Speaking to the Potential, Ability and Resilience Inside Every Kid (SPARK) Pre-Teen Mentoring Curriculum

Evidence Type:

Evidence-informed programs

Client outcomes:

Decision-making and problem-solving
Emotional regulation and self-regulation
Social skills and communication
Self-efficacy and confidence

Location:

North America

Strength of evidence:

Promising research evidence

Direction of effect:

Positive

About the program

SPARK is a classroom-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program designed to reduce risk factors, build resiliency, promote emotional wellbeing and facilitate school success in youth between the ages of 10-13. Consistent with CASEL recommendations, the SPARK Pre‐Teen Mentoring Curriculum is sequenced, active, focused, and explicit (i.e., SAFE; CASEL, 2020b). The SPARK Pre‐Teen Mentoring Curriculum covers relevant and relatable topics that help students better understand themselves and others, develop vital social and emotional skills, and access their leadership and creativity to foster academic achievement and healthy community functioning.

Who does it work for?

SPARK is designed for 10-13-year-old school students. SPARK has only been evaluated in the USA. A randomised control trial was conducted (Green et al. 2021) with 357 participants (183 in the intervention and 174 in the control group).

The SPARK study was conducted with 357 participants aged 10-13 years, Study participants were 12 years old on average and mostly Hispanic (33%). Approximately half the students in both intervention and control groups were eligible for free school lunches (an indicator of socio-economic status).

SPARK has not been evaluated in Australia or with Aboriginal Australians.

What outcomes does it contribute to?

Positive outcomes:

SPARK participants reported significant improvement in communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in emotional regulation
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in clarity
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in impulse
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in optimism and resilience
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in mastery
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in communication Skills
SPARK participants reported significant improvement in relatedness

How effective is it?

Overall, SPARK had a positive effect on client outcomes.

How strong is the evidence?

Promising research evidence:

At least one high-quality randomised controlled trial (RCT)/quasi-experimental design (QED) study reports statistically significant positive effects for at least one outcome, AND
Fewer RCT/QED studies of similar size and quality show no observed effects than show statistically significant positive effects, AND
No RCT/QED studies show statistically significant adverse effects.

How is it implemented?

SPARK is delivered in a group format over 12 lessons delivered sequentially over 12-13 weeks. Groups consist of 20-25 persons. Over the first two weeks, 8 sessions are held twice per week. For the remaining 4-6 weeks, sessions are held once per week. Each session lasts for 80 minutes.

SPARK facilitators deliver curriculum using a standardised instruction manual that incorporates group activities, discussions and games designed to help students understand the content of the intervention curriculum. In the SPARK study, one facilitator delivered the curriculum to students in 8 of the classes assigned to intervention group and the second facilitator delivered the curriculum to students in the remaining 3 classes assigned to intervention group.

How much does it cost?

The costs for SPARK were not reported in the study.

What else should I consider?

Because reliance on outside facilitators to deliver the curriculum could present a barrier to implementation in some schools, additional research is needed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of training school staff to deliver the SPARK Curriculum.

Where does the evidence come from?

1 RCT conducted in the USA with a sample of 357 people (Green et. al, 2021).

Further resources

Green, AL, Ferrante, S, Boaz, TL, Kutash, K, & Wheeldon‐Reece, B 2021, ‘Social and emotional learning during early adolescence: Effectiveness of a classroom‐based SEL program for middle school students’, Psychology in the Schools, vol. 58, pp. 1056-1069, DOI 10.1002/pits.22487.