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Table 3 Summary of methods across projects

From: Children and young people’s experiences of completing mental health and wellbeing measures for research: learning from two school-based pilot projects

 

Research Project 1

Research Project 2

Current study

Participants

65 participants across eight schools; (both mainstream and specialist)

Aged 10–16 years.

68 participants across 10 schools;

Aged 8 to 15 years (M = 11.88; SD = 2.06)

66% female and 34% male;

45% White British.

133 participants aged 8 to 16 years

Measure completion process

Measurement framework focused on mental health symptoms, wellbeing, and factors for positive outcomes;

Sensitive questions placed in the middle of the overall framework;

Measures administered online;

Completed in classroom in school;

Facilitated by researchers and, where possible, teachers;

Pupils and parents/carers given information with two weeks notice;

Key information presented at start of completion;

Approx. 25 min completion time for most pupils.

Measurement framework focused on a range of mental health indices;

Measures administered online;

Completed in classroom in school;

Facilitated by teachers;

Teachers reiterated key information before completion.

Similar measure completion processes in place across the two projects (measures focused on mental health and related constructs, completed online in a school setting)

Qualitative data collection

Eight focus groups across eight schools;

Participants volunteered to take part;

Focus groups immediately after measure completion;

Copies of measures supplied;

Semi-structured topic guide used;

No recording taken; field notes documented by second researcher.

13 interviews and 11 focus groups;

Participants volunteered to take part;

Data collected two to four months after completion;

Copies of measures supplied;

Semi-structured topic guide and schedules used;

Audio recording taken.

Data collected through semi-structured focus groups and interviews, with copies of measures supplied to facilitate reflection