Relationships among teachers’ perceptions of principal leadership and teachers’ perceptions of school climate in the high school setting

Differences in bullying rates between schools could be explained by school efficacy. This study examined the relationships among teachers’ perceptions of principals’ practices, school climate, and school collective efficacy to prevent bullying. The sample comprises 403 Mexican elementary-school teachers; 35% were male, and 65% were female. The teaching experience ranged from 2 to 35 years ( M = 13.2 years, SD = 9.1). Teachers answered self-report measures. A latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used. SEM model indicated that principal’s bullying prevention was directly related to a positive school climate, but they did not influence teachers’ perceptions of school collective efficacy. Also, principals’ support for teachers’ antibullying practices positively affected school climate and school collective efficacy. Both principal involvement and support had an indirect relationship with school collective efficacy. Overall, findings suggest that the principal has a critical role in promoting teachers’ perceptions of school collective efficacy in bullying prevention.

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Feasibility of a serious game coupled with a contact-based session led by lived experience workers for depression prevention in high-school students

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0260224 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

pp. e0260224

Author(s):

Mandy Gijzen ◽

Sanne Rasing ◽

Rian van den Boogaart ◽

Wendy Rongen ◽

Twan van der Steen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Scale Up ◽

School Setting ◽

Serious Game ◽

School Students ◽

Preventive Program ◽

High School Setting

Background Stigma and limited mental health literacy impede adolescents getting the help they need for depressive symptoms. A serious game coupled with a classroom session led by lived experience workers (LEWs) might help to overcome these barriers. The school-based Strong Teens and Resilient Minds (STORM) preventive program employed this strategy and offered a serious game, Moving Stories. The current study was carried out to assess inhibiting and promoting factors for scaling up Moving Stories once its effectiveness has been ascertained. Methods Moving Stories was offered in three steps: (1) introductory classroom session, (2) students playing the game for five days, (3) debriefing classroom session led by lived experience worker. Data was collected on the number of participating students, costs of offering Moving Stories, and was further based on the notes of the debriefing sessions to check if mental health first aid (MHFA) strategies were addressed. Results Moving Stories was offered in seven high-schools. Coverage was moderate with 982 participating students out of 1880 (52%). Most participating students (83%) played the Moving Stories app three out of the five days. Qualitative data showed that the MHFAs were discussed in all debriefing sessions. Students showed great interest in lived experience workers’ stories and shared their own experiences with depression. Conclusions Bringing Moving Stories to scale in the high-school setting appears feasible, but will remain logistically somewhat challenging. Future implementation and scale-up of Moving Stories could benefit from improved selection and training of LEWs that played such an important role in grabbing the full attention of students and were able to launch frank discussions about depressive disorder and stigma in classrooms. Trial registration The study is registered in the Dutch Trial Register: Trial NL6444 (NTR6622: https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6444).

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Social-Emotional Learning for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: High School Teachers’ Perspectives

Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education ◽

10.1017/jsi.2020.13 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Anita Gardner ◽

Michelle Wong ◽

Belinda Ratcliffe

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

Social Emotional Learning ◽

School Setting ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Emotional Learning ◽

Social Emotional ◽

School Students ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Core Characteristics

Abstract Social-emotional learning (SEL) is key to student success. Teachers can effectively implement SEL programs to a variety of school populations, with demonstrated improvements in emotional, social, and academic outcomes. Research also suggests that SEL for students on the autism spectrum can result in improved outcomes. Although social-emotional difficulties are core characteristics of autism, there is a dearth of research identifying the SEL needs for high school students on the autism spectrum and how to meet these needs. The aim of this preliminary qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of SEL needs in a high school setting with adolescents on the autism spectrum. A focus group was conducted with 8 experienced teachers from mainstream and special needs settings. The thematic analysis identified 3 themes: (a) SEL needs of students on the autism spectrum, (b) teaching SEL in high school settings, and (c) gaps in SEL. The study also revealed suggestions for how a SEL program could be developed so that it best meets the needs of the teachers who would be implementing it. Outcomes from this study provide important insights into SEL in adolescents on the autism spectrum in special education and have practical implications for intervention models.

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