Researching the Teacher Classroom Management Programme in Jamaica

1. Researching the Teacher Classroom Management Programme in Jamaica Helen Baker-Henningham Supporting Parents, Children and Teachers: Research and Practice Wednesday 7th March 2012 Cardiff

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. Change in observed teacher behavioursin intervened and control classrooms Negatives Positives Promoting social skills Intervened Control

10. Change in classroom ratings in intervened and control classrooms ** *** ** *** ***p < .001, **p < .01;Values are mean change (final – baseline) scores

11. 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”

12. 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

13. Study Design 24 Basic schools Randomised • Intervention Group: n=12 • Teacher training plus educational materials • Control Group: n=12 • Educational materials only 36 classrooms 37 classrooms Children screened for conduct problems through teacher report: 3 children / class with highest scores selected 113 children 112 children 7 lost 8 lost 105 children 105 children

14. IY Teacher-Training intervention • 8 full day workshops • November - April • Monthly in-class support for 1 hour for 4 months • January - April

15. IY Teacher Programme - Content Use selectively Time out Managing Minor Misbehaviours Use liberally Proactive Teaching Attention, Encouragement and Praise Building Positive Relationships with Children

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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.gconcrete activities and ideas, easy to use checklists • In-class consultations

20. Measurements

21. 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

22. 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 attendance • Observer ratings of classroom • appropriate behaviour and • Interest and enthusiasm

23. 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

24. Characteristics of Sample

25. Results: benefits to children

26. Change in conduct problems in intervened and control classrooms Teacher Report Observations p<0.01 p<0.01 Parent Report p<0.05 Intervened Control

27. Change in friendship skills in intervened and control classrooms Teacher Report Observations p<0.001 p<0.001 Parent Report p<0.05 Intervened Control

28. 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.

29. Results: benefits to teachers

30. Change in observations of teachers’ classroom behavioursin intervened and control classrooms Teacher Negatives Teacher Positives p<0.001 p<0.001 Intervened Control

31. Change in observed teacher interactions to high risk children in intervened and control classrooms Teacher Positives Teacher Negatives p<0.001 p<0.001 Intervened Control

32. Percentage of teachers using physical punishment through observation ns %

33. One Year Follow-Up of Preschool Teachers

34. Teacher and classroom outcomes: One Year Follow-Up • Observations of teachers’ classroom behaviour • teacher positives, teacher negatives • Use of physical punishment

35. Change in observations of teacher positives in intervened and control classrooms P < 0.0001

36. Change in observations of teacher negatives in intervened and control classrooms P < 0.0001

37. Percentage of teachers using physical punishment through observation % ns

38. Discussion

39. Significant benefits were found to child antisocial and prosocialbehaviour 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

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. Funders • 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 WellcomeTrust • The Environmental Foundation of Jamaica

45. Research Team • Yakeisha Townsend • Sabrina Simpson • Chisa Cumberbatch • Marsha Robinson • Suresh Martin • Taja Francis • Raxon Simmonds-Gordon • ChenielleDelahaye-McKenzie • Khadeen Henry • Alicia Bucknor • Rosain Stennett • Andrea Searchwell • Judeen Meikle • Patrice Parkinson • Paula Rennalls • Horace Webber

46. Thank you for your attention Diolchynfawriawn