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The Hummingbird Project: A Positive Psychology Intervention for Secondary School Students.

ABSTRACT: Mental health in schools has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for students. Previous PPIs have tended to be delivered by trained Psychology specialists or have tended to focus on a single aspect of Positive Psychology such as Mindfulness. The current study involved 2 phases. Phase 1 was a pilot PPI, delivered by current university students in Psychology, which educated secondary school students (N = 90) in a variety of Positive Psychology concepts. Phase 2 involved delivering the PPI to secondary school students (N = 1,054). This PPI, the Hummingbird Project, led to improvements in student well-being, as measured by the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). The intervention also led to improvements in student resilience, as measured by the Bolton Uni-Stride Scale (BUSS), and hope, as measured by the Children's Hope Scale (CHS). Results are discussed in the context of their implications for the future of psychological intervention in secondary school settings.

SUBMITTER: Platt IA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7426523 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Hummingbird Project: A Positive Psychology Intervention for Secondary School Students.

Platt Ian Andrew IA Kannangara Chathurika C Tytherleigh Michelle M Carson Jerome J

Frontiers in psychology 20200807

Mental health in schools has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in secondary schools have been shown to improve mental health outcomes for students. Previous PPIs have tended to be delivered by trained Psychology specialists or have tended to focus on a single aspect of Positive Psychology such as Mindfulness. The current study involved 2 phases. Phase 1 was a pilot PPI, delivered by current university students in Psychology, which educated sec ...[more]

PMID: 32849165

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Project description:BackgroundCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number cause of death worldwide. In Ghana CVD has been the leading cause of death since 2001. The prevalence of CVD risk factors among adolescents in Ghana has been increasing. This study seeks to develop, implement and evaluate the effects of a behavioral modification intervention program to reduce CVD risk factors among secondary school students in Brong Ahafo, Ghana.MethodsA cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted with schools as clusters over a period of six-months with pre and post intervention evaluations. Participants were public secondary school students (14-19 years) from four schools in Brong Ahafo, Ghana. Students in the intervention group were trained by the researchers whereas those of the control group received no intervention. The intervention included health education and physical activity modules. Follow-up data using same questionnaire were collected within two weeks after the intervention was completed. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed after replacing missing values using the multiple imputation method. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to assess the effects of the intervention study.ResultsThe GLMM analyses showed the intervention was effective in attaining 0.77(p<0.001), 0.72(p<0.001), 0.47(p<0.001), 0.56(p<0.001), and 0.39(p = 0.045) higher total physical activity, fruits, vegetables, seafood, and water scores respectively for the intervention group over the control group. The intervention was also significant in reducing -0.15(p<0.001),-0.23(p<0.001),-0.50(p<0.001),-0.32(p<0.001),-0.90(p<0.001),-0.87(p<0.001),-0.38(p<0.001), -0.63(p<0.001), -1.63(p<0.001), 0.61(p<0.001), and -1.53(p = 0.005) carbohydrates, fats and oils, fried eggs, fried chicken, carbonated drinks, sugar, sweet snacks, salted fish, weight, BMI, and diastolic BP. The odds of quitting alcohol use in the intervention group were 1.06 times more than the control group. There was no significant effect on reducing smoking and systolic BP.ConclusionThere is an urgent need for the intervention program to be integrated into the existing curriculum structure of secondary school schools. Implementing the intervention will allow for longer and more consistent impact on the reduction of CVD risk factors among secondary school students.

Project description:Drop out from upper secondary school represents a risk for the future health and wellbeing of young people. Strengthening of psychosocial aspects of the learning environment may be an effective strategy to promote completion of upper secondary school. This paper is a study protocol of a school based cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating two school-based interventions, namely the Dream School Program (DSP) and the Mental Health Support Team (MHST). The interventions aim to improve psychosocial learning environments and subsequently school achievements and decrease drop-out and absence.The COMPLETE RCT is aimed at youth in upper secondary school, grade 1 (age 15-16 years), and examines the effect of the combination of the DSP and the MHST; and the DSP only, compared with a comparison group on the following primary outcomes: student completion, presence, average grade, and self-reported mental health. Seventeen upper secondary schools from four counties in Norway were randomized to one of the three arms: 1) DSP and MHST; 2) DSP; and 3) comparison (offered DSP intervention in 2018/2019). The study will evaluate the interventions based on information from two cohorts of students (cohort 1 (C1) and cohort 2 (C2)). For C1, data was collected at baseline (August 2016), and at first follow-up seven months later. Second follow-up will be collected 19 months after baseline. For C2, data was collected at baseline (August 2017), and first and second follow-up will be collected similarly to that of C2 seven and 19 months respectively after baseline. Process evaluations based on focus groups, interviews and observation will be conducted twice (first completed spring 2017).The COMPLETE trial is a large study that can provide useful knowledge about what interventions might effectively improve completion of upper secondary school. Its thorough process evaluation will provide critical information about barriers and points of improvement for optimizing intervention implementation. Findings can guide school development in the perspective of improving psychosocial learning environments and subsequent completion of upper secondary schooling.The trial was retrospectively registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov register on December 22.2017: NCT03382080 .

