Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: evaluation of the Norwegian version of the Lions-Quest ”Skills for Adolescence” program.

• Register: ISRCTN
• Last refreshed on: 11 February 2019
• Main ID: ISRCTN16294629
• Date of registration: 17/08/2015
• Prospective Registration: Yes
• Primary sponsor: Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences
• Public title: Social and Emotional Learning in Schools: evaluation of the Norwegian version of the Lions-Quest ”Skills for Adolescence” program.
• Scientific title: Evaluation the efficacy of the Norwegian version of the Lions-Quest ”Skills for Adolescence” program “Mitt Valg 2”: a cluster randomized controlled trial with a wait-list control
• Date of first enrolment: 01/11/2015
• Target sample size: 1200
• Recruitment status: Recruiting
• URL: http://isrctn.com/ISRCTN16294629
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Single-center cluster-randomized controlled trial with a wait list control (Prevention)

Countries of recruitment

Norway

Contacts

• Name: Borge Stromgren

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria:
1. Students in Years 5, 6, and 7, in schools eligible to participate
2. All full time students in participating schools will be considered as potential participants
3. Parental consent will be based upon information letters to parents prior to the data survey, which informs parents that they may excuse their child from participating in the survey

Exclusion criteria: Students in schools that do not meet the inclusion criteria

Age minimum:
Age maximum:
Gender: Both

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Social and emotional skills and emotional wellbeing
Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Intervention(s)

MV-2 (the Norwegian version of the original US version termed the Lions-Quest ”Skills for Adolescence” [grades 6-8] program) is a universal and curriculum based SEL-recommended program for students in the school Years 5-7 (http://secondaryguide.casel.org). The program is developmentally sequenced as well as adopted to the Norwegian educational authorities commitment initiative called “The Knowledge Promotion.” The MV-2 school manual consists of 47 lessons organized in 6 themes:
1. Development of a positive school climate,
2. Social interaction and emotions,
3. Relations,
4. Critical thinking,
5. Drugs and tobacco
6. Formulating positive goals

Lessons are organized according to scientific criteria practices (SAFE: Sequenced, Active, Focused, Explicit) and consist of three phases:
1. Explore
2. Experience
3. Expand

Some lessons contain homework assignments; therefore a pacing with a new lesson every other week seems reasonable in order to cover the whole curriculum during the Years 5-7, making it possible to deliver 16 lessons in Year 5, 16 lessons in Year 6, and 15 lessons in Year 7. It is also possible to work with lessons every day for a shorter period of time, thereby compressing the delivery of the program to 6 weeks during each school year. The actual organizing of the lesson delivery is for each school to decide. Although the current trial focuses on the MV-2 manual for the school and the school delivery, there also exists information material and activity suggestions for parents. Again, it is up to each school to decide whether information to and cooperation with parents will be included,
Lesson pacing and delivery organization, as well as parental cooperation, will be a comparator between implementing schools.

Primary Outcome(s)

Students:
1. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): it provides measures of emotional difficulties, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems and pro-social behavior. It is widely used internationally
2. Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales–Children Short Form (SEARS-CSF): it provides measures of core SEL-competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making
3. Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventor–School Short Form (CSEI-SSF): it provides measures of a core SEL-competency such as self-esteem, both general and with peers

Teachers:
1. A self-developed screening scale that provides information about students’ pro-social competencies and engagement in school activities. It is inspired by the the SSIS Performance Screening Guide
2. Problem behaviors in school (PBS): it provides information about how often the teachers’ had to manage problem behaviors in the classroom and school environment during the last week

Data will be collected from the students in the classes just before the teachers attend the workshop, then after they have participated in MV-2 classes for one year, and again, when they have participated in MV-2 classes for two years.

Secondary Outcome(s)

Students:
1. School climate (SC): it provides information about the perceived school climate and contains scales covering relations between students, school norms among students, and emotional support from teachers/ student-teacher relations
2. Bullying and victimization (from the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire-Revised): it provides information about how often the students have been bullying or victimized during the last couple of months

Teachers:
1. School environment-Openness in communication: it provides information about teachers’ perception of the openness in communication at their school, and has shown to be a predictor of implementation quality

Data will be collected from the students in the classes just before the teachers attend the workshop, then after they have participated in MV-2 classes for one year, and again, when they have participated in MV-2 classes for two years.

Secondary ID(s)

N/A

Source(s) of Monetary Support

“Det er Mitt Valg” Foundation, part of the Lions Club Norway.

Ethics review

Status:
Approval date:
Contact:

Norwegian Data Protection Official for Research, 23/06/2015, ref: 43838

Results

• Results available: Yes
• Date Completed: 31/12/2019