Low-Cost Targeted Strategies Improving Conflict-Effected Children’s Well-being: Adaptation and Implementation Findings From Niger

• In Event: 3-095 - Variation in implementation of social-emotional programs for refugee children in low-, middle-, and high-income countries

Integrative Statement

Background: Despite growing interest to include social-emotional learning (SEL) in education in emergencies (INEE, 2016), the vast majority of SEL research comes from US and stable contexts and there remains a knowledge gap about how to adapt evidence-based SEL interventions for successful implementation in international and emergency settings (IRC, 2017; Merrell, Gueldner, & Castro-Olivo, 2010). Given that adaptation and implementation are key factors that influence program outcomes (Durlak & DuPre, 2008), the current study aims to generate evidence about the adaptation and implementation of low-cost targeted (LCT) SEL strategies in international crisis-affected contexts. LCT strategies, designed to be potent, flexible, and easy to implement (Embry & Biglan, 2008), present a unique opportunity to respond to the implementation challenges facing education in emergencies (EiE).

Purpose: The current study was designed to evaluate two LCT SEL interventions— Mindfulness and Brain Games— embedded in the International Rescue Committee’s Learning in a Healing Classroom program, which serves children affected by conflict around the world. This paper describes the process and findings related to adaptation and implementation of both LCT SEL strategies during the first year of a research-practice partnership taking place across three different countries, and discusses implications for other efforts to adapt and implement evidence-based SEL interventions within EiE.

Study Details: In Niger, the study took place in 2016-2017 within two communities affected by ongoing violence and displacement. The study consisted of two cycles: in the first cycle (11 weeks) tutors were asked to do Mindfulness activities with their students three times per day, for 10 minutes each, for a total of 30 minutes per day; in the second cycle (13 weeks) tutors were asked to play Brain Games, designed to build executive function skills through play and dialogue, for the same frequency/dosage.

Mixed-methods data were collected and analyzed from the following study tools: (1) daily logs documenting the specific activities chosen, frequency and length, and rationale for selections and adaptations; (2) weekly reflection notebooks documenting what worked well, what tutors would do differently, and what they hoped to discuss with their mentor; and (3) field staff feedback about specific activities perceived as effective or ineffective and modifications that were used/proposed.

Findings: Results of the contextualization process in Niger suggest key considerations for adapting SEL for EiE: the need for teacher inclusion, and a critical focus on trauma, culture, language, and gender. Implementation findings across both cycles suggest that: (a) tutors used all activities, with varying frequency, (b) there was wide variability in strategy use across tutors, and (c) actual dosage was lower than expected: tutors met the expected criteria 15% of the time for Mindfulness and 34% of the time for Brain Games. We will compare our findings to those from a parallel study in Lebanon (Bailey et al, 2018).

Conclusions: Our findings shed light on aspects of SEL implementation and adaptation that require particular attention in international emergency settings. We expect these findings to contribute to the growing knowledge-base about how to adapt and implement evidence-based SEL strategies within diverse contexts.

Authors

• Rebecca Bailey, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  Presenting Author

• Sonya Temko, Harvard University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sophie Barnes, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephanie Jones, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  Non-Presenting Author