Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Developing the social and emotional competence of adolescents through implementation of the STEPS-A curriculum. |
| Authors: |
Atkiss, Emma, Stringer, Phil |
| Source: |
Educational & Child Psychology. Sep2023, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p47-71. 25p. |
| Subjects: |
Dialectical behavior therapy, Emotional problems of teenagers, Adolescent psychology, Problem solving, Emotions, Mindfulness, Teenagers, Secondary education |
| Abstract: |
Aims: This research explores the curriculum, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (STEPS-A) (Mazza et al., 2016). It aims to trial STEPS A, exploring its impact on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), in addition to understanding facilitative implementation conditions for the programme. Rationale: The rationale for the study lies within the potential of the programme to be a universally accessible tool for change in nurturing the SEL of adolescents within the secondary school context. Methods: Using a mixed method case study design, six sessions were delivered in two mainstream mixed secondary comprehensive schools to key stage three groups by trained staff facilitators. Focus groups were carried out, alongside the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) (Greco, Baer, & Smith, 2011) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale -- Short Form (DERS-SF) (Kaufman et al., 2016) pre and post intervention. Findings: Data informed the development of an implementation framework, alongside a consultation tool for EPs to support STEPS-A planning in schools. Impact results are promising; mixed ANOVAs revealed two significant and two non-significant time* intervention interactions. Follow up t tests demonstrated intervention group changes in mindfulness and emotional regulation skills in schools 1 and 2 respectively. Implications: The study has implications for the adoption of the STEPS A curriculum to support SEL within secondary schools, whereby school staff are actively supported by EPs to use an implementation framework to maximise efficacy. The encouraging impact findings provide psychological and ethical weight to the use of the framework. Limitations: Due to a small sample size and short intervention period, the need for replication of the quantitative results with a larger sample over a longer period is acknowledged. The implementation framework requires validation across contexts. Conclusions: The study found that the STEPS-A programme, the first curriculum-based DBT programme designed to be taught in schools by teachers, was well-received by participants. It indicates that, within the context of empirically supported implementation conditions, skills which were initially designed for teaching to clinical populations as part of a comprehensive therapy programme have value and can potentially effect change for adolescents with and without additional identified needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of Educational & Child Psychology is the property of British Psychological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
