Written evidence from How to Thrive (CMH0128)
Building resilience in UK schools with the evidenced based Penn Resilience Programme as the foundation.
There is currently no consistent approach to life skills teaching across schools and no mandate on schools to provide statutory PSHE education or subjects that can enhance resilience, help young people learn coping techniques to overcome the difficulties they face or make the most of opportunity and thrive in life. The evidence suggests that building resilience is at the heart of responding to this, with a 12% return on investment and yet there isn't a consistent approach.
The world students are graduating into is rapidly changing, with high levels of unemployment, non-traditional sectors showing increasing growth and industry declining rapidly. According to The Princes Trust more than half of unemployed young people feel anxious about everyday situations and 2 in 10 are often too anxious to leave the house. The skills young people need to thrive in this context are not the ones currently being taught in schools and while no one can predict what the future of today’s graduating generation is, we can help give them the skills to effectively navigate uncertainty and give them the best chance of success. Starting this learning early and reminding and reinforcing through the education life span can increase the chances of these habits sticking and creating real behavior change overtime in a lasting way.
The Penn Resilience Programme (PRP), is an 18-lesson curriculum developed at the University of Pennslyvannia and suited for Year 7 students. How to Thrive are the only European organisation able to deliver the training and provide access to the curriculum. Over 250 schools across the UK already teach the PRP and we estimate, conservatively, that the lessons have reached in excess of 130,000 young people. Here is a little of the research, but do read on beyond to find out how our approach is much more of a whole school approach.
The PRP evidence spans years of research both here in the UK and internationally looking at cognitive attributions, behavior, anxiety and depression. The early studies (Cardemil et al., 2007, Gillham et al., 1995, Jaycox et al., 1994, Zubernis et al., 1999) findings include a positive impact on cognitive style (reduced pessimism) and prevention of depressive symptoms. A Meta-analysis of over 20 controlled studies shows that the programme reduced and prevented depression and anxiety symptoms, reduced behavioural problems, improved explanatory style (optimism), reduced hopelessness and enhanced well-being and physical health (Brunwasser et al., 2009) . Research studies with both secondary and primary students, in the UK show similar results and have also shown a positive impact on academic attainment. The findings of the research in the UK (Challen et al., 2009, 2010, 2011) can be summarised as follows;
The quantitative work found a significant improvement in
◦ pupils depression symptom scores
◦ school attendance rates
◦ academic attainment in English
◦ anxiety scores
◦ maths attainment concentrated in a few groups of pupils
The impact varied by pupil characteristics with a larger impact for
◦ pupils entitled to free school meals
◦ who had not attained the national targets at Key Stage 2
who had worse initial symptoms of depression or anxiety
As well as these outcomes students develop six competencies (emotional intelligence (regulation and empathy), impulse control, optimistic thinking, flexible and accurate thinking, self-efficacy and connecting & reaching out) that can be measured, taught and improved (Reivich & Shatte, 2002, pp33). These competencies have been developed by studying thousands of individuals through the completion of the Resilience Quotient (Reivich & Shatte, 2002, pp, 33-45). This research identifies the competencies as successful indicators of high levels of resilience and improved performance in a range of real world settings and diverse work settings.
It is important to note that the outcomes for the PRP are relatively short lived (as with all ‘programmes’ delivered in isolation) and, by a third year follow up, the results for the students who received the PRP are not significantly different to the control group, illustrating the need for our suite called ‘Boosting Resilience’ aimed at students in year 8, 9, 10 and 11. This whole package provides appropriate and ‘off the shelf’ teaching and learning across the secondary journey. Learning the skills in year 7 is the first important foundation, reminding students they have the skills and that the skills are relevant and can be applied to their current situations is reached through the boosters. As with any good habits, the resilience skills take time to learn and even longer to trust and rely on so they become a natural response to dealing with life’s challenges and making the most of opportunity.
What we find overtime, when the resilience skills are embedded in a school, is that a language framework develops to not only discuss problems, but also to problem solve effectively, reducing the need to refer to specialists services or require an external input. In independent Anti-Bullying reviews in schools where several year groups had been taught resilience we see a difference in both perceptions of bullying and responses to bullying. For example a Secondary School Anti-bullying Reviews in Hertfordshire during 2010 that reported the following;
"The Resilience Programme has been delivered in 2 of the 8 schools visited. The successful impact of the programme was evident in the different and more positive responses of pupils in those year groups that had been involved when compared with their older peers.”
We believe that its vital for young people to understand that in life they should expect to face difficulties, that setbacks and failure are part of growing up, but that they can not only be overcome, they offer a fantastic learning opportunity. Offering a growth and development approach to creating a sophisticated sense of self and resilience that allows them to be the best version of themselves. In this sense its skills for life.
Specialist teacher training is at the heart of the delivery of the Penn Resilience Programme and the Boosting Resilience suite. The adults around children and young people are vitally important to see lasting outcomes. Adults must have a deep understanding of resilience themselves and be modeling resilient behaviours. Our approach starts with the adults, helping them achieve a sophisticated understanding of resilience so that they provide good quality teaching and learning in the classroom and develop an expertise that can be shared and passed on.
