Solid as a rock, flexible as water? Improving students’ psychosocial wellbeing in prevocational schools
Mertens, E. C. A., Dekovic, M., van Londen, M., Nye E., Reitz, E.
Rots en Water: Positieve resultaten wetenschappelijk effectonderzoek op het VMBO
Dit onderzoek is gepubliceerd in de Journal of School Psychology 92 (2022), 1-18.
Abstract:
Students following a preparatory vocational education track seem most in need of an intervention stimulating their competencies and preventing the development of problems in the intrapersonal and interpersonal domain. The aim of the present study was to examine, first, whether Rock & Water, a social emotional learning intervention that uses active forms of learning, is effective in improving students’ competencies and preventing problems in the intra- and interpersonal domain, and second, whether intervention effects were influenced by the extent to which multiple systems are involved in the intervention. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with a sample of 7th grade students (N = 1299, Mage = 12.38, 54% boys). Students reported on outcomes of the intra- and interpersonal domains using digital questionnaires. The data were analyzed with Latent Growth Curve models. Results showed that the intervention was most effective when only a core team of teachers was involved in the intervention. The intervention improved several proximal outcomes (i.e., self-control and emotional self-regulation) and distal outcomes in students’ intrapersonal and interpersonal domains. The intervention effects were strongest, albeit moderate, in the first year of the intervention. These results show that interventions with an active form of learning and implemented by a core team might be promising interventions for prevocational students, although effort should be put in increasing its effectiveness.
Het onderzoek, waar 1.299 leerlingen aan deelnamen, vond tussen 2016 en 2020 plaats en werd uitgevoerd door de Universiteit van Utrecht.
Resultaten laten zien dat leerlingen die de R&W-interventie hebben gehad een betere ontwikkeling laten zien op meerdere uitkomsten op zowel het interpersoonlijke domein (agressie) als het intrapersoonlijke domein (psychologisch welbevinden, seksuele autonomie, internaliserend gedrag) en op secundaire uitkomstmaten (zelf-controle en emotieregulatie), ten opzichte van de leerlingen die de R&W-interventie niet hebben gehad. De uitkomsten waren het sterkst in het eerste jaar en wanneer een kernteam van leerkrachten betrokken was bij het uitvoeren van de interventie.
