Right To Play’s intervention to reduce peer violence among children in public schools in Pakistan: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Karmaliani, Rozina; McFarlane, Judith; Khuwaja, Hussain Maqbool Ahmed; Somani, Yasmeen; Shehzad, Shireen; Ali, Tazeen Saeed; Asad, Nargis; Chirwa, Esnat; Jewkes, Rachel

doi:10.1080/16549716.2020.1836604

Cited by 28 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Further exploration of the relative importance of these motives (loss of self-control versus normative attitudes and behaviours) in different contexts is warranted. We also note that a recently published evaluation of the Right to Play intervention to empower children by teaching communication and conflict resolution skills in Pakistan showed a reduction in children’s experience of corporal punishment from teachers, even though the intervention did not directly engage with teachers [ 46 ]. Future intervention work to reduce teacher violence may also usefully explore alternative pathways to violence reduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The EmpaTeach intervention for reducing physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background School-based violence prevention interventions offer enormous potential to reduce children’s experience of violence perpetrated by teachers, but few have been rigorously evaluated globally and, to the best of our knowledge, none in humanitarian settings. We tested whether the EmpaTeach intervention could reduce physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania. Methods and findings We conducted a 2-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial with parallel assignment. A complete sample of all 27 primary and secondary schools in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp were approached and agreed to participate in the study. Eligible students and teachers participated in cross-sectional baseline, midline, and endline surveys in November/December 2018, May/June 2019, and January/February 2020, respectively. Fourteen schools were randomly assigned to receive a violence prevention intervention targeted at teachers implemented in January–March 2019; 13 formed a wait-list control group. The EmpaTeach intervention used empathy-building exercises and group work to equip teachers with self-regulation, alternative discipline techniques, and classroom management strategies. Allocation was not concealed due to the nature of the intervention. The primary outcome was students’ self-reported experience of physical violence from teachers, assessed at midline using a modified version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool–Child Institutional. Secondary outcomes included student reports of emotional violence, depressive symptoms, and school attendance. Analyses were by intention to treat, using generalised estimating equations adjusted for stratification factors. No schools left the study. In total, 1,493 of the 1,866 (80%) randomly sampled students approached for participation took part in the baseline survey; at baseline 54.1% of students reported past-week physical violence from school staff. In total, 1,619 of 1,978 students (81.9%) took part in the midline survey, and 1,617 of 2,032 students (79.6%) participated at endline. Prevalence of past-week violence at midline was not statistically different in intervention (408 of 839 students, 48.6%) and control schools (412 of 777 students, 53.0%; risk ratio = 0.91, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.02, p = 0.106). No effect was detected on secondary outcomes. A camp-wide educational policy change during intervention implementation resulted in 14.7% of teachers in the intervention arm receiving a compressed version of the intervention, but exploratory analyses showed no difference in our primary outcome by school-level adherence to the intervention. Main study limitations included the small number of schools in the camp, which limited statistical power to detect small differences between intervention and control groups. We also did not assess the test–retest reliability of our outcome measures, and interviewers were unmasked to intervention allocation. Conclusions There was no evidence that the EmpaTeach intervention effectively reduced physical violence from teachers towards primary or secondary school students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. Further research is needed to develop and test interventions to prevent teacher violence in humanitarian settings. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03745573)

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The EmpaTeach intervention for reducing physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Where there is no dot, the intervention did not include the element. [14] and the Peace Education in Afghanistan [15]. These showed strong evidence of impact but did not include any support for survivors.…”

Section: Components Of Different Interventions and Their Evaluationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The additional elements were: (1) a focus on gender and social empowerment and developing positive interpersonal relations through group activities; (2) participatory learning methods, emphasising empowerment, critical reflection and communication skills; (3) having carefully designed user-friendly manuals systematically followed; and, for children's interventions only; (4) having an age-appropriate design with time for learning and an engaging pedagogy. [14] and the Peace Education in Afghanistan [15]. These showed strong evidence of impact but did not include any support for survivors.…”

Section: Seven Of the Nine Effective Interventions Included All Four Essential Elements Of Intervention Design And The Two Essential Elemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seven of the nine effective interventions included all four essential elements of intervention design and the two essential elements of intervention implementation. The other two effective interventions were interventions working with children to prevent peer violence delivered by Right To Play in Pakistan[14] and the Peace Education in Afghanistan[15]. These showed strong evidence of impact but did not include any support for survivors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Elements of the Design and Implementation of Interventions to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls Associated with Success: Reflections from the What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls? Global Programme

