ERIC Number: EJ1477351
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Aug
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0033-3085
EISSN: EISSN-1520-6807
Available Date: 2025-04-04
Centering Adolescents' Voices: Informing a Middle School-Based Well-Being Intervention
Sarah Kiefer1; Jacqueline Blass2; Sarah Fefer2; Kai Zhuang Shum3; Kristen Mahony-Atallah4; Shannon Suldo1; John Ferron1
Psychology in the Schools, v62 n8 p2630-2642 2025
ABSTRACT Many youth seek and receive mental health treatment in schools, yet research on their perceptions of these interventions remains uncommon. This qualitative study explored how student perspectives on social validity informed the ongoing implementation and evaluation of the Well-Being Promotion Program (WBPP), a Tier 2 positive psychology intervention in middle schools. The study was conducted during the initial years of a larger ongoing randomized control trial evaluating the WBPP's effectiveness. Themes from student interviews conducted during Year 1 of the larger study were used to inform implementation supports during Year 2 to enhance student acceptability. Thirty student interviews were conducted during Year 2 of the larger study. Overall, most students found the intervention content, group process, and delivery to be acceptable. The findings identified ways to further enhance the implementation of the WBPP and indicate accessing student voice is an important way to engage in program implementation and evaluation of a middle school-based intervention. Recommendations are provided for those interested in centering student voices regarding social validity to inform program implementation and evaluation.
Descriptors: Adolescents, Middle School Students, Well Being, Intervention, Mental Health, Health Promotion, Psychology, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, Mental Health Programs, Program Implementation, Student Attitudes
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA; 2University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; 3University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; 4North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA