Covid-19 posed challenges for school life and for school research. It made researchers rethink the purposes and methodologies of scientific projects (DeMatthews et al., 2020). This was also true for RefugeesWellSchool (RWS), a pan-European school-based psychosocial intervention study. How to meaningfully implement and evaluate school interventions during a pandemic? How to sustain research as relevant for schools? Here we outline how RWS responded to these questions.
Schools are important sites for promoting the wellbeing of migrants and refugees (Tyrer & Fazel, 2014), yet there is little evidence on the effectiveness of school-based psychosocial interventions. RWS implemented five interventions: Classroom Drama, Welcome to School, Peer Integration and Enhancement Resource Programme, In-Service Teacher Training and In-Service Teacher Training with Teaching Recovery Techniques. They took place in secondary schools in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK. While different, a common element between them was their focus on social relationships, a key element in wellbeing (Fazel et al., 2012).
RWS followed a randomised control trial (RCT) design. Three measurement moments were planned: one before the interventions, another immediately after, and the third two to five months later. Data was collected with adolescents, teachers and parents, using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews.
RWS was in the middle of implementation when Covid-19 was announced as a pandemic. Teachers reported disrupted contact with migrant students; school staff became overwhelmed by increased workload; in many countries, school closures made it impossible for RWS to continue the interventions and their assessment in schools.
