Background
Method
Dimension | How ability to reach dimension was measured. |
---|---|
Reach
| Refers to the representativeness of the school and the individuals' willingness to participate in the study. Reasons for non-participation were included after being gathered from teachers and participating leaders. |
Efficacy/
Effectiveness
| Considers the effectiveness of the intervention at influencing primary outcome changes as well as assessing whether positive or negative outcomes were experienced by individuals or within the school setting. |
Adoption
| Refers to the schools acceptance of the intervention within the organization and examination of the factors that influenced that decision. |
Implementation
| Refers to the extent to which the participating students and school completed and made use of the various components of the intervention. This was measured by the level to which the main intervention components, including leadership training, activities and evaluations were completed as intended. |
Maintenance
| Refers to the extent to which schools and leaders maintained or continued with the intervention. This was difficult to assess given it was a pilot project. |
Intervention development
Participants
Implementation
Data collection
Results
Results for the dimension REACH
Results for the dimension EFFICACY/EFFECTIVENESS
Outcome 1: The effectiveness of leadership training and leader preparedness
When | Outcome Measured | Description | Result | Sample Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
After Leadership training
(n = 8)
Week 1
| Leadership training | Would you be confident in leading a group of 4-5 Year 7 girls in the activities? ‡ | Yes = 100% | N/A N/A |
Would you be confident in leading your peers in the activities?‡ | Yes = 100% | |||
Leader preparedness | 1. How 'READY' are you to lead your group of Year 7 girls?¥ | Ready = 25% Very Ready = 63% Extremely Ready = 12% | N/A | |
After assisted implementation
(n = 7)
Week 2
| Leader preparedness | 2. Did you find anything difficult about: a) any activities‡ | No = 86% Not sure = 14% | "A bit hazy on most, needed showing what the activities were" |
b) working with year 7 students‡ | No = 100% | N/A | ||
c) understanding written instructions‡ | No = 86% Not sure = 14% | "Some were a bit confusing". | ||
d) using equipment‡ | No = 100% | N/A | ||
e) comprehending the challenge‡ | No = 86% Not sure = 14% | N/A | ||
f) leading the group‡ | No = 100% | N/A | ||
Leader preparedness | 3. Did you feel confident leading your group in the activities today? ‡ | Yes = 86% Not sure = 14% | "I was excited to be a leader for the Year 7's". | |
Leader preparedness | 4. How 'READY'are you to lead your group of Year 7 girls again next week? ¥ | Ready = 28.5% Very Ready = 43% Extremely Ready = 28.5% | N/A | |
Leader preparedness | 5. How 'MOTIVATED' are you to work with your group again next week?¥ | Fairly Motivated = 43% Very Motivated = 43% Extremely Motivated = 14% | N/A | |
Debrief session between implementations
(n = 7)
| Leader preparedness | A debrief session provided for leaders to discuss their first session and address any difficulties that they may have experienced in preparation for the next implementation. No structured questions were asked. | N/A | N/A |
After unassisted
implementation
Program evaluation
(n = 7)
Week 3
| Leadership training | 6. Did your training equip you with the skills to lead your team?‡ | Yes = 100% | "It was hard to getting the girls motivated..." "We didn't have enough time to complete the challenge" "At the beginning everyone was shy..." "I had difficulty engaging them" |
Leader preparedness | Were you adequately prepared each week to lead your group?‡ | Yes = 71% Not sure = 29% | N/A | |
Did you like leading and working as part of a team to achieve the 'challenges'?‡ | Yes = 86% Not sure = 14% | N/A |
Outcome 2: Activity suitability and participation
i) Year 7 Girls
What was the best part of the GLAMA program? | What was the worst part of the GLAMA program? | |
---|---|---|
YEAR 7 RESPONSES (n = 31) | ||
Activity/Program | "All the activities were fun" "The first weeks' activities (referring to the Blindfold Challenge)" "It was fun" "We liked that it was competitive" "Helps you to get fit" | "We had to run a lap after every activity" "The running a lap" "Running around the room" |
Team Work | "Working in teams" "Working with others" "Working with my friends" "Working together" "Helps you to get to know people" | "We wanted to choose own group" "It was different because you weren't working with friends" "We should swap groups after every challenge" |
Peer leader Relationships | "Working with a year 10 leader was good as they are not so cranky and are different to teachers" "Because the Year 10's are closer to age group...easier to connect to" "Lots of positive feedback from the leaders" | |
YEAR 10 RESPONSES (n = 7)
| ||
Activity/Program | "It was fun and exciting" "Everyone had fun" "It was mostly good" "It was great, except I missed the second session" | "That it was at the end of the day" "Packing up" "Filling out surveys" |
Team Work | "Getting to work with and help the Year 7's" "It was something new...I got to work with people who I wouldn't normally" "Helping out the Year 7's" | "Some of the girls (Yr 7's) were a bit lazy to begin with" |
Peer leader Relationships | "Being with the girls" "Communicating with the Year 7 girls and getting them motivated" |
ii) Year 10 Peer Leaders
iii) Teachers
Teacher Responses | Leadership Preparedness | Activity Participation | Activity Suitability |
---|---|---|---|
Teacher (1) | "It was definitely beneficial having the year 10 students involved....younger students looked up to them and I think they almost wanted to prove themselves to them, to show them that they were capable of being mature and capable of performing skills. It was fantastic to see the Year 10's step up and take on a leadership role within the school." (1) | "During the first session we saw many of the students who do not usually participate having a go at all the activities (which was a big positive).....students worked well with students who they do not usually work with...enthusiasm and confidence increased. We saw some of the 'typical' non-participants pull out half way through activities during the second session. This could have been due to a decline in confidence as some of the activities were harder than the previous week's activities." (1) | "A program like this would be extremely beneficial for year 7 girls at the start of the year as many of the students would not have formed close friendships yet.....give students a chance to work with everyone in a positive team environment. In addition.......this allows students who are not so confident or do not like physical activity to participate in physical activity without even knowing it. Students such as this may see physical activity as a positive and fun thing rather than an exhausting task." (1) |
