to prevent escalation of problems 98% of 3-6 year age group are enrolled in school
in Jamaica Facilitative environment:
- Early Childhood Commission - Early Childhood Act banning the use of corporal
punishment - Setting of minimum standards for early childhood
institutions - Revising teacher training & early childhood
curriculum
Advantages of a Teacher-Training Approach
Teachers can be trained in:− Classroom management − How to teach social / emotional skills to children− How to reach out to parents
One trained teacher can result in benefits to a number of high risk children
Children’s behaviour at school is key to their school success
The Incredible Years (IY) Series
Evidence based: Shown to be effective in different settings and with people from diverse cultures
Designed for implementation during the early childhood years
Programmes are inherently adaptable and culturally sensitive.
Adapting Incredible Years Teacher Training Intervention for Jamaica
Extensive preliminary work:− Focus groups with teachers and parents− Unstructured and structured observations of basic
school classrooms
Pilot study:− Quantitative evaluation− Qualitative evaluation− On-going process evaluation
Modifications to intervention at each stage
Base-line
Final45
95
145
195
Change in observed teacher behaviours in intervened and control classrooms
Positives
Base-line
Final40
80
120
Negatives
Base-line
Final0
25
50 Promoting social skills
Intervened Control
Appropriate Behaviour
Interest / En-thusiasm
Share & help each other
Teacher Warmth
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
IntervenedControl
Change in classroom ratings in intervened and control classrooms
***p < .001, **p < .01; Values are mean change (final – baseline) scores
*****
**
***
Qualitative Evaluation Interventions were acceptable to teachers:
Relevant: useful /met a recognised need Effective: children benefited Feasible: teachers were able to implement
strategies Flexible: teachers understood principles and
strategies and could apply to different situations
Teachers said: “All schools need this”
Aims
To determine the effects of training basic school teachers using the IY Teacher Training Programme tailored for the Jamaican setting on:
The behaviour of children at high-risk for developing serious conduct problems at home and at school
Child attendance
Teachers’ classroom practices
Study Design24 Basic schools
Intervention Group: n=12• Teacher training plus
educational materials
Control Group: n=12• Educational materials
only
37 classrooms 36 classrooms
Randomised
Children screened for conduct problems through teacher report: 3 children / class with highest scores selected
113 children 112 children
105 children 105 children
8 lost
7 lost
IY Teacher-Training intervention
8 full day workshops− November - April
Monthly in-class support for 1 hour for 4 months− January - April
Building Positive Relationships with Children
Attention, Encouragement and Praise
Proactive Teaching
Managing Minor Misbehaviours
Time out
Use liberally
Use selectively
IY Teacher Programme - Content
IY Teacher Programme - Methods
Use of videotape modelling to promote discussion Collaborative process: teachers as experts Role play and rehearsal to practice skills Group support Focus on skills, cognition and affect Individual behaviour planning Classroom assignments
Adaptations More role plays More practical activities More small group work Revised handouts
Jamaican examples
Revised classroom assignments More explicit Jamaican examples
Video vignettes of Jamaican classrooms Module on teaching social and emotional skills In-class support: modelling, coaching & praising
Promoting fidelity: Quality of Training
Record content & activities covered in each workshop
Self and peer review of each workshop
Teacher evaluation of each workshop & incorporate suggestions into next workshop
Documenting teachers’s questions, strengths and difficulties and using information to design additional activities.
Promoting Fidelity of Implementation
Ensure teachers understand principles underlying skills
Emphasis on how to apply skills to teachers’ classrooms
Focus on generalisation Integrating activities into regular routine Scaffolding teachers to facilitate success: e.g
concrete activities and ideas, easy to use checklists
In-class consultations
Measurements
Teacher rated each child in her class on 10 question conduct problem screen− Questions: Loses temper, back chats,
disobedient/breaks rules, annoys others, blames others, easily annoyed, often angry, spiteful to others, fights or bullies, destroys things
3 children from each class with the highest level of conduct problems selected for evaluation.
Selection of at risk children
Measurements: Child outcomes Observations of child behaviour
− E.g. aggressive/destructive, friendship skills.
