Exploring the value of the SCHOOLFirst return-to-school resource: Evaluating usability and satisfaction

Delivering concussion education to pre-service teachers through the SCHOOLFirst website: Evaluating usability and satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Return-to-school processes indicate 'when' to initiate activities and 'what' activities should be accomplished, but are missing 'how' to implement the process. The SCHOOLFirst website provides the 'how' through building concussion knowledge, creating a supportive culture and defining roles. Due to the involvement of pre-service teachers in schools during training and imminent transition to becoming teachers, it is important that pre-service teachers are trained in concussion and can optimally support current and future students.

OBJECTIVE

To determine: 1) pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence surrounding the return-to-school process before and after using the SCHOOLFirst website; 2) the usability, intended use and satisfaction of the SCHOOLFirst website from the perspective of pre-service teachers.

METHODS

Thirty pre-service teachers completed the demographic survey, knowledge and confidence survey, System Usability Scale, and satisfaction and intended use survey after participating in a workshop.

RESULTS

Significant increases in concussion knowledge (Z = -4.093, p <  0.001) and confidence in helping students return-to-school (Z = -4.620, p <  0.001) were measured after using the SCHOOLFirst website. Participants were satisfied with the SCHOOLFirst website (93.4%) and intend to use it in the future when supporting a student post-concussion (96.4%).

CONCLUSION

The SCHOOLFirst website is a valuable tool for pre-service teachers to support students' return-to-school post-concussion.

Barriers to and facilitators of return to learning following a sport-related concussion: Perspectives of female secondary school students

OBJECTIVE

To identify barriers to and facilitators of return to learning (RTL) for female secondary school students following a sport-related concussion (SRC), and to identify critical junctures on the injury-to-recovery continuum that can be targeted to enhance the RTL process.

DESIGN

A grounded theory approach using in-depth qualitative interviews.

SETTING

Secondary schools within the York Region District School Board in Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS

Ten female secondary school students who presented to a sports medicine physician with an SRC in 2015 or 2016. Five of the students received a Green Folder intervention containing an RTL strategy, while 5 students received no RTL intervention following their SRC.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were conducted in person or by telephone. All interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were analyzed, coded, and examined for common themes by 2 independent reviewers.

MAIN FINDINGS

Barriers to RTL included a lack of a graduated RTL process, students' own internal stress, poor communication of expectations, lack of concussion education, and inadequate support from teachers. Facilitators of RTL included academic accommodations and having a primary contact person within the school system. Owing to inconsistent implementation, the impact of the Green Folder intervention as a facilitator of RTL remains unknown.

CONCLUSION

Results of this study support existing findings in the realm of concussion research. A novel finding includes the importance of a primary contact person as a facilitator of RTL. This person could help to overcome some of the identified barriers to RTL and improve outcomes by assisting with academic accommodations, providing reassurance regarding these accommodations, improving education among teachers and students, and enhancing communication between stakeholders.