3.3 The Isithebe SC Intervention Development and Implementation Process
3.3.4 The “When”: Implementation Stages
A plan that assists teachers in navigating the trip through the implementation stages must be designed to support effective transformation in schools. This plan should involve and support teachers in effectively implementing the new intervention in their educational settings (Duda
& Wilson, 2015). In implementation science, the “When” stages comprise exploration, programme installation, initial implementation, full operation and sustainability (Duda &
Wilson, 2015). To implement the intervention, the teachers in the schools scheduled three Isithebe forums at convenient schools to discuss the implementation of the intervention (April 2019, June 2019, and August 2019). At the intervention training in March 2019, researchers facilitated teacher roles for Isithebe gatherings (for example, one teacher had to buy the food, one teacher had to organise the venue, and one teacher had to keep the “Isithebe Kit”). The researchers scheduled two joint Isithebe forums at the EC DBE district office, involving teachers from all the schools, the researchers and DBE officials during May and July 2019. A WhatsApp group was established for teachers to connect and capture teacher gatherings and activities where researchers were not present. Refer to Appendix F for the research visit schedule that details dates of visits, the purpose of visit, participants involved, time in the field, data collection method and data source documented. Sections 3.4.4.5 to 3.4.4.9 report on the monthly SC meetings from April 2019 to August 2019.
3.3.4.2 Pre-Intervention Session: 21 September 2018
Thirty-six teachers from six different primary schools participated in the pre-intervention session. During September 2018, the baseline data, including the QUAN+QUAL quantities (see Section 3.6) and demographic questionnaires (see Appendix E) were collected. The demographic questionnaire included teachers’ age, home language, grade and subject taught, and years of experience. The teachers created the qualitative data during the pre-intervention interaction, (see Photographs 8 to 13). Irrespective of the effectiveness of an intervention, the adoption and success of the intervention are influenced by a teacher’s perceptions of the intervention and how overwhelming it will all be (Cowan & Maxwell, 2015; Domitrovich et al., 2008). A teacher’s willingness to adopt an intervention is influenced by the additional paperwork and time required to implement it (Cowan & Maxwell, 2015). Very complex interventions that are inconsistent and create confusion are unlikely to be adopted and implemented easily in practice; therefore, interventions must be flexible, easy to implement and compatible with the teachers' instructional practices (Cowan & Maxwell, 2015; Durlak &
DuPre, 2008).
Figure 3.3
Photographs 8-13: Qualitative data generation during the pre-intervention session
Photographs by the researcher with consent from the participants
3.3.4.3 Intervention Training: 15 March 2019
Thirty teachers participated in Isithebe training – see Photographs 18 to 23. The attrition between the pre-intervention phase could result from teachers being unavailable for the intervention training due to other responsibilities or as a result of teachers not being interested in continuing to participate in the intervention. The intervention training was held for 6 hours on 15 March 2019. Teacher training is often the foundation for intervention implementation as it provides the initial instruction to deliver the core components of the intervention (Holmes et al., 2021). “The training objectives included: (i) a theoretical introduction to a need for evidence on teacher resilience, social connectedness and social isolation; (ii) an orientation to the
‘Isithebe Kit’, (iii) modelling an Isithebe gathering, (iv) consultation and consensus on meeting dates, and (v) schools tasking individual teachers with Isithebe roles and tasks” (Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 16).
The intervention training was initiated by the teachers providing PRA-group presentations to demonstrate each domain’s existing knowledge. Research findings substantiated that if participants view the training as successful, it could increase sustained implementation (Liebech-Lien, 2020). Active collaboration and establishing shared goals in the implementation process could contribute to a more positive attitude regarding intervention implementation (Dyssegaard et al., 2017; Liebech-Lien, 2020). An “Isithebe Kit” was issued to each school, containing
“The Isithebe Social Connectedness Intervention Manual (each teacher also received their own manual – this is an additional manual for the school);
Laminated sheet with dates for monthly Isithebe gatherings;
Three activity packages with laminated instructions per activity; and
3 x Checkers R200.00 vouchers (total value of R600.00 per school). Thus R200.00 per Isithebe gathering to buy refreshments and snacks for the monthly Isithebe gatherings”
(Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 9).
Figure 3.4
Photographs 18-23: Teachers engaged during the intervention training in March 2019
Photos by the researcher with permission from participants
3.3.4.4 Post-Intervention Data Collection: 21 September 2019
During the pre- and post-intervention stage, QUAN+QUAL data were collected – refer to Photographs 23 to 28. The researchers administered the same pre-intervention TR (ENTRÉE) and SC (REPSSI) questionnaires to teachers. Fifteen teachers attended a post-intervention session on 21 September 2019, where an additional seven questionnaires were collected via email (See Section 3.4). A teacher’s willingness to commit to adopting an intervention is influenced by the difficulty level, and time it will take to implement it, as well as the complexity and amount of paperwork involved (Cowan & Maxwell, 2015; Kitson & Harvey, 2015). The attrition between completed pre- and post-test questionnaires could be a result of teachers perceiving the intervention as requiring extra work in their already busy schedules, not taking an interest in the intervention (Kitson & Harvey, 2015), or being unavailable on testing dates due to sickness or family responsibility.
