BSix BSuccessful Group Evaluation
Executive summary
The following evaluation in based on pre-project and post-project interviews with seven
students who took part in the BSix BSuccessful Group. The main findings include:

Most of the students joined the group because they needed help with motivation, and
some also needed help with confidence. The two main barriers that prevented
students from believing they could achieve something were their own attitude and
other people’s attitudes about them.

Students’ learning experiences focused on understanding how to set goals and how to
make them achievable. They also learnt about perseverance, determination and the
importance of a positive attitude. Some students also spoke about having increased
motivation and confidence.

As part of the project, students were asked to set a goal that they should achieve over
the course of the six weeks. Five of the seven students felt the project was helping
them achieve their goals, while two did not. When asked to list how they were
achieving their goals, students found it difficult to articulate the different steps they
took, but spoke generally about the goal.

Students’ understanding of their strengths and weaknesses did not improve after the
project. The number of strengths and weaknesses they identified were similar before
and after the project.

Students taking part in the pre- and post-project interviews were positive about group
work, although one student felt that some students were not committed to the project.

Each of the students also had a course buddy for help and support. This initiative was
not successful and students did not see the benefits of this aspect of the project.

Students had been given journals to reflect on their learning experiences. Although it
was not possible to examine the journal entries for evidence of impact, four of the
seven students did not find these useful and could not see the benefits of the exercise.
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
On a scale of one-to-five, with five being a very great deal satisfied and one being not
at all satisfied, one student said they were a very great deal satisfied (5), four
students said their satisfaction level was a lot (4) and two students said they were
fairly satisfied (3).

Students spoke positively about how the course changed their thinking, gave them
confidence, and made them more optimistic, focused and motivated. Students who
were fairly satisfied (3) said they were hoping for more direct help with their goals.

Students spoke positively about the facilitators, enjoyed the content of the project,
including the activities and felt the project could be improved by having more
sessions.
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1. Background
The BSix Bsuccessful Group was set up and run by the Social and Emotional Aspects of
Learning (SEAL) Co-ordinator and two other members of staff. It was open to a maximum of
12 participants and ran for 6 weeks (6 sessions), Wednesdays, 3:45 – 5:00pm.
Participants were put through a series of exercises/experiences where the learning outcome
focussed on a particular ‘habit’. They were asked to reflect on what they had learned in their
journal at the end of the session, as well update the journal during the week. They were also
assigned a ‘buddy’ with whom they had to liaise during the course. Buddies supported one
another to get to the course on time and helped them with any issues arising from the course.
The following is a rough breakdown of the content of the course:
Session
number
Session content
1
Introduction. Aims of the course. Overview of ‘The Four Successful Habits’.
Journal keeping
2
Successful Habit 1: Setting the goal
3
Successful Habit 2: Knowing your strengths
4
Successful Habit 3: Positive thinking and believing in yourself
5
Successful Habit 4: Commitment and perseverance
6
Prize giving/ celebration
2. Aims of the Evaluation

To learn about the students who volunteered to take part in the BSix Bsuccessful
Group, and their motivations for doing so.

To measure the impact of the project on participating students focusing on the four
successful habits:
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Successful Habit 1: Setting a goal
Successful Habit 2: Knowing your strengths
Successful Habit 3: Positive thinking and believing in yourself
Successful Habit 4: Commitment and perseverance
3. Research questions
Q1. What opportunities does the BSix BSuccessful group present for gaining content
knowledge about the four successful habits?
Q2. What opportunities does the BSix BSuccessful group present for reflection and
application of the four successful habits?
Q3. Which approaches and strategies are successful in fostering a positive experience for
students taking part in the BSix BSuccessful group?
4. Research tools
One way of measuring impact qualitatively is to see how the nature of students’ responses
change – assuming their answers become fuller and reflect more detailed understanding at the
end of the project. This was done through individual semi-structured interviews with students
before the start of project to collect baseline information on the students who chose to take
part in the project and their perceptions and attitudes to the four successful habits.
At the end of the project students were re-interviewed and their journals were analysed for
evidence of impact. This stage of the evaluation was used to see what opportunities the
project had presented for them to 1) gain content knowledge of the successful habits 2) reflect
on the application of the successful habits in real life situations.
The SEAL Co-ordinator and the two members of staff were also interviewed at the end of the
project to elicit their impressions of the initiative.
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5. Ethical issues

