researching the teacher classroom management programme in jamaica

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