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Rethinking Implementation Variation in Character Development Programs

Thu, March 21, 9:30 to 11:00am, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 3, Room 330

Integrative Statement

Character development programs which help youth reflect on personal values support youth as they transform values into meaningful, sustained action. In the USA, the vast majority of these programs occur out of school. Programs such as Scouts and 4-H fill this void as schools focus on academic fundamentals at the expense of promoting social and emotional development (Elias, 2009). In countries such as the United Kingdom, social and emotional development is emphasized within the school curriculum. The Inspiring Purpose program (IP) is a school-based program in the UK that has also been implemented as an out-of-school (OST) program in other contexts. IP was designed to allow practitioners to adapt the program to fit the needs of their youth and context which is critical to achieving person-context fit. This study addresses the following question: Do variations in program implementation affect youth levels of self-reflection, confidence, and poster quality? We hypothesized practitioners who adapt the program to fit youth needs will have more positive youth outcomes.

Method
The IP study was conducted in Scotland and included teachers and students in grades S2-S3 (12-14 year-olds) in 2016/2017. Thirty-nine teachers (67% female; 97% White) participated in a survey and interview post-program completion. A total of 959 youth participated in at least one of four survey waves; 789 posters were received and a stratified random sample of 227 were coded.

Poster quality scores were computed based on the development of students’ responses. Youth confidence was measured with 2 subscales (Positive Identity, Theokas et al., 2005; Self Worth, Harter, 1999). Youth self-reflection was measured using the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (Grant, Franklin, & Langford, 2002). Teacher Implementation Variation was assessed in interviews; codes measured integration of IP into class activities (Integration), support teachers provided students (Guidance), teacher curriculum adaptation (Adaptation), and creation of their own resources/materials (Creation). The coding team maintained high reliability, with overall intraclass correlations (ICC, 1,4) between .889-1.

Results
Person-centered analyses (PCA) resulted in 8 teacher implementation profiles (Figure 1). Teachers who focused on creation/integration had the most experience teaching IP and students with higher quality posters when compared with teachers who primarily provided guidance. Teachers who focused on creation/integration and those who focused on integration/guidance also used a more intensive approach (more days per week but fewer total weeks implementing). There were also effects of implementation style on youth self-reflection and confidence. Pupils whose teachers primarily created/integrated had higher levels of self-reflection after participating in IP. Teachers who provided more guidance had pupils who exhibited more confidence after participating in IP. These results have implications for studies of OST programs: it is critical to assess variations in adult practice and how various implementation profiles affect youth outcomes. We are testing this in our study of one of the largest OST programs in the United States: Boy Scouts of America. We are collecting survey data from 25,000 scouts/7,500 adult leaders across the country which will allow us to test how variations in adult leaders’ practice lead to more positive youth outcomes.

Authors