Informed consent from participants to take part in the research. Students were asked
to read and sign a consent form. This also included consent to be interviewed and
consent to examine journals (see appendix 1).

To help students relax, they had the option of a) having the interview tape-recorded
or b) the researcher only taking notes and not using the tape-recorder.

Data collected from interviews was treated as confidential.

Participants would get a summary of the research findings once the final report had
been written.

Participants would not be identified in any report writing. For the purposes of
anonymity, the pronoun ‘she’ was also used throughout the report, even where the
reference was to a male student.
6. Limitations
This was the first BSix Bsuccessful Group set up by the SEAL Co-ordinator. It was therefore
seen as a pilot. The project was logistically difficult to organise and as a result the project was
delayed by six to eight weeks. This also had an impact on the evaluation which could only
look at immediate rather than long-term impact. Furthermore due to lack of time, it was not
possible to examine students’ journals for evidence of impact.
Nine students participated in pre-project interviews. Of these three did not start the course and
one did not complete the course. This reduced the total number of participants to five.
The five remaining participants also took part in post-project interviews. Two other students
who joined the project but had not taken part in the pre-project interview also participated in
this part of the research.
To summarise, the findings are based on five students who took part in the pre and post
project interviews, and two students who took part in the post project interviews.
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7. Findings
7.1 Background information on students
Baseline information was collected to develop a better understanding of the students taking
part in the project. Although participation was initially based on students volunteering, some
students were encouraged to attend. Of the five students taking part in the pre-project
interview, two of the students had volunteered to take part in the group having seen the
publicity, while three had been encouraged to do so by a member of staff.
Students were asked a number of questions about their courses, extracurricular activities,
ambitions, belief in themselves, confidence, and why they joined the course. It was felt that
some of this information would also be useful to the organisers putting together the project.
Of the five students taking part in the pre-project interview, four of the students were studying
in the Department for Business and Health, and one was from the ICT and Maths Department.
As an ‘ice breaker’ students were asked what they most and least enjoyed about their courses.
Students chose to speak about different aspects of their courses. In relation to positive
experiences, one student spoke primarily about the modules they liked.
Two students
mentioned their work experience, and a couple spoke about group work and class discussions.
In relation to the aspects they least enjoyed, one student spoke about the modules she did not
like and another spoke about the way her time-table were scheduled, with too many gaps
between lessons. One student did not like the attitude of some teachers, while another found it
difficult to ask teachers for help. The final student could not think of anything that she did not
enjoy.
Students were asked if they were involved in extra-curricular activities both within and
outside the college. Two students said that they participated in college activities. One student
was an active member of a college society and played sports, while another did sports as part
of the Enrichment Programme. A third student mentioned that while she did not take part in
regular extra-curricular activities, but she had helped with a college open day. None of the
students mentioned taking part in extracurricular activities outside the college.
Students had a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve at BSix. This involved passing their
course and getting their qualifications. Two students specifically mentioned that they wanted
high grades and distinctions.
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Students were asked to speculate as to where they could see themselves in five-to-ten years.
Three students spoke about getting into university, finishing their course, and having a career,
while two students spoke about being in employment. The majority of students (four) had a
clear idea about what they wanted to become – this included working in public services,
working in youth justice, working with disabled children, and becoming a pilot.
I’d like to get a distinction at BSix, to pass my English and Maths, then get in a
good university. In five years time I’ll have finished my degree and be working.
I want to work with young children and children with disabilities.
My ambition is to be a pilot so I need to get high grades and go to university.
Students were asked to comment on the meaning of the phrase ‘to believe in yourself.’ It was
positive to note that four of the five students were able to think of an example where their
self-belief helped them complete a task. Simultaneously, students noted that it was more
