1

KiVa Anti-Bullying Programme

Presentation at the Bangor Conference 2015

Suzy Clarkson

Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention Bangor University

KiVa

Suzy - Research assistant - Programme and the research from Finland and Wales

Huw – Deputy Head from Llanllechid with some of his pupils – Teacher and pupil perspective of KiVa

Zoe – Social Research Unit Dartington – Taking KiVa to scale

2

KiVa Anti-Bullying Programme

3

• Developed and evaluated in Finland; Professor Christina Salmivalli at Turku University

• Commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture

• For over a decade no changes in bullying prevalence rates

• Legislative changes (1998, 2003) • Schools required to have policy (including action

plan or strategy against bullying)• Schools encouraged to self-invent programmes

Research on Bullying

• Bullying is a group process

• Bully’s behaviour: pursuit and maintenance of status and power within the group

• Bystanders’ behaviour: encourage, support, and maintain the bully’s behaviour

Foundations of KiVa: • By influencing the behaviour of classmates, we

can help to reduce the rewards gained by the bullies and consequently, their motivation to bully in the first place

4

5

KiVa Antibullying ProgrammeKiVa is a structured and sytematic programme with a large amount of materials and concrete tools

Two componentsUniversal actions: Ten double lessons, online games, high-visibilty vests for playtime supervision, posters, and parent website

Indicated actions: KiVa team with scripted strategies for dealing with reported incidents of bullying. Indicated actions permit “victim’s voice” to be heard, allow bully to commit to a plan to support the victim, and class teacher to encourage pro-social support for victim.

6

Finnish Randomised Controlled Trial

• 234 schools 117 intervention, 117 control

Finland > 30 000 students

• Wide age range (Grades 1-9, pupils 7-15 years of age)

Main Conclusions of the RCT• KiVa was effective in reducing (self- and peer-reported)

bullying and victimisation during the first nine months of implementation– The effects generalised to multiple forms of victimisation;

Verbal, social exclusion, physical, material, threats, racist, sexual and cyber

• Numerous positive effects on other outcomes;– empathy, self-esteem, school liking and academic

motivation etc.

• Decreases in depression and anxiety

7

Finnish Rollout

• In 2009, Rollout commenced in 1,450 schools

• 880 schools included in further evaluations (N~150,000 pupils). Postive results were gained

• In 2010, +810 schools

• In 2011, +200 schools

8

NOW: 90% of schools implement KiVa

Welsh Pilot study

• A small-scale pilot study involving 17 schools 14 in Wales and 3 in Cheshire (2012/2013)

- Unit 2 curriculum for 9-11 year olds• Training by KiVa team from Finland • Termly support meetings held with teachers in

three locations across Wales• Data collected

- Pre-post online pupil self-report survey

- Teacher mid- and end-point survey

9

10

Pupil self-report results

Victimisation: t(12) =2.15, p =.027Bullying: t(12) =2.79, p =.008Final: Pupil sample n=472 School sample n=13

Teacher Feedback

• Teachers: enthusiastic and positive about the lesson content and structure

• Teachers: reported that 75-100% of pupils were engaged and enthusiastic about the lessons

• The majority of teachers reported that KiVa had a positive impact on: child well-being, behaviour, pro-social behaviour, and class and playground atmosphere

11

Second year follow-up of Pilot School pupils

Mean percentage of self-reported victims and bullies from pupils in year five that received the intervention in 2012/3 and the same groups of children at the end of year 6 in schools where the programme has been continued.Data collected in year 5 in September 2012 and July 2013, and in year 6 in July 2014. The error bars represent the standard error.

12

BIG Lottery funded RCT

• The pilot trial led to a Welsh BIG Lottery innovation funded RCT in 20 schools from across Wales

• RCT is being conducted by a partnership between the Social Research Unit Dartington and Bangor University

• RCT uses both Units 1 and 2 of the programme, delivered to whole of KS2, pupils age 7 to 11 years old

13

The RCT

• 11 intervention, 9 wait list control

• We are now in Phase 2

• In Phase 1 (2013-2014) only the intervention schools delivered the programme, and Phase 2 (2014-2015) intervention and control schools delivered the programme

14

RCT Outcomes

The funded trial will consider:

Bullying Pupil self-report

Victimisation Pupil self report

Mental well-being Teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Attendance Half day absences

Feedback from teachers, during the termly support sessions is extremely positive, both for lesson content and child engagement

15

Training

Training for schools and for trainers

Dates:

28th – 29th April 2015 for schools

28th - 30th April 2015 for trainers

Cost and further details available from: e.f.williams@bangor.ac.uk

16

Thank you for listening

17

Suzy Clarkson: pss01f@bangor.ac.uk

Centre of Evidence based Early InterventionsBangor University