NCT03382080

A School-based Intervention Project to Increase Completion of Upper Secondary School in Norway

COMPLETE - a School-based Intervention Project to Improve Psychosocial Learning Environments and Increase Completion of Upper Secondary School in Norway: a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 3,500 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Bergen · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Drop out from upper secondary school represents a risk for the future health and wellbeing of young people. Strengthening of psychosocial aspects of the learning environment may be an effective strategy to promote completion of upper secondary school. The COMPLETE study is a school based cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating two school-based interventions, namely the Dream School Program (DSP) and the Mental Health Support Team (MHST) among 1st grade upper secondary school students in four counties in Norway. The interventions aim to improve psychosocial learning environments and subsequently school achievements and decrease drop-out and absence. Specifically, the COMPLETE study will 1. Evaluate whether the DSP alone 1. increases completion 2. increases presence 3. improves school achievements 4. improves mental health and wellbeing 2. Evaluate whether the DSP and the MHST combined 1. increase completion 2. increase presence 3. improve school achievements 4. improve mental health and wellbeing The COMPLETE study will also evaluate the effect of the DSP and MHST combined and the DSP alone against secondary outcomes of school satisfaction and loneliness. 3. Evaluate through a process evaluation whether the interventions were implemented in line with guidelines for each of the interventions, and whether the degree of program fidelity has influenced the effect of the interventions on the primary and secondary outcomes.

Conditions

• Drop Out
• Absence
• Academic Achievement/Average Grade
• Mental Health

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Dream School Program	The Dream School program is a whole school program, involving staff and students, with the aim of creating learning environments where students are confident and experience a sense of belonging, and where mental health is promoted.
OTHER	Mental Health Support Team	MHST is also a whole school project but aimed at specific students at risk of dropping out. It is a systematisation of the student services through 1. Co-location of services and staff working in services 2. "One open door" to increase accessibility to the services and staff for students 3. Focus on the transition from lower to upper secondary school 4. Close follow-up of students at risk to ensure tailored help to each student 5. Early intervention and follow up when students starts being absent from school This work demands cross- and multidisciplinary collaborations within the MHST, between MHST and school leadership, and between lower and upper secondary schools.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-02-01
• Primary completion: 2019-10-31
• Completion: 2020-02-12
• First posted: 2017-12-22
• Last updated: 2020-03-25