08. Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper
Co-Design as a Trauma Informed Process for the Design of Trauma Informed Practices in Schools
Ruth McKernan, Catriona O'Toole
Maynooth University, Ireland
Presenting Author: McKernan, Ruth
Childhood trauma is pervasive and can have devastating consequences for the health and wellbeing across the lifespan (Felitti et al., 1998; Felitti and Anda, 2009). Hence, there is growing interest in the adoption of trauma-informed practice to help ameliorate the impacts of trauma (O’Toole, 2021). However, the embedding of trauma-informed practice in schools is not a simple, standard, or linear process. If we are to embed trauma-informed practices in schools, the means by which we do so, must also adhere to trauma-informed principles such as those proposed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (2014) - (1) safety, (2) trustworthiness and transparency, (3) peer support, (4) collaboration and mutuality, (5) empowerment, voice and choice, and (6) cultural, historical and gender issues (SAMHSA 2014). It is not sufficient to develop a programme for schools to follow without taking into consideration the context of the school, as well as, the needs, experience, expertise and expectations of the staff and students in the school.
Co-design has been used in many different arenas, from business to architecture. Co-design in trauma-informed care is a process that considers the impact of trauma and the negative operation of power, while prioritising building safe, trusting and collaborative relationships, thus addressing many of the principles of trauma informed care. It is a person-centred method which foregrounds the experiences of people who are centrally involved in or impacted by a situation. In this research project, the people involved are the staff and students working in two specific schools, at a particular point in time.
Co-design is a method that can be placed under the rubric of participatory action research or community-based research, both of which are related. One of the tenets of participatory or community-based research is “no research about us, without us!”, and co-design addresses that by either working directly with the people involved or handing the power over to the people so that they develop their own solutions to the issue at hand” (McTaggart, 1997).
Co-design is not possible without building relationships with those others involved in the co-design process. As steps are taken the researcher must always question whether the actions taken, are inclusive and facilitate power sharing and capacity building. The process therefore necessitates deep and sustained reflective practice on behalf of the researcher to ensure the inclusion in decision making of those who may be coming in from the margins. Unless attention is paid to building strong relationships based on trust their involvement may remain tokenistic. Thus, those with more power should create the conditions of safety and hospitality to make it possible for people with less power to speak and to be heard.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedTaking a case study approach, this paper describes the co-design process underway in two urban primary schools that are working to become trauma-informed. The process included the creation of core teams, one in each school, consisting of a cross section of staff in varied roles in the schools. The core teams were formed by seeking volunteers from the whole school staff and were first convened in October 2022. Each team met with the researcher and discussed local issues in their school as well as looking at the existing frameworks available for use to develop as a trauma informed school. Each core team worked closely in a research-practice partnership (Penuel and Gallagher, 2017) with the researcher to develop a bespoke programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for their school, taking their local issues into consideration. Both schools developed a programme of eight sessions of CPD with some overlap and some differences in the courses. The delivery of the eight modules was dictated by the schedule of time available in each school, with the core team determining the order in which sessions would be delivered and providing feedback to the researcher after every session. Such feedback informed the development of the next, and further, sessions so that the programme that was envisaged at the beginning of the work was not necessarily exactly as predicted by the end. This programme of CPD has now been delivered in both schools.
At the time of writing, the core teams are continuing their work with the researcher to develop their schools as settings that adhere to trauma informed principles. Both core teams meet regularly to review policy documents as well as discuss strategies that are in use throughout the school. In addition, both schools have indicated that they wish to share what they have learned during the process with other schools. To that end, both core teams are engaging with the researcher to write a short handbook for school staff that will reflect the content of their CPD modules, with a view to publication online. The research project has thus empowered these two groups of school staff to develop a resource that may be useful to other schools in similar situations.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsPreliminary results indicate that the co-design process fosters staff engagement, collaboration and the sharing of ideas and good practice suggestions. However, it can be time consuming and requires a high level of flexibility as well as a willingness to relinquish control. The programmes of CPD have been well received in the two schools, with staff reporting that they see the programme as being relevant to their setting. Staff have reported that they have experienced barriers to in-class implementation of some of the strategies proposed as part of the programme of CPD, and this feedback has been taken on board with strategies modified accordingly. Staff appear to feel a level of ownership of the programme and an eagerness to impart information to their colleagues in other local schools.
