Implementation of a school-based social and emotional learning intervention: understanding diffusion processes within...

Area of Science:

• Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions face challenges with consistent and widespread implementation.
• Existing models often lack the flexibility to address the complex factors influencing intervention practices within diverse systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain the adoption, implementation, and discontinuance of a SEL intervention using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory.
• To identify key factors influencing the variability of SEL intervention implementation in secondary schools.

Main Methods:

• A pragmatic, formative process evaluation using case-study methodology was conducted.
• Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 stakeholders across four contrasting secondary schools in Wales.
• The UK Medical Research Council's framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions guided the evaluation.

Main Results:

• Implementation variations were largely attributed to four intervention reinvention points: training, assessment, clarification, and responsibility.
• These reinvention points highlight how interventions transform based on contextual factors and user needs.
• The study identified specific opportunities to predict and address potential implementation issues.

Conclusions:

• Understanding intervention reinvention is crucial for improving the successful and sustainable implementation of SEL programs.
• The identified reinvention points offer a framework for predicting and managing implementation challenges in educational settings.
• Further research into additional reinvention activities is recommended to enhance intervention effectiveness.