RE-AIM evaluation of a teacher-delivered programme to improve the self-regulation of children attending Australian Aboriginal community primary schools

Studies in north-western Australia Aboriginal communities identified executive functioning and behavioural regulation as significant issues for children. Exposure to alcohol prenatally and adverse childhood experiences are known risk factors for impaired self-regulation and executive function, these risk factors being present in remote communities. In response, a partnership was initiated to trial a teacher-delivered self-regulation intervention based on the Alert Program?. While student outcomes were assessed, this paper describes the implementation and impact of the intervention on teachers through the five dimensions of the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance). Trained classroom teachers (n =?29) delivered eight Alert Program? lessons to students over 8- weeks. Impact and implementation outcomes were assessed through teacher training and student lesson attendance data, and pre-training and post-intervention teacher questionnaires. Data were analysed using paired-samples t-tests and descriptive statistics. Eighty-one to 100% of prescribed lessons were implemented and teacher understanding of self-regulation and the Alert Program? improved significantly following the intervention (n =?14, p ??.001). Most teachers (88%) reported changing their teaching and behaviour management practices because of the intervention and agreed there were benefits in teaching the Alert Program? to students in a region with high reported rates of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and self-regulation impairment.