This project commenced in two schools in October 2022 and is ongoing with an upcoming process evaluation focus group, which will consist of staff who have not been involved in the core team, so as to minimise bias. In addition, an arts-based activity, using Photovoice (Wang and Burris, 1997) will be undertaken with a small group of students in each school investigating what they like/dislike about school. Concurrently, data is being collected annually to determine whether the introduction of trauma informed principles and practices in the schools has any impact on staff and student wellbeing and their relationships.
Overall, the preliminary data from this research project suggests that despite the challenges, co-design helps develop a better understanding of local context, ensuring that initiatives are tailored to the specific needs of students, teachers and local community. It also allows for greater innovation and fosters a sense of ownership, which can lead to improved engagement and sustainability in the long-term. Ultimately the study highlights the importance of co-design in health and wellbeing interventions in schools.
ReferencesFelitti, V.J., Anda, R.F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D.F. Spitz, A.M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., and Marks, J.S. (1998) Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14 (4), 245-258.
Felitti, V.J., and Anda, R.F., (2009) ”The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Medical Disease, Psychiatric Disorders and Sexual Behaviour: Implications for Health Care” in Lanius, R. and Vermetten, E., Eds. (2009) The Hidden Epidemic: the impact of early life trauma on health and disease. Cambridge University Press, UK.
McTaggart, R. (1997) “Guiding Principles for Participatory Action Research” in McTaggart, R., ed. (1997) Participatory Action Research: International Contexts and Consequences. SUNY, Albany.
Penuel, W. R. and Gallagher, D.J. (2017) Creating research-practice partnerships in education. Harvard Education Press, Cambridge, MA.
O’Toole, C. (2021) Why Schools Need Resources to Support Traumatised Children. Retrieved from https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0309/1202896-childhood-trauma-adversity-schools-covid-19-ireland/
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) (2014), SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma Informed Approach. Retrieved from https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf
08. Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper
Design Thinking, a Method to Help Create Wellness Practices for Early Career Principals
Roula Hadchiti1, Maude Loi Zedda2, Rana Naimi3, Alice Levasseur4
1Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada; 2HEP- Vaud- Suisse; 3Université de Montréal, Canada; 4Université Laval, Canada
Presenting Author: Loi Zedda, Maude
A healthy, positive school culture is created by passionate and committed school principals who are emotionally stable and have a positive sense of well-being (SWB). While the primary responsibility of school principals is to ensure the health of students and staff, it is essential that they consider their own WB in order to cope with the changes and stresses that disrupt their daily tasks, relationships with the school team and priorities (Woo and Steiner, 2022). For Seligman (2011), an individual's well-being is associated with positive emotions, commitment, interpersonal relationships, achievements and meaning in life. People with high levels of well-being more often experience pleasant emotions (Diener, 2000), easily form relationships with others and use their skills in the service of their professional environment (Kutsyuruba et al., 2019).
In the studies by Drago-Severson (2012) and Hadchiti et al. (2021), school principals indicated the need to take care of their well-being by devoting more time to personal and emotional care and developing positive relationships with their team. For Poirel and Yvon (2014), principals’ well-being is threatened by changing working conditions, including a greater variety of roles and tasks. In this sense, the presence of principals in poor psychological health increases the risk of all school staff feeling the same way. In addition, they are more likely to leave their jobs, which can have significant organizational consequences like burn out or intention to quit (Dodge et al., 2012). The threat to their well-being is also likely to have wider pedagogical consequences in terms of teaching effectiveness and student learning (Poirel & Yvon, 2014). School principals have long been shown to be one of the key elements contributing to teacher success and, consequently, student achievement (Leithwood et al., 2000). According to the literature, existing research has mainly focused on the elements that interfere with school principals' well-being (unhappiness and its negative effects) (Boyland, 2011; Silbaugh et al., 2021) or the link between well-being, productivity and sense of self-efficacy (Kansky & Diener, 2017; Zessin et al., 2015). Conversely, few studies have examined the strategies and practices favoring school principals' well-being (Eloma et al. 2021; Lyubomirsky & Layous, 2013; Wang, Pollock & Hauseman, 2018), and even fewer in a Francophone context.
