Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion

Netherlands, Unknown - Unknown

The Adaptive Word Retrieval programme is a school based study that aims to enhance children’s vocabulary acquisition in kindergarten. The programme builds on previous research findings suggesting that active retrieval might help with the consolidation of words from episodic (based on experiences) to semantic (language) memory by translating context-specific information to people’s existing knowledge. Children that were assigned to the experimental condition received extra word retrieval activities such as semantic feedback for words the children did not learn during the classroom vocabulary programme. The study was implemented in the Netherlands across different regions with wide range of economic backgrounds. Study findings indicate that children participating in the programme have higher growth in knowledge of target words.

Evidence level:  Emergent Practice

United Kingdom, 2011 - Still operating

Steps Towards Alcohol Misuse Prevention Programme (STAMPP) is a universal school-based intervention aiming to reduce alcohol use by adolescents – in particular, heavy episodic drinking and alcohol-related harms. The programme consists of a ten-lesson classroom-based curriculum and an information session for parents and carers, followed by information leaflets.

Evidence level:  Promising Practice

Italy, 2011 - 2013

The NoTrap! programme (Let’s not fall into the trap! programme) 3rd edition is a school-based intervention that aims to prevent and combat both traditional bullying and cyberbullying using a peer-led approach. The intervention comprises online and offline activities in two main phases. The first phase of the programme is led by psychology researchers, while the second phase is led by peer educators. The peer educators are students who have been trained to enhance awareness and provide support in online contexts, and stimulate a more cooperative approach using face-to-face, offline activities. The peer educator activities include face-to-face activities focused on victims’ and bystanders’ feelings and emotions and empathy, and on how to cope in bullying and cyberbullying situations, as well as an online intervention in which peer educators moderate a forum and publish material on a Facebook group (on a rotation schedule, which each peer educator working for 2 weeks).

Evidence level:  Promising Practice

Denmark, 2012 - 2015

Structured Preschool Efforts in Language and Literacy (SPELL) is a 20-week small-group intervention which uses storybook reading and provides an explicit scope and sequence of language and literacy education. SPELL is an adapted version of a previously studied programme, Read It Again-PreK! (RIA, Justice & McGinty, 2013). The curriculum implemented in RIA was adapted into SPELL a version that is specific to the Danish context and language. The goal of SPELL is to increases children’s language and preliteracy skills.

Evidence level:  Promising Practice

Sweden, 2003 - still operating

Comet (COMmunication METhod; Komet in Swedish) is a standardized programme designed for parents of children age 3-11 whose children display negative behaviours, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).  Comet combines components from other evidence based parent-training practices for oppositional defiance (Barkley, R., 1997; Webster-Stratton, 1996; and Bloomquist and Schnell, 2002).  The programme is delivered in eleven weekly 2.5 hour sessions and one follow-up session, each facilitated by two trained group leaders.  In Kling, et al., 2010, there were between 3 and 10 parents participating in each group.  The sessions include instruction from the facilitators, short video segments showing parent-child interactions, role-playing, and assignment of homework to practice specific concepts with their child for the next week.

Evidence level:  Emergent Practice