difficult to persevere with a task that was challenging.
It’s about trust in self. I started college late, and had to catch up, but I believed I
could do it and got a distinction.
I thought I would not pass a course, however I pushed myself and passed.
Yes I believe in myself, unless I can’t do something, then I feel I go down hill a bit.
If I can’t do it, once I’ve tried and tried, I give up.
The two main factors that acted as barriers and prevented students from believing they could
do something included their own attitude and other people’s attitude to them.
Four students noted their own attitude could have a negative impact on their ability to achieve
something, such as being lazy, lack of motivation and lack of confidence.
Three students also mentioned other people – peers and teachers - saying they could be
negative about their ability or put them down.
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Other factors that prevented students believing in themselves included poor achievement and
not having the skills to persevere with a difficult situation.
Stress, people around you as well, negative vibes from peers and teachers
Laziness, other people attitude – peers and teachers – they make you think maybe
you can’t do it.
Marked work, you think you did well, but then you get a bad mark, and want to give
up. That has an effect on my confidence.
When questioned about confidence, two students said they were most confident when they
knew what they were doing was right, or they had done a task before, while two others
mentioned being most confident around their friends. One student associated confidence with
being in a good mood.
Similarly, three students were least confident when they were trying something new. Two
students mentioned lack of confidence when they were on their own, while one student noted
that being around students she did not like gave her poor confidence.
I’m confident when I know what I’m doing is right.
I’m least confident when everyone is staring at me or I’m on my own.
I’m not confident when we do something where I don’t know the topic.
All five students felt they credited themselves for doing something well. Two students
mentioned buying something for themselves, two mentioned telling other people the good
news (family and friends), and one mentioned going out and having fun with friends.
I tell all the people that I meet. Get the news all over place.
I’ll go out and buy something nice for myself.
Yes, I go out and have fun with friends.
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8. Evaluation
The research set out to evaluate the impact of the project on students. This was done by
examining whether students achieved their aims on the BSuccessful project, how they
managed in group situations and with their course buddies, and their knowledge of the
following: strengths and weaknesses, positive thinking and the ability to believe in
themselves, goal setting, and showing commitment and perseverance. Their overall
satisfaction level was also elicited, along with their views on the facilitators and the content of
the project. They were also given the opportunity to suggest how the project could be
improved.
8.1 Students’ learning on the BSix BSuccessful Group
The students, with one exception, had some idea of what they hoped to achieve from being on
the project. One student mentioned that she needed help with her confidence, and four
students spoke about increasing their motivation with regards to their work, or other aspects
of their life. Other aims included to study harder, gaining skills to help other students,
learning new things and developing time-keeping skills.
Overall, the students mentioned that they had benefited from the project. If we compare the
comments students made about what they hoped to achieve on the project, with their
comments on what they learnt having been on the project, we find that their learning
experiences focused on understanding how to set goals and how to make them achievable.
Some of the students also made reference to increased motivation, confidence and
perseverance. However, one student who hoped to get better time management skills did not
feel she achieved this on the project.
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Before: I need help to motivate myself. I’m very lazy and I want more help to be
more positive and motivated.
After: I need to set achievable goals, without expecting too much. The goal
shouldn’t be too much or too easy.
Before: I want to get better motivated and get better time-keeping skills.
After: I learnt how to set goals and how to measure them to see if you are
achieving. I’m more motivated but didn’t get much on time keeping.
Before: I’m not sure about what I want to achieve.
After: I know what I need to do to achieve my goals.
Before: For motivation, confidence and being able to help others as well.
After: No matter what life obstacles you face, I should try and get what I want, be
determined and turn the negative into positive. Normally I’d give up, but now I keep
trying and I know I will get there...I’m a little bit more confident as I’m trying
harder.
Before: I wasn’t going to take part but my tutor wanted me to do it. I hope to be
more motivated, and get help to study harder.
After: Leant that you can make it if you put your mind to it. We all fail sometimes. I