We need to appreciate that human thinking is flawed due to several psychological biases (rather than individual blame), these biases can be understood and overcome. For example decision-making is hard due to confirmation bias. The confirmation bias is that we seek the evidence to support that my thinking is correct and ignore any evidence that may suggest my thinking is wrong. To overcome the confirmation bias we teach, as part of the training a skill that helps individuals understand the bias and when it is in play and unhelpful and then a skill that develops flexible and accurate thinking that can be used personally and share with others. Our approach is underpinned by sound evidence that can be broken down into three main headings as described below.
Our programmes are based on the psychology of the Cognitive Behavioural Model (Beck 1997) that informs Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This theory suggests that when an activating event occurs we interpret that event, and it is this interpretation of the event that causes us to react the way that we do. Our interpretations or beliefs in that moment influence both our emotional response and our behaviour. If the emotion is too strong or misplaced, or the behaviour is inappropriate, this can be unhelpful and undermine our resilience. The reaction can be changed by identifying and challenging those beliefs in that moment. The theory suggests that there are a set of skills that we can learn that will enable us to better manage our responses to situations. Learning these skills will also identify patterns in our beliefs (habits of thinking) that can cause us to be more pessimistic, overly anxious or to miss information that might help us problem solve more effectively. Challenging habits of thinking ensures the beliefs are more optimistic, accurate and flexible, enabling us to respond with more resilience. A meta-analysis by Butler, et al (2005) reviewed cognitive behavioural therapy that informs all our work and approaches and offers evidence of sustained long-term outcomes.
Explanatory Style Theory
Our programmes incorporate the use of Explanatory Style Theory (Nolen-Hoeksema, et al, 1986). Explanatory style is used to identify inaccurate and pessimistic thinking and to encourage more flexible and accurate thinking. This is incorporated in to the cognitive behavioural approach and together they are broken down into individual skills that can be taught in a non-therapeutic context. Students learn about their own patterns of thinking and how to challenge them when they are inaccurate or creating unhelpful consequences. Through the development and practice of the skills, self-awareness grows, as does the capacity to understand and empathise with others. Individuals’ are able to identify unhelpful thoughts and challenge them in the moment. Over time this leads to a to a change in habitual thinking style and offers flexible and accurate thinking to overcome setbacks and make the most of opportunities.
Self-Efficacy
Bandura’s concept of Self-efficacy (1993 & 2012) is at the heart of our work and at sustaining behavior change in a lasting and effective way. Self-efficacy is the belief that one can be effective, and that belief is grounded in reality. In order to have high levels of self-efficacy in a given situation one or more of the following statements must be true for an individual:
I believe I can do this because I have learnt through doing something similar before (mastery).
I know someone like me that has been able to do this (an accessible role model).
I have talked this through with someone and I have a strategy that I think will work.
My emotional state is calm and I am physically able to do what is needed.
Our programmes build self-efficacy by providing skills and the opportunity to practice the skills (mastery), and by developing empathy and awareness amongst adults and young people alike, to create accessible role models. It creates opportunities to talk through ways they might deal with difficulty and to manage their emotional state.
If an individual believes they can be effective when faced with a challenge or problem they are more likely to engage, try different ways to solve the problem, learn and move forward.
Summary
We believe that building resilience into UK schools in an evidenced, and sustainable way, can make the kind of differences needed to teachers and young people and the society they will be leading in future. We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you in more detail.
18th January 2017
References
Aaron, T. Beck, M.D. (1997) “The Past and Future of Cognitive Therapy.’ Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research Vol 6:276-284
Bandura, A., (1993) "Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning." Educational psychologist 28.2: 117-148.
Bandura, A., (2012) “On the Functional Properties of Perceived Self-Efficacy Revisited.” Journal of Management 38.1: 9-44
Butler, A. C., Chapman, J. E., Forman, E. M., & Beck, A. T. (2006). The empirical status of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses.Cardemil,Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 17–31.
Challen, A., Noden, P., West A., & Machin, S. (2009). UK Resilience Programme Evaluation: Interim Report. (DFE-RR094). Department for Children, Schools and Families. Retrieved from http://www.education.gov.uk/publications//eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR094.pdf
Challen, A., Noden, P., West A., & Machin, S. (2010). UK Resilience Programme Evaluation: Second Interim Report. (DFE-RR006) Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Challen, A., Noden, P., West A., & Machin, S. (2011). UK Resilience Programme Evaluation: Final Report. (DFE-RR097) Department for Children, Schools and Families. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182419/DFE-RR097.pdf
Challen, A. (2011). Short Report on the impact of the 2011 Primary UK Penn Resilience Programme in Hertfordshire Schools. Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics. Retrieved from lucy@howtothrive.org
Gillham, J. E., Brunwasser, S. M., & Freres, D. R. (2009). Preventing depression in early adolescence: The Penn Resiliency Program. In J. R. Z. Abela & B. L. Hankin (Eds.), Handbook of depression in children and adolescents. (pp. 309–322). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan, Joan S. Girgus, and Martin E. Seligman. "Learned helplessness in children: A longitudinal study of depression, achievement, and explanatory style." Journal of personality and social psychology 51.2 (1986): 435.
Reivich, K and Shatte, A., 2002. The Resilience Factor. s.l.:Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-1191-1
The PRP is quoted by several national institutions as a gold standard example including;