Our Research
Who Participated in the HEART Project Study?
A total of 237 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students and 15 teachers participated in the treatment group from three rural school districts located on a Northern Plains Indian Reservation.
A total of 167 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students and 7 teachers participated in the control group from one school on the same Indian Reservation.
Scroll through the research questions below to access the methodology and results
Research Question
Was there a difference, and to what extent, in student resiliency seen in Pre- and Post-test Pupil Assessment of Self and School (PASS) scores?
Methodology
Students completed the Pupil Assessment of Self and School (PASS) in September and April to assess differences in resiliency. Data analyzed using an independent t-test.
Results
No significant difference was found between Pre-and Post-PASS scores
Research Question
Did students report an affect change based on pre- and post-session surveys during monthly sessions?
Methodology
Students completed a survey asking how they felt before and after each session. Survey was created for the project and analyzed using Chi-square.
Results
There was a significant difference in pre- and post-session student affect reports. Positive affect increased 37.5% and Negative affect decreased 50.4%. See Figure 1
Research Question
How did teachers perceive the effectiveness of the HEART Interventions?
Methodology
Interviews were conducted in May asking teachers to describe their observations about the students’ reactions to the HEART interventions and their opinions about the project. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were then coded and analyzed into themes.
Results
Teacher interviews reflected several themes:
(1) Negative student behaviors decreased with increased intervention.
(2) Students looked forward to completing monthly interventions and negative behaviors decreased due to anticipation of intervention.
(3) Teachers incorporated breathing and mindfulness routines into daily practice as they saw increased benefit to disregulated students.
(4) Teachers requested more information and training regarding building resiliency in students using trauma-informed teaching practices and student wellness.
See Figure 2 for examples of teacher statements
Research Question
Was there a difference, and to what extent, in student-teacher relationships seen in Pre-and Post-test CLASS Observational Protocol Scores?
Methodology
Student-teacher relationships were measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) with observations recorded in October and April. Psychometric properties of CLASS are available at:
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/336169/Technical_Manual.pdf?form=MG0AV3
A paired t-test was used to analyze the data. Additionally, CONOVA was used to determine if there were differences in relationship between student-teacher relationship (teacher CLASS score differences) and student resiliency (PASS scores aggregated by classroom).
Results
Significant differences were found between pre and post-test scores in student-teacher relationships in treatment groups (p<.01) with a medium to large effect size (Cohen’s d =0.33). There was no significant difference found in control group pre- and post-test scores.
See Figure 3
Research Question
Was there a difference, and to what extent, in student-teacher relationship improvement between treatment and control groups?
Methodology
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Results
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