know my goals better and feel more motivated now so will study harder.
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: The project improved my confidence.
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: I know now how to set goals. They encourage you to do things that I couldn’t
do before.
8.2 Attitudes to group work
In the pre-project interviews, all five students were positive about the idea of doing group
work and working with peers as part of the project. Students noted diverse advantages of
group work. These included: gaining better communication skills, learning from other
students and improving together, encouraging each other with the work, sharing ideas,
hearing different points of views, and building relationships.
Three students noted that group work was not without its challenges. This included having
disagreements with other group members, getting distracted and being faced with an unequal
distribution of work. One student mentioned being shy around people, while another could
not think of any disadvantages or challenges to working with peers.
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See how other people achieve, so it gives you ideas...I’m shy, and not willing to
express myself in front of other people.
To be able to work with different people that I don’t know - team work basically.
A disadvantage is that they might not show up and you end up doing all the work, or
they don’t care about the work.
It’s good to work with others; it’s only difficult if you disagree.
In the post-evaluation interview, six of the seven students said that working in a group was a
good experience and they got on well with the other members. The student who noted being
shy felt the project had helped her, but only a little. One student however felt that some
students were not committed to the group.
I came with 100% commitment to the group and project but some people seem to
come for different reasons.
At the start of the project each student was given a course buddy. The aim was to encourage
students to support one another to get to the course on time and help them with any issues
arising from the project. Three students did not see their buddy. In two cases they mentioned
that this was because of time-table clashes, and in one case because they forgot. Three other
students mentioned that they saw their buddies, but not regularly, and they did not see the
buddy system as beneficial. One student said they met with their buddy once a week and they
also talked over the phone. This student felt like the buddy benefited more from the process
than she did.
8.3 Students’ strengths and weaknesses
Students were asked to list their strengths and weaknesses during the pre-project interview
and post-project interview. There was an expectation that after having had a session on
identifying strengths and weaknesses, students would be able to list more of their strengths
and identify how to develop them. They would also be able to acknowledge their weaknesses
and have a better understanding of managing them, and how to turn them into something
positive.
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An analysis of students’ comments pre and post the project demonstrates that this was not the
case. The number of strengths and weaknesses they identified were similar as outlined in the
tables below.
Student no.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
No. of strengths listed
No. of strengths listed
pre-project interview
post-project interview
2
2
1
2
4
4
1
2
Student: I don’t have any 1
strengths
Did not participate
2
Did not participate
1
Table 1: The number of strengths each student was able to list
Student no.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
No. of weaknesses listed
pre-project interview
2
2
1
No weaknesses
1
Did not participate
Did not participate
No. of weaknesses listed
post-project interview
1
2
1
2
1
Student: I don’t know
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Table 2: The number of weaknesses each student was able to list
Some of the strengths and weakness listed by students were similar pre and post the project,
while others were different. Strengths were either subject specific, e.g. Sports, ICT, Business,
Maths, English; or related to their personality, e.g. outgoing person, friendly, approachable,
helpful, punctual; or related to their skills set, e.g. good communicator. Individual weaknesses
mentioned by students included poor punctuality to classes, being shy and finding it difficult
to speak out in class, keeping on top of college work, and poor communication skills.
I’m a friendly person, know how to talk with people…I help people when they ask.
I’m a good communicator with people.
Staying focused on a task.
I don’t have enough trust in myself.
I’m shy. I need to speak up more, speak more loudly.
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Furthermore, students were not able to speak about how to use strengths and weaknesses to
their advantage. Two students specifically commented that they did not think the project
helped them identify their strengths.
8.4 To believe in yourself
Students were asked to give their interpretation of the phase ‘to believe in yourself’ during the
pre-project and post-project interviews.
We can compare students’ pre and post project comments on what they felt it meant to
