Intervention(s)
Treatment classes receive instruction using PERSPEKT 2.0 - a set of teaching materials aimed at training pupils’ emotional, personal and social skills to improve individual well-being as well as the social and learning environment in the classroom. It fulfills the four criteria for best implementation practice, SAFE; it is Sequenced in that there is coordinated progression of activities and practices to build competencies of the pupils; it is Active as it includes a number of participatory elements, such as role plays; it is Focused in terms of having allocated specific time and program elements to build specific SEL competencies; and it is Explicit in terms of having identified specific SEL competencies, that it aims to strengthen [12]. The material bears resemblance to PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) and Second Step, both widely used social-emotional learning programs developed in the US, which have been subjected to several RCT based evaluations.
PERSPEKT 2.0 exists in three age-appropriate modules (Module I, II and III), targeting respectively grades 0-3, 4-6 and 7-9. Treatment classes are instructed using module II, which targets grades 4-6 and consists of 15 chapters, each of which is designed to take 45-60 minutes to complete. Exercises in the material are a variation over conversations, classroom exercises and small group activities. Some chapters offer specific tools, such as key phrases or steps, for children to use in different situations. Roleplaying and games are included as a means of drawing attention to and practicing different skills.
In treatment classes, instruction in PERSPEKT 2.0 is initiated in August 2018, at the beginning of the school year. To the extent possible, instruction in successive chapters will be spaced by one week, however schools are allowed some flexibility in timing, in order to accommodate other planned activities (e.g. thematic weeks or class trips) and teacher absences. The entire course must be completed by the end of February 2019. Instruction can be provided by either teachers or pedagogues associated with the class. While it is recommended that the same instructor, typically the class teacher, teaches the entire course, up to two teachers may, under special circumstances, be involved.
PERSPEKT 2.0 is designed to require no special training of instructors. A pilot study conducted in three Danish primary schools during the school year 2017/18 has confirmed that the teaching materials are self-contained, and that teachers typically spend less than half an hour to prepare for each chapter. Instructors in treatment classes are introduced to the materials exclusively through a video that demonstrates classroom practice. The teaching material itself is available through a custom-built web application, though a printed version of the material is also available upon request. Teachers are equipped with personal usernames and passwords and once logged in, instructors can read the chapter and exercise instructions and display project exercise materials on a smartboard in the classroom. In addition, instructors can easily keep track of the progression of their class(es) through the material at the level of individual exercises. This delivery of the program through a user-friendly online platform is intended to make it easy to implement and scale the program.