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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and their children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


4AP.6

Respectful relationships education in secondary schools: A statistical social network analysis of a program intervention designed to build positive gender-related attitudes and respectful peer relationships in Australian schools

Completed
November 2023

The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) intervention program provides high-school students with activities designed to promote respectful relationships (RR) as part of a holistic program of social and emotional learning (SEL).


Research has demonstrated that evidence-informed, school-based social and emotional learning (SEL) and respectful relationships (RR) programs can lead to improved peer relationships, less tolerance of gender-based violence, and less violence perpetration and victimisation. However, in the Australian context, there has been no research that has examined how teacher training influences the delivery of SEL and RR education, or how comprehensive classroom interventions may impact student wellbeing, relationships, and gender-related attitudes and behaviour.


Research aim/s

This project assessed a program designed to build positive gender-related attitudes and respectful peer relationships in Australian schools.

 

Methods

This study provides much needed empirical evidence on the provision and impact of the RRRR intervention program. It examined the intervention in Year 7 and Year 9 classrooms and compared outcomes over time – both in terms of the impacts of training on professional readiness of teachers, and the impacts of program provision on student attitudes, experiences, behaviours, social networks and relationships. The project tracked changes in the gender-related attitudes, experiences and behaviours of Year 11 students.

The approach deployed conventional measures of wellbeing, attitudes and behaviour, along with innovative social network analysis (SNA) tools to track changes in attitudes, relationships and behaviour. This combination of measures not only assessed the effectiveness of the program but also demonstrated the specific ways that the program influences student wellbeing, relationships and gender attitudes.


Researchers

Project leads

Emeritus Professor Helen Cahill, University of Melbourne

Professor Dean Lusher, SNA Toolbox

Research team

Dr Babak Dadvand, University of Melbourne

Natalie Calleja, University of Melbourne

Anne Farrelly, University of Melbourne

Dr Peng Wang, SNA Toolbox

Budget

$766,320 (excl. GST)

This project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.


Downloads

Research report

A social network analysis and implementation study of an intervention designed to advance social and emotional learning and respectful relationships in secondary schools

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Summary report

Summary of findings: A social network analysis and implementation study of an intervention designed to advance social and emotional learning and respectful relationships in secondary schools

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see also

Media release

New report finds education is an important step in reducing rates of Gender-Based Violence

View more

Research report

Young people as agents of change in preventing violence against women (2019)

View more

Research summary

R4Respect: Lessons from a peer-to-peer respectful relationships education program: Key findings and future directions (2019)

View more
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