believe in themselves. We find that initially students were able to give a brief but positive
explanation. In the second round of interviews, some of the students were able to expand on
their definitions. This included making comments such as turning a negative situation into
something positive, persevering and being determined.
Before: To be confident.
After: If I put a goal in front of me and do everything to achieve it, it will one day
happen if I’m determined, like now I’m improving in X.
Before: Know you can make it. Be motivated.
After: Taught me that you need to believe in yourself and you need to fail to
progress, you can’t go straight to progress.
Before: To have faith that you can achieve something.
After: In any situation, you can find a positive out of every negative and you learn
from it.
Before: Thinking I can achieve what I want to achieve.
After: Not to give up and anything is possible.
Before: Trust in self, if determined, if you really want it, you can get there.
After: To keep trying, using strengths, make weaknesses positive
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: Focus on yourself and believe in yourself and persevere. Normally if I did
not understand I’d quit, but now I’d persevere more.
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: They showed us people suffering before they became rich, how they
managed their life. We can also be like that.
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8.5 Achieving a goal
As part of the interview, students were asked ‘What is the best way to achieve a goal,
especially if it is difficult?’ Four of the students answered with brief solutions such as: keep
trying, be determined, or staying focused. One student mentioned thinking through a couple
of steps that included setting a goal and planning it.
By comparing students’ pre and post project comments on the best way to approach a goal,
we find that they leant about setting a realistic goal, breaking the task down into steps and the
importance of perseverance.
Before: Being confident, getting a goal, a target, plan it, think positive, make
sure you do it.
After: Set goal – realistic, and achievable in a set time; more optimistic
about being successful. Start from a lower level, start from basic, set out
little targets, get there and then set them to be bigger.
Before: To put it in my mind that I want to do it and have to do it; be
determined.
After: Talk to others to learn from them. See if I have method to achieve it.
Before: Keep working at it.
After: Take it step-by- step, don’t rush into things, it has to be achievable.
Before: To stay focused, to think ahead of what you will achieve after the goal.
After: Plan it. Make it achievable and challenge yourself and keep going.
Before: To believe you can do it.
After: Set a goal you can achieve, not too easy or hard. Take it step by step.
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: Step-by-step. By making them easy before going to harder ones.
Break the task down. It has helped. I can focus on course more and will aim
higher.
Before: Did not take part in interview.
After: To take time and measure the task, never say it is not possible…To
know the gaol first, have confidence and never give up.
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8.6 Goal setting
As part of the project, students were asked to set a goal that they should achieve over the
course of the six weeks. Some students had one specific goal, while others had a couple of
goals. Goals included: finishing the BSuccessful project, better understanding of what to do at
university, studying more each day, improving in English, doing well on the course, finishing
assignments and course work, and going to the gym regularly.
Overall, students felt they were on the way to achieving their goals. Five of the seven students
felt the project was helping them achieve their goals, while two did not. However, when
asked to list how they were achieving their goals, students found it difficult to articulate the
different steps they took, but spoke generally about the goal. It was not possible for the
researcher to verify the extent to which goals were achieved.
To finish X. I’ll have finished after next week, just missed one session.
To research better and have an idea of X. I’m getting there but maybe not by the end
of next week, but I’ve a better idea of what I need.
My goal was X. I did it but not everyday. When I did it I felt I could be successful.
My goal was X. Also to keep to my deadlines and to pass my course with a merit. I
kept up with X, finished most of assignment (80%) but still have some to do. The
course helped me take care of problems, give myself direction and stay focused.
To go to X and to get a merit in my course. Felt more motivated to go to X and more
confident as well.
To complete coursework. Closer to it but the project didn’t have much impact.
To catch up with assignments. It’s up to you, easier said than done. I had to do the
goal anyway, the project didn’t make much difference.
8.7 Students’ use of the journal
Given the delay of the project and the evaluation, it was not possible to analyse students’
journals for evidence of impact. Students were however asked about whether they found them
useful. Three of the students found them useful, while the other four felt they were not
useful, and could not articulate the benefits of having a journal.