Jewkes

Willan

Heise

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a large and sustained impact on women’s mental health, and so effective prevention is critical. A review of 96 rigorous evaluations of interventions for their impact on violence against women and girls (mostly IPV) found that several intervention approaches were effective. However, not every evaluation of a ‘successful approach’ showed success in reducing IPV. In order to understand what else impacts success, we analysed practitioners’ accounts and documentation of the design and implementation of seventeen interventions evaluated as part of What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG). Six features were identified as characteristics of all successful interventions: a rigorously planned intervention with a robust theory of change (ToC), attuned to the local context; addressing multiple drivers of VAWG; support for survivors; working with women and men; implementing at optimal intensity and having sufficient, well-selected, trained and supported staff and volunteers. Four features were necessary for success when relevant for the intervention approach: gender and social empowerment group activities and promoting positive interpersonal relations; participatory learning methods, emphasising empowerment, critical reflection and communication skills; carefully designed user-friendly manuals systematically followed; and when working with children, having an age-appropriate design with time for learning and an engaging pedagogy. This analysis provides the IPV prevention field with critical information for enhancing the impact of group- and community-based interventions in IPV prevention and through this strengthening women’s mental health.

show abstract

“…Despite the clear need, few interventions to reduce violence from teachers to students have been evaluated using a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design. Exceptions include: the Good School Toolkit, Uganda, a complex whole school intervention implemented over 18 months; 9 the 2-year, 130 session Right to Play Intervention, trialled in Grade 6 students in Pakistan 10 as well as two interventions focused on teachers—the Interaction Competencies with Children for Teachers, trialled in Tanzania, 11 and the Irie Classroom Toolbox, trialled in Jamaica. 12 13 There are also several protocols registered for trials underway in Uganda and Tanzania.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the ‘Learn in peace, educate without violence’ intervention in Cote d’Ivoire reduce teacher violence? Development of a theory of change and formative evaluation results

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectivesTo gather evidence on whether a brief intervention (Apprendre en paix et éduquer sans violence, developed by the Ivorian Ministry of Education and Graines de Paix) to promote peace in primary schools by reducing teacher violence perpetration and improving pedagogical techniques was acceptable to teachers and affected change in intermediate outcomes.DesignMixed-methods formative research.SettingPrimary schools in Tonkpi region, Cote d’Ivoire.Participants160 teachers participating in the peace training, surveyed three times during implementation; qualitative in-depth interviews with 19 teachers and teacher-counsellors.InterventionsLearn in peace, educate without violence–a brief intervention with primary school teachers designed to promote peace in primary schools.OutcomesFor survey data, we generated composite measures of intermediate outcomes (teachers’ awareness of consequences of violence, self-efficacy in applying positive classroom management methods, acceptance of physical discipline practices in school) and used random intercept linear mixed-effects models to compare responses over time. Qualitative research included open-ended questions about acceptability and perceived need for such an intervention. A framework analysis was undertaken.ResultsFour-months post-training (vs pretraining), teachers had higher self-efficacy in applying positive classroom management methods (pre-mean=26.1; post-mean=27.5; p<0.001) and borderline lower acceptance of physical discipline practices (premean=4.2; postmean=3.6; p=0.10). We found no change in teacher awareness of the consequences of violence. Qualitatively, teachers found the intervention acceptable and understandable, perceiving it as useful because it provided methods for non-violent discipline. Teachers had mixed views about whether the techniques improved classroom dynamics.ConclusionsData suggest that the intervention is acceptable and leads to change in intermediate outcomes for teachers. Further evaluation in a randomised controlled trial is warranted.

show abstract

Right To Play’s intervention to reduce peer violence among children in public schools in Pakistan: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Cited by 28 publications

References 26 publications

The EmpaTeach intervention for reducing physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

The EmpaTeach intervention for reducing physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp: A cluster-randomised controlled trial

Elements of the Design and Implementation of Interventions to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls Associated with Success: Reflections from the What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls? Global Programme

Can the ‘Learn in peace, educate without violence’ intervention in Cote d’Ivoire reduce teacher violence? Development of a theory of change and formative evaluation results

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About