NEW RESEARCH: LEARNING EVALUATION
THE LEARNING EVALUATION
With the support of the DG Murray Trust, SoHK undertook an evaluation of certain design decisions that needed to be made about the SoHK for Schools programme. This evaluation, carried out in late 2023, informed decisions that the organisation made about the shape of the SoHK for Schools programme in 2024.
EVALUATION QUESTIONS
The evaluation centred around three questions:
1. Does the SoHK for Schools programme work?
Ultimately, this is the pivotal question for the SoHK for Schools programme, interrogating whether SoHK is fulfilling its mission of improving mental and emotional wellbeing of its participants.
2.Which SoHK for Schools delivery model works best?
In 2023, SoHK had several different SoHK for School delivery models in place, with the intention of assessing whether the different models (namely, 1) a new compulsory model for all Grade 9s, held during school hours, 2) a referral/opt-in model, for all grades, held during school hours, and 3) an after-school model) realised similar or different outcomes.
3.Should SoHK continue to mandate therapy for its coaches?
SoHK’s coaches are young individuals who, through their work with SoHK’s participants, have to carry significant emotional weight. This is in addition to the fact that SoHK’s coaches live in similar, or the same, communities, as SoHK’s participants – often communities where conditions are difficult, and exposure to trauma is all-too-common. In order to support SoHK’s coaches, SoHK has provided, and required that the coaches use, trained counsellors.
This question sought to explore whether this mandated therapy model is one that has realised positive consequences for the coaches and for the SoHK for Schools programme.
FINDINGS
1. Does the SoHK for Schools programme work?
The evaluation revealed that the SoHK for Schools programme has quantitatively significant impacts on several aspects of the participants’ mental wellbeing, across models. The quantitative assessment was supported by qualitative data from focus groups and interviews. Overarchingly, the evaluation indicates that participants have a more positive outlook on their lives and their surroundings, and exhibit observable improvements in behaviour, strong indicators of improved mental and emotional wellbeing.
2. Which SoHK for Schools delivery model works best?
The impact of SoHK for Schools was definitely stronger in the new, entire grade, compulsory model. This model had the highest dosage (>90% attendance, against 48% for the opt-in models), exposing participants to more of the SoHK curriculum and coaches. The after-school model was not successful at all – attendance by participants, whose ability to attend was limited by their transport needs, was sufficiently poor that the after-school programme was discontinued in the 3rd term of 2023.
3.Should SoHK continue to mandate therapy for its coaches?
The mandating of therapy helped coaches to overcome their initial reservations about attending therapy, breaking through personal reservations and cultural norms. SoHK’s process, which asking the coaches to engage in written reflections, not only had the benefit of helping the coaches deal with their own trauma, but had the effect of helping the coaches increase their emotional intelligence, with significant implications for their work with the participants in SoHK’s programmes.