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The journal has been useful. I feel it keeps me focused and it helps me to do the
things I need to do. I want to keep it. It’s good to read through it.
Yes useful because some questions didn’t think about them. Helps me to think about
what to do.
Not very useful, don’t know, just filling it in.
Not useful, can’t remember what it’s for.
8.8 Overall satisfaction levels
Students were asked to rate their overall satisfied with the project on a scale of one-to-five,
with five being a very great deal satisfied and one being not at all satisfied. One student said
they were a very great deal satisfied (5), four students said their satisfaction level was a lot
(4) and two students said they were fairly satisfied (3).
Students who scored four and five said the following:
It changed my thinking, gave me confidence, and I’m positive about how to
study…overall positive about it.
I’ve seen how people can change their life around, so why can’t I achieve what I
want to achieve. If negative, still make something out of it, and use what resources
are available.
Before I couldn’t do it alone, but now I’m focused, more serious about doing what I
need to do.
It helped me plan for the future…you don’t know until you try.
The course was inspiring, explained how to get to know yourself, and explained
things you can do with your life, project makes you feel good about yourself, and
I’m motivated.
Students who were fairly satisfied (3) said that while the course was useful, and while it
helped them with goal setting and motivation, they were hoping for more direct help with
their goals.
Helpful but I feel I’ve to do it all by myself.
I hoped they’d help me more with getting the skills to do research and coursework.
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All the students gave positive feedback on the facilitators and the content of the project.
[Facilitators were] good at delivering project and helpful, topics relevant.
Friendly, helpful, content good, learnt new things and added extra to what I knew
already.
X [facilitators] very friendly and open minded.
Content good, they explained well about success and belief.
Students were asked about the aspects of the project they most and least enjoyed. Three of the
students spoke positively about the group activities and two spoke about the session on
determination. Other individual responses included: stories about successful people, setting
goals, how to gain confidence and relaxation techniques. Four students felt there was no
aspect of the project they did not enjoy.
The sessions were clear and I liked the way they explained things. It was very
relaxed.
The bit on determination. People that didn’t have much resources, turned the
negative into the positive.
They gave us relaxation session, you close your eyes and picture you are somewhere
else. I’ve used this exercise at home twice.
Individual comments on negative aspects made by three students included: students not
turning up to the group one day which had an impact on group dynamics, one person feeling
bad because they could not perform well on an activity, and finishing lessons long before the
start of the project sessions.
Students were asked about how they would like the project to be improved. One student did
not have any suggestions. Three students suggested having more sessions. Other individual
suggestions included: getting more students involved, more opportunities to get to know other
students, and more help with achieving goals.
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Extending the session. The gaols are not achievable in the six weeks.
More sessions, more people, and more material.
To talk to each other more, and to get to know each other better.
More help with the goal and research.
9. Discussion
The following discussion in based on the pre- and post-interviews with students who took part
in BSix BSuccessful Group. Interviews were also held with the SEAL Co-ordinator and the
two other facilitators. These latter interviews were not seen as evaluative. Rather some of the
results from the evaluation were shared with the staff during this time with the aim of
generating discussion and reflection on the project.
Baseline data on five of the seven students who took part in the pre-project interviews
revealed that they had a clear idea of what they wanted to achieve at BSix. This included
passing their course and getting their qualifications. Most had a specific career in mind.
Although students believed in themselves to achieve tasks, they felt that it was more
challenging when the task was difficult. They also acknowledged that their own attitude was a
barrier to their achievement. Most of the students joined the group because they needed help
with motivation, and some also needed help with confidence. It was positive to note that all
five students said they credited themselves for doing something well.
According to the SEAL Co-ordinator the overarching aim of the project was to motivate
students to achieve a specific goal by the end of the project. This would be achieved by
getting them to engage with goal setting, helping them recognise and use resources, and to be
more motivated.
The four main areas that were examined for evidence of impact included: goal setting,
knowing strengths and weaknesses, positive thinking and believing in yourself, and
