The implementation of Lego^®‐Based Therapy in two English mainstream primary schools

Abstract

Small-group interventions are often used in schools to support the development of children's social skills. One such intervention, Lego â-Based Therapy (LBT), is increasingly popular internationally in schools. Although LBT has an emerging evidencebase, there is limited research exploring effective LBT implementation. An in-depth, exploratory multiple-case study design was used to explore the process of LBT assimilation in two English mainstream primary schools which were considered to have implemented LBT effectively and reported positive programme outcomes. Data collection was through structured observations and semi-structured interviews based upon Durlak and DuPre's (2008) established implementation framework. Transcripts were subjected to Hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes which were triangulated with observation data. The data largely correlated with the Durlak and DuPre (2008) framework, identifying ley themes of: provider characteristics, characteristics of the intervention, organisational capacity and the need for a support system when implementing the intervention. Themes of facilitator factors and participant responsiveness emerged inductively, suggesting that a revised model of implementation is required for LBT. Recommendations include calling for EPs to use models of implementation when working with schools, as a cyclical, iterative process to promote positive outcomes and, therefore, cost-effectiveness of school investment in interventions. Limitations and future research are discussed. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Implementing targeted social and emotional learning interventions in schools—Are more specific models needed?

“…Given the sparsity of empirical studies exploring the implementation of targeted SEL interventions, the authors sought to use a ‘real world’ example of a targeted intervention to retrospectively examine factors which contributed to perceived successful implementation. This empirical case study of two schools is reported in detail in Evans & Bond (2021). Using these data, the authors hope to exemplify how researchers could collaborate with schools to develop implementation models as recommended by the EEF (2018).…”