Teacher (2) | "...Year 10 students seem to engage the Year 7 students. They were able to get students who don't normally participate to have a go, which was great to see." (2) | "Team work was one aspect that I think improved (through participation) as well as developing new friendships." (2) | "I would consider continuing on; it's just a matter of getting our hands on the right resources." (2) |
Results for the dimension ADOPTION
Results for the dimension IMPLEMENTATION
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Peer Leader availability: Seven peer leaders completed the first assisted implementation and only five leaders were available for the unassisted implementation. Absences were due to sporting team commitments, external school courses, workplace experience and other school programs (Figure 2).
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Year 7 participant absences: Absences were due to illness, sporting or other school commitments such as music lessons (Figure 2).
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Duration: Initially the pilot was designed over a 6 week period. This was to include 2 days of leadership training in the first week. This was to then be followed by four "in class" sessions for 65 min per week over a 4 week period (4 × 65 min). It would then conclude with the lunchtime sessions, one lunchtime session of 40 min per week for the duration of 2 weeks (2 × 40 min).
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Team selection: In this pilot program teams were selected by teachers prior to the program. However, one teacher noted that "...perhaps, teamwork declined a little in the second session as some of the students believed they should have been given the opportunity to work with their friends..." (Teacher 1).
-
Time and cost of intervention: All three 'challenges' involved equipment that was sourced from around the school and from the physical education resources already available. The main cost was in student time taken away from class. For the peer leaders, classes missed had to be made up in their own time. For Year 7 students, because it was during curriculum time the impact was minimal.
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Time of year for implementation: The program was implemented toward the end of the school year when friendship groups have already been established in Year 7. Year 10 peer leaders also had competing demands of preparing for exams.
Results for the dimension MAINTENANCE
DIMENSION | POTENTIAL BARRIERS | POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS |
---|---|---|
Reach |
Future implementation of a school intervention of this design must consider the following to best target individual participants and school settings:
| |
S
| Implementation during school curriculum time. | Engage schools in program implementation during curriculum PE or Sport Education or potentially as an adjunct to 'Peer Support' Year 7 mentoring programs that many schools already provide. Students may not want to participate during their own free time such as lunchtime. |
S
| Have support and develop knowledge of the program with all teaching staff. | Develop support from school and staff by providing appropriate professional development and handout information prior to implementation. Must highlight benefits to staff and students of their own participation. |
S
| Ensure program is not competing against other school based programs for time. | Consult school calendar and highlight benefits of program for school transition, school connectedness, and psychosocial development. |
LT
| Recruitment of leaders may need a different approach. | Program needs to be promoted as an opportunity not a right; therefore incentives may not be needed. Leaders need to be aware of benefits. Link to community service programs such as Duke of Edinburgh is possible. There also needs to be consideration of recruiting leaders who are not already involved in similar opportunities and who sit outside the traditional 'leader' mould. |
LT
| Return of consent forms may be an issue. | If considered a 'compulsory' program by the school and fully supported, there may be a higher return rate of consent forms. |
Effectiveness
/Efficacy
|
Consideration of the following will be needed to ensure leader competency, confidence and preparedness:
| |
LT
| Training protocol. |
OUTCOME 1: Leadership training and leader preparedness. 1. Training programs should be clearly designed to meet appropriate outcomes to ensure that it will enable successful implementation of the interventions. Leaders should gain knowledge in the five key areas established in this pilot. |
LT
| Training duration. | An intervention that is implemented over a longer duration would require more training to be able to conduct more 'challenges' and greater understanding of group dynamics, leadership skills and how to problem solve. Refresher training just prior to the first implementation should be undertaken to help check for understanding and address any concerns or apprehensions. |
LT
| Length of time between sessions. | 'Challenges' should be completed weekly to ensure a consistent team oriented approach otherwise leaders lose momentum and also understanding of tasks and their role. |
LT
| Reading and comprehending instructions for each activity. | Provide a booklet with all 'challenges' for leaders to take home and use to prepare. Ensure activity cards are clear and concise with diagrams and that leaders have opportunities to clarify before implementation. |
LT
| Opportunities to evaluate training and verbal feedback. | Leaders should be given the opportunity to provide both written and verbal feedback to help direct support they require to develop their leadership skills. |
The following issues need to be addressed when providing activities for Year 7 students:
| ||
A
| Sequencing activities correctly to engage students. |
OUTCOME 2: Activity suitability and participation
The first task completed should be challenging, engaging and provide an opportunity for students to contribute to team success. |
A
| Removal or adaptation of racetrack. | The racetrack element should be carefully considered in terms of its: length, application in more cognitively based activities to encourage activity, its benefits to leader organisation, its location and participant understanding of its purpose, how frequently it is used and the primary outcomes of the program challenge. |
A
| Adding competitive elements. | Scoring should be consistent between activity 'challenges', easy to use and fully explained in the activity cards and booklets leaders have. |
A
| Grouping of students in teams | Appropriate grouping of teams and also leaders to teams is paramount to intervention success and should be considered carefully. If leaders are working with other leaders, this should also be considered. Teams should be small, between 4 to 6 students if possible. |
LT
| Leader interest and understanding of activities and ability to motivate students. | Leader motivation and interest will be critical to Year 7 activity participation. All leaders should apply for positions of responsibility and potentially demonstrate they have the capacity to undertake this role. Leaders must complete training that promotes positive relationship building, communication skills, problem solving and ability to work with others in groups. |
A
| Disappointment in team/grouping. | Inappropriate grouping may lead to decreases in participation. Year 7 groups and students should be monitored throughout the program with groups confirmed as early as possible if changes are required. |
A
| Concern about being part of a losing team. | Bonus points can be given by supervising staff to leaders and teams for assisting with equipment, organization and appropriate 'team work' to reward desirable team related outcomes. |
A
| Time to complete the activity. | Time periods must be designated for each challenge and be consistent throughout the program. This will allow scoring to also be consistent between activities. |
Adoption
|
The following issues need to be addressed to promote setting adoption:
| |
S
| Teacher knowledge and support of the program. | See REACH 1. |
S
| School culture including previous lack of success with students, motivational issues with students and negative experiences with physical activity. | The program should be promoted to all students, with leaders comprehending the importance of the role they will play. Motivational issues and negative experiences with physical activity can be negated by limiting racetrack lengths, careful team selection, ensure leaders are motivating and encouraging and appropriate challenge activity selection to meet student needs. |
S
| Too many extra curricula activities already offered by the school. | 1. See REACH 3. |
Implementation
|
To encourage successful implementation of this intervention, the following components need to be considered:
| |
S
| Leader availability for each session. | A consistent time every week needs to be provided for both leaders and students to ensure they attend, can plan for and contribute to each session. If leaders are absent, it impacts greatly on their peers and also other teams. |
S
| Participant contribution to team each session. | All participants should be held accountable for their team success after each challenge. This could be in the form of contributing individual points or overall team points. Teams crossing the finish line together and presenting to leaders together is also an important component in achieving this. |
S
| Consent. | See REACH 4. |
S
| Length of program and training within the school program. | The training duration provided for leaders has to equate to the period of implementation. |
S
| Team Selection. | See EFFECTIVENESS Outcome 2, 4. |
S
| Time and cost. | The outlay for equipment is minimal. The time taken for leaders to leave their classes to conduct the program is the most costly aspect of the program. Potentially timetabling a Year 10 and Year 7 class together for PE, Sport Education or Peer Support may alleviate this. Otherwise, classroom teachers need to be informed of when leaders will be missing and provide appropriate avenues for them to make up class time. |
S
| The time of year to deliver program the program to Year 7 students (weather, transition, exams, sport). | One of the aims of the program is to assist with Year 7 transition and therefore the optimum time for delivery is Term 1 or Term 2 of the school year. Optimal training time for leaders also needs to be taken into consideration, with exams and other commitments sometimes filling senior students' diaries. Weather will also impact on location/facility requirements. |
Maintenance
|
For a school to maintain a program and embed it within the school, the following parameters should be addressed:
| |
LT
| The duration of training and when to deliver the training. | A comprehensive training program should be undertaken to ensure leaders are competent and capable in leading their Year 7 teams. Provision of training periods should be included within the school day. The timing of training should also be considered otherwise refresher training will need to be provided. If the program is to be delivered at the start of a year, consideration needs to be given to leader selection and training beginning at the end of the previous year (see also EFFECTIVENESS Outcome 1, 2). |
S
| Impact on school having both year 7 and year 10 students participating in program. | All Year 7 students should have opportunities to partake in the 'challenges'. The biggest impact will be on Year 10 students who will have to miss classes if classes are not timetabled concurrently. |
S
| Staff required. | Staff training is required for those staff that will be assisting Year 10 leaders when the program is actually running. This will enable them to provide valuable feedback while the student leaders implement the program. Recruitment of key staff that will help drive and oversee the intervention is crucial to its success. Ongoing training of new staff to a school setting is necessary. |