commitment and perseverance.
Based on students’ responses, we find that their learning experiences focused on the habit of
goal setting. By comparing students’ pre and post project comments on the best way to
approach a goal, we find that they learnt about setting a realistic goal, breaking the task down
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into steps and the importance of perseverance. This finding positively correlates with the
SEAL Co-ordinator’s view on the overarching aim of the project.
Some of the students also made reference to topics that taught them about determination and
having a positive attitude, and some also spoke about increased motivation and confidence.
Facilitators noted that based on their own observations, most of the students who attended the
project engaged in the activities, got excited, and grew in confidence. One of the facilitators
also quoted an example of one student who had planned to drop one of her GCSEs, but then
decided to persevere having been on the project. Both the researcher and the facilitators could
not draw any conclusions about the long term impact of the project.
Students’ understanding of their strengths and weaknesses did not however seem to improve
after the project. The number of strengths and weaknesses they identified were similar pre and
post the project. They were also not able to speak about how to use strengths and weaknesses
to their advantage. The lack of success from this session was also acknowledged by the
facilitators. When asked about aspects of the course that they would do differently in the
future, unprompted they spoke about the session on strengths and weaknesses. The SEAL Coordinator for example noted that while the session examined the strengths of famous
successful people, they did not use the information to help students identify their own
strengths.
Students were asked to think of a goal that they should achieve over the course of the six
weeks, and were given a diagram to map out the steps they needed to take to achieve their
goal and how to overcome any hurdles. Although it was not possible for the researcher to
verify the extent to which students were successful with their goals, students felt they were on
the way to achieving them. Students however found it difficult to articulate the different steps
they were taking to achieve their goal, but spoke generally about their goal. This made it
difficult to evaluate the extent to which they were applying the theory they had learnt from
the session to real life situations. Furthermore, two of the seven students felt the project was
not helping them achieve their goals.
According to the SEAL Co-ordinator, some of the goals were not necessarily challenging
enough. Furthermore, he felt that while the project looked at different aspects of goal setting
such as motivation and perseverance, there was not enough integration of students’ goals in
each session. The facilitators have decided that each one of them will mentor two or there of
the students who took part in the project, to ensure continuation and follow up. In the future,
the SEAL Co-ordinator would assign each of the facilitators two or three students at the
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beginning of the project. Their role would be to mentor students individually, and help them
examine how they could achieve their goal.
Overall, students taking part in the pre and post project interviews were positive about group
work, although one student felt that some students were not committed to the project. One
student who said she was shy around people felt the project had helped her a little. The SEAL
Co-ordinator felt the project would have benefited from more group bonding at the start to
help students gel and develop a better group identity. This comment was also made by one
student.
Each of the students also had a course buddy for help and support. Overall this was not
successful and students did not see the benefits of this aspect of the project. The facilitators
also acknowledged that this had not been successful and felt that while it was an important
aspect of the project, they would need to revise how to best to make it work. One of the
facilitators felt students made excuses for not seeing their buddies, which went against the
ethos of the project in terms of getting students to overcome barriers to achieve goals. He felt
the buddy system would benefit from being more integrated into the goal setting aspect of the
project.
Students had also been given journals. They were asked to reflect on what they had learned in
their journal at the end of the session, as well update the journal during the week. Lack of
time meant it was not possible to examine the journals for evidence of impact, but based on
the comments of students, four did not find these useful and could not see the benefits of the
exercise.
According to the SEAL Co-ordinator learning is more effective if you develop self reflection.
The idea of the journal was to help students gain reflective skills. However, he felt that many
of the journals were not getting completed by students. The use of a journal was dependent
on students’ ability to articulate in writing their reflections and learning, and more effort
would need to be in place to help students gain this skill. Another thought was to continue