It is therefore important to examine the strategies and practices that could be put in place to support the basic needs of school principals in terms of well-being. Closely related to action research, design thinking is a qualitative method that allows for a process of reflection and the search for innovative solutions by participants (Braun and Clarke, 2022). Through this methodology, the researchers intend to co-create and develop well-being practices in the workplace with school principals. This paper presents the design thinking methodology applied to educational sciences in a school administration context. It will be illustrated by preliminary results obtained during the first stages of design thinking.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedAs this is an exploratory study, the non-probability sampling method will be used, specifically voluntary sampling. The project will therefore involve the joint work of researchers and participants (approx. 30 school principals). This research method requires an empirical inquiry that is part of a qualitative, reflexive and creative approach based on the design thinking method, and calls on researchers and practitioners to work together with the aim of bringing about change (Catroux, 2002). Closely linked to action research and practice change, this method will enable participants to create solutions themselves from the knowledge gained from research (Jonas, 2018). The design thinking method will be applied by the researcher and practitioners according to Ambrose & Harris’ (2010) seven steps: 1) problem definition, 2) solution research, 3) brainstorming, 4) prototyping, 5) selection, 6) implementation and 7) learning. These seven steps rely on continuous feedback, thinking and the ability to find solutions based on the needs of stakeholders in the field (Platner et al., 2015). The project includes three three-hour meetings per year between the participants and the researcher to co-develop the tool (the well-being practices). A preparatory and a final meetings are also planned, for a total of five meetings per year. These meetings will take the form of focus groups to collect specific data, drawn from the participants' personal experiences and interactions. Between each meeting, participants will also be given specific tasks designed to nurture their well-being practices and help them achieve the project's objectives. In this way, participants create their own well-being practices while referring to phases of scientific research and systematic inquiry (Jonas, 2018).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThere are, however, a number of limitations may emerge that merit close examination. Firstly, one of the main constraints is the small size of the study population. When the number of participants is small, it becomes difficult to extrapolate results to the entire population of school principals. This limitation compromises the generalizability of the conclusions and may lead to overly specific interpretations. Secondly, another major challenge in the present research on the well-being of school principals lies in the potential presence of biases such as the exclusive composition of the study population. For these preliminary steps, all participants were women. This restriction may limit the representativeness of the results, as men's experiences and perspectives could differ significantly. Gender diversity is crucial for obtaining a complete and nuanced picture of school principals' wellness practices. The absence of male participants could result in a partial view of reality and restrict the scope of the findings.
This study offers points for consideration on practices that can be put in place to promote the well-being of school principals. If the goal is to have healthy, positively productive schools, the well-being of school principals needs to be addressed. An effective school starts with committed and passionate leaders who have a positive sense of their well-being enabling them to meet the demands of everyday life in their workplace and have an impact on the success of the whole school team.
ReferencesAmbrose, G., Harris, P., & Ambrose, X. (2010). Design thinking. AVA Academia. Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.
Biétry, F., & Creusier, J. (2013). Proposition d’une échelle de mesure positive du bien-être au travail (EPBET). Revue de gestion des ressources humaines, 87(1), 23-41.
Boyland, L. G. (2011). Job stress and coping strategies of elementary principals: A statewide study. Current Issues in Education, 14(3), 1-11.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2022). Conceptual and design thinking for thematic analysis. Qualitative Psychology, 9(1), 3.
Campbell, S. M. (2016). The concept of well-being. The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Well-Being. Routledge.
Dodge, R., Daly, A. P., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L. D. (2012). The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2(3), 222-235.
Drago-Severson, E. (2012). The need for principal renewal: The promise of sustaining principals through principal-to-principal reflective practice. Teachers College Record, 114(12), 1-56.
Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D. W., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97(2), 143-156.
Hadchiti, R., Frenette, E., Dussault, M., Deschênes, A. A., & Poirel, E. (2021). Processus d’élaboration et de validation d’un questionnaire portant sur le développement des compétences émotionnelles lors du mentorat. European Review of Applied Psychology, 71(4), 100651.
Jonas, W. (2018). Systems Design Thinking: Theoretical, Methodological, and Methodical Considerations. A German Narrative. In Systemic Design (pp. 89-117). Springer.
Kutsyuruba, B., & Godden, L. (2019). The role of mentoring and coaching as a means of supporting the well-being of educators and students. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 8(4), 229-234.
Liedtka, J. (2015). Perspective: Linking design thinking with innovation outcomes through cognitive bias reduction. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(6), 925-938.
Poirel, E., & Yvon, F. (2014). School principals' emotional coping process. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l'éducation, 37(3), 1-23.
08. Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper
Contextual Support for Social and Emotional Competencies and Diversity Awareness as a Predictor of Teachers' Emotional Self-Efficacy and Burnout
Ana Kozina, Urška Štremfel
Pedagoški inštitut, Slovenia
Presenting Author: Kozina, Ana
Teachers across Europe face a multitude of challenges associated with the characteristics of their profession, e.g., new skills requirements and rapid technological developments, and challenges associated with their teaching and classroom interactions, e.g., discipline and increasing social and cultural diversity.The challenges faced by teachers are adding to the frequency and intensity of their emotional problems and increased levels of stress that are potentially leading to burnout.
One mechanism for supporting teachers lies in promoting their social and emotional competencies as well as diversity awareness (SEDA). Possessing and developing teachers’ SEDA has proved to be important, both for the teachers themselves and for those with whom they are in close contact (e.g., students, colleagues, parents). The support for SEDA is especially important as SEDA competencies and teacher well-being have been recognised as a critical factor affecting teachers’ work motivation and the quality of their teaching (Odak et al., 2023), as well as a key element of the whole-school approach to the promotion of mental health (Cavioni et al., 2020). As shown in research (Roeser, 2016), emotional competencies lead to stress reduction via a) lowered stress reactivity by cultivating self-regulatory processes and coping mechanisms; and b) non-judgement and compassion in stressful situations.
In recent years, several policy documents have been accepted on the EU level that focussed on teachers’ competencies and professional development. The Council Conclusions on European Teachers and Trainers for the Future (Council of the EU, 2020) stresses that the nature of teachers’ work may lead to physical and emotional exhaustion, stress and burnout, affecting their mental and physical health. On the highest political level, the Council Resolution on a Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021–2030) (Council of the EU, 2021) establishes Enhancing competencies and motivation of the education profession as one of the five strategic goals. It exposes that attention needs to be paid to the well-being of teachers, trainers and educational staff more than ever. The Council of the EU (2021) locates teacher well-being as one of 12 priority areas in the field of teachers and trainers in the period 2021–2025, referring to the need for “developing measures and establishing mechanisms to improve working conditions and to address occupational stress, in order to foster the well-being of teachers, trainers and pedagogical and education staff”.The teachers’ perception of policy and social support has been recognised as an important factor of their well-being (e.g., Casely-Hayford et al., 2022). The contextual (policy and social) support for SEDA development is therefore the focus of our attention.
In the current study, we will, using structural equation modeling, analyse the path leading from contextual support (operationalised as perceived support for SEDA competencies from a) initial teacher education, b) continuous teacher training, c) school policies, and d) national policies) for the teachers’ emotional self-efficacy and their well-being (operationalised as burnout). The results of the study will be comprehensively contextualized with data on the Slovenian national policy, and cultural and educational context, considering different factors, that scientific discussions already identified as indicative of teacher support for emotional competencies.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedMethods
Participants
The data from the Slovene sample of the “HAND IN HAND: Empowering teachers across Europe to deal with social, emotional and diversity-related career challenges (HAND:ET)” project (N = 264; 253 females; 207 teachers, 20 principals, 29 other school staff, 8 trainers) is used. On average, they were 41,98 years old (SD = 7,67) and had 15.27 years of experience teaching (SD = 8.91).