Teacher and parent reports of child conduct problems and social skills
Child attendanceObserver ratings of classroom
– appropriate behaviour and
– Interest and enthusiasm
Teacher and classroom outcomes Observations of teacher behaviour to target
child− teacher positives, teacher negatives
Observations of teachers’ classroom behaviour teacher positives, teacher negatives
Teachers’ use of physical punishment
Characteristics of Sample
Intervention(n=113 children)(n= 37 teachers)
Control(n= 112 children)(n = 36
teachers)Child characteristicsChild age (in years) 4.3 (0.9) 4.3 (0.8)Child sex (% boys) 59.3% 62.5%Classroom/teacher characteristicsNumber of children in class
23 (7) 23 (6)
Number of years teaching
13 (9) 14 (8)
% Trained teacher 10.6% 7.9%
Results: benefits to children
Observations
Baseline Final5
10
15Teacher Report
Baseline Final110
120
130
140
150
160
Parent Report
Baseline Final110
120
130
Change in conduct problems in intervened and control classrooms
Intervened Control
p<0.01 p<0.01
p<0.05
Baseline Final2
4
6
8
10
12
Baseline Final60
65
70
75
80
Baseline Final7
8
Change in friendship skills in intervened and control classrooms
Parent Report
Observations Teacher Report
Intervened Control
p<0.001 p<0.001
p<0.05
Other Benefits of Intervention
Benefits to on-task behaviour for high risk children
Increased child attendance
Increases in observer ratings of children’s classroom behaviour and interest and enthusiasm.
Results: benefits to teachers
Baseline Final45
85
125
165
205
Baseline Final50
75
100
125
Teacher Positives Teacher Negatives
Change in observations of teachers’ classroom behaviours in intervened and control classrooms
Intervened Control
p<0.001 p<0.001
Change in observed teacher interactions to high risk children in intervened and control classrooms
Baseline Final5
10
15
20
25
Baseline Final4
6
8
10
Teacher Positives Teacher Negatives
Intervened Control
p<0.001 p<0.001
Percentage of teachers using physical punishment through observation
Baseline Final0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Control
p<0.001%
ns
One Year Follow-Up of Preschool Teachers
Teacher and classroom outcomes: One Year Follow-Up
Observations of teachers’ classroom behaviour
– teacher positives, teacher negatives
Use of physical punishment
Baseline Post-test After 1 Yr25
65
105
145
185
225
Inter-vention
Change in observations of teacher positives in intervened and control classrooms
P < 0.0001
Baseline Post-test After 1 Yr50
75
100
125
InterventionControl
Change in observations of teacher negatives in intervened and control classrooms
P < 0.0001
Percentage of teachers using physical punishment through observation
Baseline Post-test After 1 Yr0
20
40
60
80
ControlIntervention
p<0.001 P=0.005
%ns
Discussion
Significant benefits were found to child antisocial
and prosocial behaviour at school and at home with a mean effect size = 0.49.
Large benefits to teacher practices and classroom atmosphere: sustained at 12 month follow-up
Larger benefits than reported from universal interventions in US: Low level of training of teachers Children with highest level of conduct
problems at baseline evaluated
Discussion
Evidence-based programme, developed for use
in high income countries, was effective in a developing country setting.
Programme was carefully piloted and adapted prior to the trial, but with attention to fidelity to the original model.
Discussion
Using existing services and existing staff to promote child mental health = relatively low cost
Potential for sustainability and expansion
This type of community intervention = extremely important for child mental health promotion and prevention in developing countries where services are few.
Implications
Current Study
Follow up children in grade 1− Are benefits to child conduct problems and social
skills sustained?− Does school achievement also benefit?
Round 1: summer term 2011
Round 2: summer term 2012
Round 3: summer term 2013
Future Plans
Wider dissemination of teacher training intervention
− Through on-going in-service training workshops− Integrating into training curricula for early childhood
practitioners
Implementing and evaluating similar interventions in early grades of primary school
The pilot work for this study was funded by:− The Environmental Foundation of Jamaica− Office of the Principal, UWI, Mona− UNICEF, Jamaica
The main study was funded by:− The Wellcome Trust− The Environmental Foundation of Jamaica
Funders
Research Team
Yakeisha Townsend Sabrina Simpson Chisa Cumberbatch Marsha Robinson Suresh Martin Taja Francis Raxon Simmonds-Gordon Chenielle Delahaye-McKenzie
Khadeen Henry Alicia Bucknor Rosain Stennett Andrea Searchwell Judeen Meikle Patrice Parkinson Paula Rennalls Horace Webber
Thank you for your attention
Diolch yn fawr iawn
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