Project description:BackgroundThe New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum in Hong Kong aims to change the exam-oriented culture and promote students' all-around development. This reform emphasizes student-centered learning and promotes a shift from a top-down approach to school-based management, with the ultimate goal to help students become lifelong learners. This study examined students' perceptions of the NSS curriculum with a focus on their noncognitive development (e.g., self-understanding, positive values, purpose in life, and resilience).MethodsThe data were collected from 3,498 Secondary 6 students in Hong Kong (Girls: 47.7%; Mean age: 17.33 years) using a self-reported questionnaire in 2015. We examined the psychometric properties of the instrument, "Perceptions of the New Secondary School Curriculum" (PNSC), and conducted multigroup CFA to evaluate the measurement invariance of PNSC across genders. Paired t-test analysis was used to examine whether students perceived the junior and senior secondary curricula differently. A series of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to examine students' perceptions of the curriculum by gender and by academic performance level.ResultsResults based on percentage responses showed that most students liked the curriculum and acknowledged its benefits in promoting their noncognitive development. However, substantial proportions of the students also reported relatively negative responses to some items, particularly their fondness for senior secondary education. Students generally reported higher fondness for the junior secondary curriculum than for the senior secondary curriculum. Girls had more positive perceptions of the NSS curriculum than did boys. High-performing students liked the NSS curriculum the most and perceived the most benefits of the curriculum in promoting their noncognitive skills, whereas low-performing students showed the lowest levels of fondness for/interest in the curriculum and perceived benefits.ConclusionsOur findings support previous evidence showing initial success in promoting students' noncognitive skills but also alert educators and policymakers that the curriculum should not leave the low-performing students behind. Collective efforts from schools, educational bureaus, researchers, and policymakers are needed to take appropriate measures to cater to students' balanced development.

Project description:Background Adolescents are often required to wear footwear that adheres to uniform guidelines at secondary school. There is a paucity of literature on factors influencing school footwear choice and what drives the development of school footwear guidelines. The aims of this study were to describe (i) current school footwear guidelines in secondary schools across Australia, (ii) factors that influence footwear choice in secondary school students and their parents, and (iii) principals, parents, and students’ beliefs on factors which contribute to school footwear guidelines. Methods An online survey was distributed to principals, secondary school students (aged 14–19 years) and their parents across Australia. The survey included questions on current school footwear guidelines, factors influencing footwear choice (for students and parents), participants beliefs on the effect footwear has on musculoskeletal health, current and previous lower limb pain, and beliefs on factors that contribute to school footwear guidelines. Parent and student responses to factors that influence their footwear choice were compared using proportional odds logistic regression. Students and parents’ responses to factors influencing footwear guidelines were compared to principal responses using proportional odds logistic regression. Significance was set at an alpha of < 0.05. Results Eighty principals, 153 parents and 120 secondary school students responded to the survey. 96% (77/80) of principals reported that their schools have set guidelines for school footwear. 88% of principals considered comfort to be important when developing school footwear guidelines. Proportional odds logistics regression showed that parents and students were 3.4 and 4.9 times more likely, respectively, than principals to rate comfort as being important when schools develop footwear guidelines. More than 40% of students reported experiencing musculoskeletal pain, and 70% of these students reported the pain to be exacerbated when in their school shoes. Less than a third of participants considered healthcare recommendations important to the development of footwear guidelines. Conclusions Nearly all principals that participated in this survey had set guidelines for school footwear. There is a discord between parents, students, and principals on the importance that factors such as comfort, play in the development of school footwear guidelines. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13047-023-00624-0.

Dataset Information

The Hummingbird Project: A Positive Psychology Intervention for Secondary School Students.

Publications

The Hummingbird Project: A Positive Psychology Intervention for Secondary School Students.

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