Instruments
The teachers involved in the project were provided with a battery of measurement tools focusing on their social, emotional and diversity awareness competencies. In this paper, we will use the data from:
Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (Muris, 2001) was used as a measure of self-management. The scale is a part of the self-efficacy questionnaire for children (SEQ-C) and consists of 8 items evaluating the ability to regulate unpleasant emotions. Participants answered how well they were coping with the given situations during the pandemic (1 = not at all to 5 = very well). The reliability and validity of the instrument have been well documented for children and adolescents (i.e., Tan & Chellappan, 2018), and it has been previously used with adults (Vieluf et al., 2020). Cronbach's α in our study was 0.90.
Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ) (Melamed, et al., 1992) is composed of 14 items and measures three dimensions of burnout: physical fatigue, cognitive weariness, and emotional exhaustion on a scale from 1 = never or almost never to 7 always or almost always. Cronbach's α in our study was 0.93.
Contextual SEDA Support (Štremfel, 2024). For the HAND:ET project 4 questions were developed asking teachers how much they agree with the statements that SEDA are important part of a) initial teacher education, b) continuous teacher training, c) school policies, and d) national policies (1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree). Cronbach's α in our study was 0.68.
Procedure
This study is a part of the “HAND IN HAND: Empowering teachers across Europe to deal with social, emotional and diversity-related career challenges (HAND:ET)” project which included field trials in five EU countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Portugal, Austria and Sweden). In September 2022, teachers completed a battery of questionnaires tapping into social, emotional, diversity awareness, and demographic information using online tools. Informed consents were gathered beforehand. For this study, we only present data from Slovenia for the selected measures. The original scales were translated into Slovenian using a committee approach.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe results show that 69% of teachers in Slovenia responded to the statement “The development of teachers’ SEDA competencies is an important part of education policies in my country” by strongly agreeing or agreeing. Most teachers in Slovenia, 80 %, also agree with the statement “The development of teachers’ SEDA competencies is an important part of the policy of my school”. In response to the statement, “I had an opportunity to develop SEDA competencies in my initial teacher education”, only 20% of teachers agree or strongly agree with the statement. As regards continuing professional development, 86% of teachers in Slovenia, agree or strongly agree with the statement “I have an opportunity to develop SEDA competencies in programmes of continuing professional development”.
Further on we investigated the role perceived support play in emotional competencies and the level of teacher burnout. The final SEM model fit the data adequately: χ2(194) = 425.363, p < .001, CFI = .995, RMSEA = .043, 90% CI [.034, .052], SRMR = .040. The findings show a significant positive path leading from contextual support to emotional self-efficacy and a significant negative path leading from emotional self-efficacy to all three dimensions of burnout. The findings support the important role of contextual support for emotional competencies and the prevention of teachers' burnout. The increase in reported emotional difficulties reflected in increased levels of stress and burnout in teachers across Europe adds to the importance of co conceptual understanding of the underlying processes as well as support mechanisms for teachers’ well-being. And, as the results show the contextual support especially needed in Slovenia is support for SEDA competencies in teachers’ initial education.
ReferencesCasely-Hayford, J., Björklund, C., Bergström, G., Lindqvist, P., & Kwak, L. (2022). What makes teachers stay? A cross-sectional exploration of the individual and contextual factors associated with teacher retention in Sweden. Teaching and Teacher Education, 113, 103664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103664
Cavioni, V., Grazzani, I., & Ornaghi, V. (2020). Mental health promotion in schools: A comprehensive theoretical framework. International Journal of Emotional Education, 12(1), 65–82. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55039
Council of the EU (2020). Council conclusions on European teachers and trainers for the future. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2020.193.01.0011.01.ENG
Council of the EU (2021). Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021G0226(01)
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Muris, P. (2001). A brief questionnaire for measuring self-efficacy in children with affective problems. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioural Assessment, 23(3), 145–149. doi:10.1023/A:1010961119608
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