Figure 3.5
Photographs 23-28: Isithebe Post-intervention data collection, September 2019
Photo by the researcher with permission from the participants
3.3.4.5 First Teacher Isithebe Gathering: 15 April 2019 (Relationship Voucher Box) Teachers decorated boxes with “Isithebe Kit” craft materials and glue from the specified activity package. Teachers then chose relationship vouchers to put in their own boxes.
Teachers could then choose three vouchers and implement one relationship-building strategy per week (as shown in Photograph 32). Photographs 29 to 35 show WhatsApp images teachers shared of this session.
Figure 3.6
Photographs 29-35: Teachers’ WhatsApp images of the Relations Voucher Box session
Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants
3.3.4.6 First Joint Teacher-Researcher Isithebe Gathering: 27 May 2019 (“Friendship Survival Kit”)
A total of 21 teachers participated in this joint session. The main event was a PRA session, but it was preceded by an ice-breaker where the “Friendship Survival Kit” (Photographs 35 to 38) was used. During this icebreaker, teachers received small tokens of appreciation, and per school-based group, they discussed the role(s) their co-workers and friends play in their lives.
After the ice-breaker, teachers were asked to work in their groups to present posters. Each school presented their answer to teachers from all schools. Each group received a couple of blank posters and markers and was asked to consider the following questions:
“How do these gatherings help you to be a teacher?” (Appendix G)
“How do these gatherings help you with school projects?” (Appendix G) Figure 3.7
Photographs 35-38: “Friendship Survival Kit” activity and process PRA-data generation
Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants
Note: Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants
During the ice-breaker “Friendship Survival Kit”, teachers did not actively participate or seem very invested in the activity, compared to other hands-on activities they were involved in
previously. Teachers may have been less engaged in this activity because it did not need hands-on creation like the other Isithebe activities. “In the post-pilot revision of the manual, the Growing Together activity replaced the ‘Friendship Survival Kit’ as a means to use a hands-on experience to enable experiences of engagement that signify unity and dynamic growth when connected” (Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 20).
“For the ‘Growing Together’ activity, each teacher received an empty pot and craft materials (letters, beads, glitter, feathers, glue) to decorate the pot. Teachers were asked to use symbols of unity, togetherness, friendship in their designs” (Ebersöhn et al., 2020, p. 13).
The teachers were given a succulent plant and potting soil to plant in their decorated pots once they finished decorating them13. After that, teachers could discuss the value of SC and either keep the pot plant or give it to a friend.
3.3.4.7 Second Teacher Isithebe Gathering: 10 June 2019 (Teacher Circle Recipe Book)
During this session, teachers used the “Isithebe Kit” craft materials to decorate the outside of blank exercise books (see Photographs 39 to 43). They were asked to write down their favourite recipes in each other’s decorated recipe books.
Figure 3.8
Photographs 39-43: Teachers’ WhatsApp images of the Teacher Circle Recipe book session
13 Succulent plants are experts at absorbing, holding, and utilising water efficiently. This unique trait has allowed them to thrive in even the most arid and water-scarce regions of the globe. These hardy plants serve as a reminder that even the most trying situations can be overcome when grown in a communal setting.
Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants
3.3.4.8 Second Joint Teacher-Researcher Isithebe gathering: 29 July 2019 (Teacher Journey Bracelets)
Thirty teachers participated in the second joint Isithebe intervention session (Photographs 39 to 51) and created bracelets or other jewellery pieces to represent their journey as teachers as part of the ice-breaker art activity. A bag containing a variety of beads, scissors, string and cardboard was given to each teacher. On a piece of cardboard, teachers penned brief accounts of their teacher journeys.
Figure 3.9
Photographs 39-51: Bracelet activity during the second joint Isithebe intervention session
Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants
3.3.4.9 Third Teacher Isithebe Gathering: 18 August 2019 (Framing Important Teacher Relationships)
Each teacher was given a blank photo frame and craft materials and instructions on embellishing it. Teachers then inserted images of people they have a close relationship with into the designed frames and spoke about the significance of this relationship to their co- workers (see Photographs 52 to 57).
Figure 3.10
Photographs 52-57: Teachers’ WhatsApp images of the Important Relationship Frames session
Photos by the researcher with permission from the participants