Post on 17-Dec-2015
Funded by: • HSE West • HSE Population Health, Health Promotion Directorate• National Office for Suicide Prevention• Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences
An evaluation of the Zippy’s Friends emotional wellbeing programme for
primary schools in Ireland
Aleisha M. Clarke, Margaret M. Barry
Health Promotion Research Centre
Department of Health Promotion
National University of Ireland, Galway
Evaluation of Zippy’s Friends in Ireland
Aims
To determine if an international evidence based programme could be adapted and successfully implemented in the local context of disadvantaged primary schools in Ireland
To assess the impact of the programme on the pupils’ emotional and behavioural wellbeing and coping skills
To examine the process of implementation and the relationship between this process and the programme outcomes
MethodologyStudy Design: Randomised Controlled Design
Data Collection
T1: Baseline (Feb ’08)
T2: Interim I (June ’08)
T3: Interim II (Oct ’08)
T4: End of Prog (Apr ’09)
T5: 1 Year Follow Up(Apr ’10)
Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim & Galway DEIS Schools
(n= 730)
Intervention(n= 523)
Control (n=207)
Intervention Type I(n=270)
Intervention Type II(n=253)
Programme Implementation
Programme Fidelity
Intervention Type I Intervention Type II
Fully Implemented 86.4% 86.6%
Partially Implemented 7.2% 6.2%
Not implemented 6.2% 7.2%
Level of implementation: Modules 1-6
N Pre- EL Score
Post- EL Score
Interv 317 61.45 (11.36)
66.26 (11.54)
Control 109 65.53 (10.91)
65.06 (10.16)
Key Findings on Programme Effects
Emotional Literacy Checklist
Intervention Groups' Emotional Literacy Subscale Scores
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Self Awareness Self Regulation Motivation Empathy Social Skills
Subscales
Pre-Intervention
Post-Intervention
Key Findings on Programme Effects
Children’s emotional literacy• Findings from participatory workshops indicate children in intervention group
had more elaborate and wider range of vocabulary for articulating their feelings
• Observed improvements in children’s social skills, verbal communication skills and ability to articulate their feelings
Children’s coping skills• Draw and Write activity indicate an increase in the use of problem solving
coping strategies among children in the intervention group
• Children in the intervention group displayed wider repertoire of coping skills during participatory workshops
Key Findings on Programme Effects
Children’s emotional and behavioural functioning• Significant decrease in intervention group’s hyperactivity levels as
measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
Children’s relationship with each other• Better able to communicate• More likely to look our for each other • Sort out minor incidents themselves - reduced problems out in yard
Children with emotional difficulties• Positive effect on children with anger management problems• Introverted children more confident in circle
Effects of the Programme on the Teacher
Improved Awareness• How the children feel• Impact of teacher on the children’s feelings
Strategies• Strategies to work with the children and their problems
Child-Teacher Relationship• “Hour of closeness”
• Circle
• Personal Experience
• Prepared
• Training
• Consistency
Programme Implementation:
Facilitating FactorsFacilitating Factors BarriersBarriers• Time, overall busyness of
school day
• Multi-grade classes
Feedback from teachers
SPHE• Supports delivery of SPHE strands and strand units• Structured comprehensive resource
Whole School Approach• All teachers need to be made aware of programme and strategies taught• Programme could be taught at different levels throughout the school• Children in fourth class able to apply strategies to own lives
Parental Involvement • Programme needs to be reinforced at home• Feedback sheet send home with exercise on it• Adult version of Zippy’s Friends for parents
Summary of main findings
• Successful programme adaptation to Irish designated disadvantaged primary schools
• Significant positive effects on children’s emotional literacy, coping skills, hyperactivity and teachers’ relationships with the children
Previous and current international evaluations of Zippy’s Friends
• Lithuania and Denmark (Mishara & Ystgaard, 2006)
• Southampton, (Holmes & Faupel, 2003, 2004)
• Norway (Ystgaard, M.)
• Canada (Mishara, B.L.)
12 month follow up study in Ireland
• Long term effects of the programme on children’s emotional and behavioural wellbeing
• Academic achievement scores
A copy of the full report is available to download at:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/hprc