with the journal but to give students more choice in terms of how they could present the
information. For example, they could draw diagrams, take photographs, and cut out images
from magazines.
Although the project was open to a maximum of 12 participants, the total number of students
who completed the course was seven. There was a large time gap between the initial
advertisement of the group and the start of the project which could have had an impact on
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numbers. Furthermore, two students had been suspended before the start of the group for
reasons not related to the project. Students were also allowed to miss one session without
being penalised. Of the seven students, five missed one session. Facilitators felt that students
took advantage of this ‘life line’ and felt they needed to review how best to get students to
attend all sessions.
It is positive to note that students were satisfied with the project. On a scale of one-to-five,
with five being a very great deal satisfied and one being not at all satisfied, one student said
they were a very great deal satisfied (5), four said their satisfaction level was a lot (4) and
two students said they were fairly satisfied (3).
Students who scored their satisfaction as four or five articulated some very positive comments
about how the course changed their thinking, gave them confidence, and made them more
optimistic, focused and motivated. Students who were fairly satisfied (3) said that while the
course was useful, and it helped them with goal setting and motivation, they were hoping for
more direct help with their goals.
Students spoke positively about the facilitators, enjoyed the content of the project, including
the activities and felt the project could be improved by having more sessions.
Overall, one of the facilitators marked their level of satisfaction as a lot (4), while the other
two were fairly satisfied (2.75 and 3). The SEAL Co-ordinator felt that the project was very
successful in the sense of it being a pilot and a learning experience that would inform future
projects.
Initially the project was going to be run solely by the SEAL Co-ordinator. He felt the
involvement and contribution of the other two facilitators was an asset to the project. In terms
of teaching strategies that were successful, the SEAL co-ordinator felt that while the project
comprised activities and games as well as discussing theory, he would prefer to make the
course more experiential. He would also like to use more diverse media including film and
music.
The logistical difficulties of setting up the project were noted by all the facilitators. One
thought that emerged from their reflection on the process, was the need to integrate the aims
of the project into college systems, such as during tutorials. They felt this would help
overcome many of the logistical difficulties, it would require less preparation, and more
students would be involved in the project.
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10. Conclusion
Given that this was a pilot run, findings from the evaluation indicate that it has been
successful at providing students with important knowledge on the various habits relating to
goal setting, positive thinking and belief in self. Students have articulated how the project has
made them more optimistic, focused, confident and motivated. In terms of long-term impact,
it would be worth maintaining contact with the students to see how they are applying the
knowledge that they gained from the project in real life situations, and to see if they are able
to set and achieve their goals.
The evaluation also highlighted various weaknesses, many of which were recognised by the
facilitators based on their own reflections. Aspects of the project that would need to be
reviewed include certain elements of the content such as the habit on strengths and
weaknesses, the buddy system, and the journal keeping. Students would also benefit from
developing skills that help them articulate, both verbally and in writing, their reflections and
learning. It is also important to revise how best to implement the project in light of all the
logistical difficulties.
End.
Shayma Izzidien
Researcher-in-residence
12th May 2009
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Appendix 1
BSix BSuccessful Group Evaluation
Student consent form
The aim of this research is to evaluate the success of the project. It is
not about evaluating the students that take part.
I give consent (ie agree) to take part in this evaluation. This means:
Please tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each statement
Yes
No
I understand that that the interview is confidential
(unless I say something that puts my safety at risk)
I understand that I will not be identified in any reports
I am happy to take part in a short interview
I am happy to fill in a short questionnaire
I understand that I can refuse to answer any questions
I am happy for my interview to be tape-recorded and I
understand that only the researcher will be able to
listen to the tape
I am happy for the researcher to take notes
I am happy for the researcher to examine my journal
I understand that I will get a summary of the research
findings once the final report has been written
Name:
Signature:
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