Table 1 DAW Implementation and Evaluation Process

Phase 1

(February–May 2013)

The research team consulted with primary school teachers in the four schools to select the students who would participate in the DAW program (intervention and control cohorts). Research assistants administered sociodemographic surveys among all participating students from both cohorts in the four schools. Secondary academic data (e.g. report cards and teacher assessments) were collected for each student, and pre-study psychological testing was done to determine baseline scores before program implementation. Psychological instruments used were: ASEBA (Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment); Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL – Parent and Teacher); Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV); Wide Range Achievement Test, Third Edition (WRAT-III); Mico Diagnostic Reading Test (MDRT); and the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition.

During this phase, three full-day training sessions on how to implement the DAW intervention were conducted with the cultural therapy team (dancers, musicians, psychologists, visual artists) by the study PIs.

Phase 2

(June 2013–July 2014)

The DAW 3-week summer intervention sessions were conducted in the summer months (Summer 2013 and Summer 2014). In Summer 2013, focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with teachers and parents to determine the types of issues facing students in the community. Focus groups were also conducted with the DAW program cultural therapy team to better understand their experiences with the process of implementing the DAW program.

Phase 3

(July 2014–August 2015)

In Summer 2014, post-program interviews were conducted with teachers and parents to understand how the DAW program had affected the children who participated in the intervention. Research assistants also collected secondary academic data (e.g. report cards, teachers assessments) on all the students who participated in the DAW intervention (both intervention and control cohorts), and post-program psychological testing was conducted to determine the effects of the intervention. An in-depth ethnographic case study was rolled out in one of the four schools of the DAW program to gain a deeper understanding of the larger social, economic, and political factors governing the lives of children living in communities affected by high rates of violence and economic deprivation. Ethnographic data collection methods included participant observations, in-depth interviews with parents, teachers, guidance counsellors, and community members, as well as small group discussions with the students (n = 28) who took part in the DAW program in that school.

Phase 4

(July 2014–August 2016)

Data entry, analysis, and transcription were performed by the research assistants, social scientists, and study PIs. Data from the ethnographic research were analyzed and results shared with the children participating in the sub-study.