Teachers' perceptions of the impact of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management programme on their practice and on the social and emotional development of their pupils

Investigating the Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral, Mindful-Based, Emotional-Based Intervention and Professional Training on Teachers' Job Burnout: A Meta-Analysis

Teachers are more likely to experience occupational burnout; intervention for their job burnout has been paid more and more attention by the academic community. However, there is not enough evidence to support the interventions' effect. This study adopts the meta-analysis method and makes a statistical analysis of the interventions' effect on teachers' job burnout based on 29 papers in the literature of randomized controlled experiments. It mainly presents the basic external characteristics of the research literature; besides, based on the results of software CMA.V3, this paper also analysed the overall intervention effect and the separate effect of four types of intervention, namely, cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI), mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), professional training (PT), and emotional-based intervention (EBI). The results showed that CBI had the best effect, and mindfulness-based intervention had the second-best effect. Professional training also showed a good intervention effect, while the intervention effect of emotional-based intervention remains to be verified. In addition, it was found that only the effect of cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) was significant and had a strong effect (g = 0.876, 95% CI-1.06, 2.814, p < 0.05) when considering their effects on emotional exhaustion, while the other three interventions had no significant effect. The discussion section is provided last.

Teachers' views on the acceptability and implementation of the Incredible Years® Teacher Classroom Management programme in English (UK) primary schools from the STARS trial

Background

The Incredible Years^® (IY) Teacher Classroom Management (TCM) programme may reduce disruptive behaviour in the classroom and improve child and teacher mental health; however, few studies have considered how acceptable TCM is to teachers or what facilitators and barriers there are to its implementation.

Aims

In this paper we examine the acceptability of the full 6‐day TCM programme and teachers’ perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation in the English (UK) primary school context.

Sample

Forty‐four English (UK) primary school teachers who attended the TCM programme as part of the STARS trial.

Methods

We completed focus groups and telephone interviews with participating teachers 2 months after they completed the TCM programme. Thematic analysis was used to examine the data, and a framework approach was applied to organize and summarize themes.

Results

Teachers liked the structure of the course, the peer group learning environment, delivery methods, and the opportunity to reflect outside the classroom on their practice. They reported that the video clips used lacked cultural relevance and highlighted the importance of group leadership style. Perceived facilitators to implementation included an understanding of the theory underpinning TCM and adaptability of the TCM strategies. Barriers included perceived gaps in the course content in relation to challenging behaviour, applying strategies with older children and the school context within which teachers were working.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest high levels of acceptability to TCM overall, but also highlight the need for a whole school approach to combat potential barriers to implementation.

Mental health support and training to improve secondary school teachers’ well-being: the WISE cluster RCT

Background

Health and Safety Executive data show that teachers are at heightened risk of mental health difficulties, yet few studies have attempted to address this. Poor teacher mental health may impact on the quality of support provided to young people, who also report increased mental health difficulties themselves.

Objective

To test the effectiveness of an intervention aiming to improve secondary school teachers’ well-being through mental health support and training.

Design

A cluster randomised controlled trial with embedded process and economic evaluations.

Setting

Twenty-five mainstream, non-fee-paying secondary schools in the south-west of England and South Wales, stratified by geographical area and free school meal entitlement, randomly allocated to intervention or control groups following collection of baseline measures (n = 12, intervention; n = 13, control) between May and July 2016.

Participants

All teachers in the study schools at any data collection. All students in year 8 (baseline) and year 10 (final follow-up).

Intervention

Each intervention school received three elements: (1) a 1-day mental health first aid for schools and colleges training session delivered to 8% of all teachers; (2) a 1-hour mental health session delivered to all teachers; and (3) 8% of staff trained in the 2-day standard mental health first aid training course set up a confidential peer support service for colleagues. Control schools continued with usual practice.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was teacher well-being (using the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale). Secondary outcomes were teacher depression, absence and presenteeism, and student well-being, mental health difficulties, attendance and attainment. Follow-up was at 12 and 24 months. Data were analysed using intention-to-treat mixed-effects repeated-measures models.

Economic evaluation

A cost–consequence analysis to compare the incremental cost of the intervention against the outcomes measured in the main analysis.

Process evaluation

A mixed-methods study (i.e. qualitative focus groups and interviews, quantitative surveys, checklists and logs) to examine intervention implementation, activation of the mechanisms of change outlined in the logic model, intervention acceptability and the wider context.

Results

All 25 schools remained in the study. A total of 1722 teachers were included in the primary analysis. We found no difference in mean teacher well-being between study arms over the course of follow-up (adjusted mean difference –0.90, 95% confidence interval –2.07 to 0.27). There was also no difference in any of the secondary outcomes (p-values 0.203–0.964 in the fully adjusted models). The average cost of the intervention was £9103 (range £5378.97–12,026.73) per intervention school, with the average cost to Welsh schools being higher because of a different delivery model. The training components were delivered with high fidelity, although target dosage was sometimes missed. The peer support service was delivered with variable fidelity, and reported usage by teachers was low (5.9–6.1%). The intervention had high acceptability, but participants reported low support from senior leadership, and minimal impact on school culture.

Limitations

Participants and the study team were unblinded, self-report for the main outcome measures and inaccurate measurement of peer support service usage.

Conclusions

The Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) intervention was not effective at improving teacher or student well-being, or reducing mental health difficulties, possibly because of contextual barriers preventing it becoming embedded in school life.

Future work

Identification of ways in which to achieve system-level change and sustained support from senior leaders is important for future school-based mental health interventions.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN95909211.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 9, No. 12. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. Intervention costs were met by Public Health Wales, Public Health England and Bristol City Council.

Delivery of a Mental Health First Aid training package and staff peer support service in secondary schools: a process evaluation of uptake and fidelity of the WISE intervention

BACKGROUND

Improving children and young people's provision for mental health is a current health priority in England. Secondary school teachers have worse mental health outcomes than the general working population, which the Wellbeing in Secondary Education (WISE) cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to improve. The WISE intervention comprised a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training package delivered to at least 16% of staff, a short mental health awareness session to all teachers and development of a staff peer support service. Twenty-five schools were randomised to intervention or control arms. This paper reports findings regarding the extent of uptake and fidelity of the intervention.

METHODS

Mixed methods data collection comprised researcher observations of training delivery, training participant evaluation forms, trainer and peer supporter interviews, peer supporter feedback meetings, logs of support provided, and teacher questionnaires. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively, while thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data.

RESULTS

In the 12 schools assigned to the intervention arm, 113 (8.6%) staff completed the 2-day standard MHFA training course, and a further 146 (11.1%) staff completed the 1-day MHFA for schools and colleges training. In seven (58.3%) schools, the required 8% of staff completed the MHFA training packages. A 1-h mental health awareness-raising session was attended by 666 (54.5%) staff. Delivery of the MHFA training package was achieved with high levels of fidelity and quality across schools. All schools set up the peer support service following training, with a majority adhering to most of the operational guidelines developed from the pilot study at the outset. Teachers reported limited use of the peer support service during follow-up. At the 1-year follow-up, only three (25.0%) schools indicated they had re-advertised the service and there was evidence of a reduction in support from senior leadership.

CONCLUSION

The MHFA training package was delivered with reasonably high fidelity, and a staff peer support service was established with general, but not complete, adherence to guidelines. In some schools, insufficient staff received MHFA training and levels of delivery of the peer support service compromised intervention dose and reach.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN 95909211 . Registered on 15 January 2016.