Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile
IntroductionGlobally, school violence has increased since the return to in-person classes following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Since then, this indicator has become critical, especially in Latin American countries. In this context, the Chilean Ministry of Education, with the support of 17 unive...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1471235/full |
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| author | Verónica López Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar Pamela Jervis Javier Torres-Vallejos María Teresa Ramírez Juan Pablo Álvarez González Amanda Franulic |
| author_facet | Verónica López Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar Pamela Jervis Javier Torres-Vallejos María Teresa Ramírez Juan Pablo Álvarez González Amanda Franulic |
| author_sort | Verónica López |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionGlobally, school violence has increased since the return to in-person classes following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Since then, this indicator has become critical, especially in Latin American countries. In this context, the Chilean Ministry of Education, with the support of 17 universities, began in 2022 the design and implementation of a comprehensive educational reactivation policy. This policy included a focus on school climate (convivencia escolar) and mental health through a nationwide intervention program now called the Learning to Live Together Program (Programa A Convivir se Aprende), designed using a whole-school approach.MethodsThis study presents the results of a large-scale qualitative evaluation of the initial feasibility of the program, framed in a mixed-methods design. The evaluation identified schools with high, intermediate, and low initial acceptability of the program through 66 interviews and focus groups with 215 participants, including school members, representatives from the Ministry of Education, and university advisors.ResultsThe reflexive thematic analysis identified four categories featuring six dimensions, 95 codes, and 3,040 textual quotes. The results show a positive acceptance of the program, with high adherence and commitment from the schools. The most highly valued aspects of the program were the conceptual model based on a whole-school approach, the possibility of working with universities in their territories, and school climate networks that were viewed as professional learning communities. Recommendations for future implementation of the program relate to longer implementation time, incorporating actions to promote mental health, expanding participation in the management of school climate, and greater presence of the ministry.DiscussionWe discuss these findings in relation to the program’s theory of change, suggesting that the program can achieve its goal of improving school staffs’ skills and competencies in managing school climate and reducing school violence, especially through the strategy of school climate networks by means of capacity building, shared reflexive processes, and emphasis on data-driven decision making. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c3d9068d43704c26866b95c2425a3d9a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-c3d9068d43704c26866b95c2425a3d9a2025-08-20T01:49:40ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2025-03-011010.3389/feduc.2025.14712351471235Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in ChileVerónica López0Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar1Pamela Jervis2Javier Torres-Vallejos3María Teresa Ramírez4Juan Pablo Álvarez González5Amanda Franulic6Escuela de Psicología, Centro de Investigación para la Educación Inclusiva, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileFacultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, ChileDepartment of Industrial Engineering University of Chile, Institute for Research in Market Imperfections and Public Policy, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Santiago, ChileFacultad de Ciencias Sociales y Comunicaciones, Universidad Santo Tomas, Santiago, ChileMinisterio de Educación de Chile, Santiago, ChileMinisterio de Educación de Chile, Santiago, ChileEscuela de Psicología, Centro de Investigación para la Educación Inclusiva, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, ChileIntroductionGlobally, school violence has increased since the return to in-person classes following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Since then, this indicator has become critical, especially in Latin American countries. In this context, the Chilean Ministry of Education, with the support of 17 universities, began in 2022 the design and implementation of a comprehensive educational reactivation policy. This policy included a focus on school climate (convivencia escolar) and mental health through a nationwide intervention program now called the Learning to Live Together Program (Programa A Convivir se Aprende), designed using a whole-school approach.MethodsThis study presents the results of a large-scale qualitative evaluation of the initial feasibility of the program, framed in a mixed-methods design. The evaluation identified schools with high, intermediate, and low initial acceptability of the program through 66 interviews and focus groups with 215 participants, including school members, representatives from the Ministry of Education, and university advisors.ResultsThe reflexive thematic analysis identified four categories featuring six dimensions, 95 codes, and 3,040 textual quotes. The results show a positive acceptance of the program, with high adherence and commitment from the schools. The most highly valued aspects of the program were the conceptual model based on a whole-school approach, the possibility of working with universities in their territories, and school climate networks that were viewed as professional learning communities. Recommendations for future implementation of the program relate to longer implementation time, incorporating actions to promote mental health, expanding participation in the management of school climate, and greater presence of the ministry.DiscussionWe discuss these findings in relation to the program’s theory of change, suggesting that the program can achieve its goal of improving school staffs’ skills and competencies in managing school climate and reducing school violence, especially through the strategy of school climate networks by means of capacity building, shared reflexive processes, and emphasis on data-driven decision making.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1471235/fullqualitativeevaluationpostpandemicschool violenceschool climate |
| spellingShingle | Verónica López Claudia Carrasco-Aguilar Pamela Jervis Javier Torres-Vallejos María Teresa Ramírez Juan Pablo Álvarez González Amanda Franulic Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile Frontiers in Education qualitative evaluation postpandemic school violence school climate |
| title | Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile |
| title_full | Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile |
| title_fullStr | Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile |
| title_full_unstemmed | Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile |
| title_short | Qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole-school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in Chile |
| title_sort | qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a national whole school program for reducing school violence and improving school climate in chile |
| topic | qualitative evaluation postpandemic school violence school climate |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1471235/full |
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