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
36 months
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 SEL and 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 will assess a program designed to build positive gender-related attitudes and respectful peer relationships in Australian schools.
Methods
This study will provide much needed empirical evidence on the provision and impact of the RRRR intervention program. It will examine the intervention in Year 7 and Year 9 classrooms and compare 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 also tracks changes in the gender-related attitudes, experiences and behaviours of Year 11 students.
The approach deploys 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 will not only assess the effectiveness of the program but also demonstrate 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
Dr Anne Suryani, University of Melbourne
Anne Farrelly, University of Melbourne
Dr Peng Wang, SNA Toolbox
Budget
$766,320 (excl. GST)
This project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.