Developing social and emotional competencies in incarcerated young people in seven countries in Europe through the use of active games and sport

ABSTRACT

Social and emotional competencies (self-regulation, coping with challenges, positive relationships) are related to positive life outcomes. Justice involved children and young people have not always had the opportunities to develop these competencies due to a range of disadvantages. This research explores the extent to which identified competencies can be developed through specially designed active games. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected to assess the bespoke games’ effectiveness and tested in seven European countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, UK). A total of 326 young people participated across 17 settings with 105 educators trained in the methodology. The findings suggest that participation in the active games had demonstrable impact, both overall, and for the specific identified competencies. Participation in such programmes can support the holistic development of social and emotional competencies which can facilitate readiness and openness to learning for other interventions. This key finding contributes to dis/engagement theory, recommending that such programmes should form the basis of a suite of interventions designed to support the educational (re)engagement and development of justice involved children and young people. These findings have currency for developing policy which promote positive outcomes on release back into the community, across a range of national contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Education
• youth justice
• sport
• prison education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Contributions

Pedro das Neves – Innovative Prison Systems (IPS)

Dr Ângela Fernandes – Innovative Prison Systems (IPS)

Ana Pires – Innovative Prison Systems (IPS)

Tiago Leitão – Aproximar

Rita Lourenco – Aproximar

Alice Valenza – CESIE

Daiana Huber – Asociata Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente Timisoara (CPIP)

Maria Toia - Asociata Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente Timisoara (CPIP)

Dr Emőke Both - BAGázs Public Benefit Association

Andrea Kis – BAGázs Public Benefit Association

Zoltán Bogschütz – BAGázs Public Benefit Association

Katalin Gyarmati – BAGázs Public Benefit Association

Natalia García – Fundacion Diagrama Intervencion Psicosocial (Diagrama)

Alfonso Andreo Almansa – Fundacion Diagrama Intervencion Psicosocial (Diagrama)

Dr İnci Derya Yücel – Izmir Probation Directorate

Kevser Dumlupinar – Izmir Probation Directorate

Kelly O’Hara – Universidade da Beira Interior

Vitor Costa – Universidade da Beira Interior

Georgiana Lontos – Asociatia Nationala de Sprijinire a Tineretului Ecologist din Romania (ANTER)

Project number: 604730-EPP-1-2018-1-UK EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Erasmus+ [604730-EPP-1-2018-1-UK EPPKA3-IPI-SOC-IN].

Notes on contributors

Adeela Ahmed Shafi

Adeela Ahmed Shafi MBE is Professor of Education in Youth Justice. Her research is focused on how to re-engage incarcerated children and young people with education and learning. Her work reflects passion and skill for collaborating across boundaries to generate the thinking for new solutions to old problems. Adeela has been principal investigator on numerous Erasmus+ projects, is Lead Editor of the ‘The Education of Incarcerated Children and Young People’ International Handbook and is the founder of both the Transdisciplinary Research for Youth Justice Network (TRYJUSTICE) and the Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group.

Jordan Wintle

Jordan Wintle is Associate Head of the School of Education and Science at the University of Gloucestershire. His work centres on motivational climates within physical education and sport, with a particular interest in curriculum design and innovative approaches that maximise both participant engagement and outcomes.

Sian Templeton

Sian Templeton is an Educational Psychologist involved in supporting children and young people who experience a range of vulnerabilities. She is currently undertaking her DEdPsy qualification and her research is focused on developing social and emotional competence in children placed in secure settings.

Dan Clarke

Dan Clarke is the Project Lead for the Cheltenham Education Partnership and has a background in teaching and outreach. He has a research interest in young people with educational disadvantage. He has worked on a number of research projects and papers across on both widening participation and youth justice.