Scottish Government

Peer Road Safety Education in Scottish Secondary Schools

The Transport and Planning Research Team commissioned East House Research to explore, on behalf of Road Safety Scotland ( RSS), the feasibility of using peer education in road safety education ( RSE) in secondary schools in Scotland.

Main Findings

• Peer education, defined as young people imparting information to others of a similar age, was adopted with considerable variation in a number of educational contexts.
• Peer education in secondary schools was used to cover topics in health and personal education, and was also used to help younger pupils with specific academic subjects or with behavioural problems.
• Some schools ran their own peer education programmes while other schools hosted peer education programmes that were run by outside agencies.
• A range of pre-requisites of successful peer education programmes was identified.
• Peer education made demands on teachers' and pupils' time, and issues of training, timetabling and management of the scheme were highlighted as potential problems in the initiation of any new scheme.
• Evaluations of peer education schemes identified that the educators were the main beneficiaries of such programmes. The educators were seen to increase in knowledge and confidence as a result of taking part.
• Benefits to the target group of pupils were harder to quantify and no research had indicated that peer education was more effective than traditional educational methods at informing the target group of pupils.
• Most interviewees felt that it would be possible to integrate RSE into existing peer education programmes, although it was felt that this would be difficult where schemes were voluntary and content was driven by the target pupils' needs.

Background

RSS produces a range of educational resources targeted at primary, secondary and pre-school pupils as well as those pupils with Additional Support (or Special Educational) Needs. Many of these resources are linked to national educational guidelines making it easier for teachers to incorporate road safety education ( RSE) into the classroom.

Research carried out in 2002 ¹ concluded that:

For many pupils and teachers "Road Safety" was not seen as relevant, raising as it did memories of primary school and learning the Green Cross Code by rote

One of its recommendations was that peer education, whereby older pupils might work with younger ones, could benefit all participants. Peer education would help present road safety as relevant if older pupils could endorse some of its messages and help younger pupils recognise these as useful and appropriate.

Peer education has been used in secondary schools when dealing with topics such as bullying, drugs education and health education. It has been suggested that some young people are more receptive to these messages when they come from their peers or equals. The website of the former Health Education Board for Scotland ( HEBS) contains many examples of peer education ². Peer education relies on shared understandings and a willingness to learn.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the research was to explore the feasibility of using peer education in RSE in secondary schools in Scotland. Three main objectives underpinned the research. These were:

• To conduct a review of current research evidence relating to peer education in secondary schools.
• To highlight good practice in the use of peer education in Scottish secondary schools.
• To provide recommendations to RSS on developing road safety peer education in Scottish secondary schools.

Findings

Peer education was defined as young people imparting information to others of a similar age. Peer education was used in a number of educational contexts. In secondary schools it was used to cover topics in health and personal education, and was also used to help younger pupils with specific academic subjects or with behavioural problems. Some schools ran their own peer education programmes while other schools hosted peer education programmes that were run by outside agencies. A range of pre-requisites of successful peer education programmes was identified.

Peer education made demands on teachers' and pupils' time, and issues of training, timetabling and management of the scheme were highlighted as potential problems in the initiation of any new scheme. Evaluations of peer education schemes identified that the educators were the main beneficiaries of such programmes. The educators were seen to increase in knowledge and confidence as a result of taking part. Benefits to the target group of pupils were harder to quantify and no research had indicated that peer education was more effective than traditional educational methods at informing the target group of pupils.

Most interviewees felt that it would be possible to integrate RSE into existing peer education programmes, although it was felt that this would be difficult where schemes were voluntary and content was driven by the target pupils' needs. Given that peer education was not demonstrably more effective than other forms of transmitting knowledge to a target group, it is questionable whether peer education would have added value in contexts where resources and programmes already exist for covering RSE. However, the finding that peer education holds benefits for the educators suggests that it might be a useful means of engaging involvement of those groups of pupils identified as hard to target in road safety programmes. In secondary schools, the stages S3-S6 and their teachers have been recognised as hard to reach by those engaged in RSE, and it is suggested that pupils from these stages might be recruited as peer educators. Interviewees agreed that, to succeed, peer education RSE should be linked to existing programmes, rather than developed as a discrete one-issue package. For example, it might be covered within a programme that dealt with a range of issues to do with risk assessment and personal safety. All teacher interviewees indicated a willingness to include RSE in existing peer education schemes. This suggests enthusiasm in those who are already involved in peer education to accommodate another topic in the programme.

Recommendations

It is recommended that Road Safety Scotland ( RSS) develop a pilot peer education programme, using S3-S6 pupils as educators of younger pupils. Training, resources and support frameworks for participants would all have to be developed. Issues of recruitment and timetabling would also have to be addressed.

RSS should attempt to link with some peer education schemes already in operation to integrate RSE as an element of existing programmes. This would allow road safety materials and systems to be used and evaluated as part of established peer education schemes. Evaluations should explore benefits to both the educators and the target groups of pupils.

To help develop the recommendations above, RSS should develop links with a number of individuals and organisations listed in the report, with experience in the area of peer education.

About this study

A literature review of peer education practice and theory was conducted using a variety of databases and sources. Telephone interviews were held with Road Safety Officers ( RSOs) in nine local authorities, representing a variety of demographic and geographic settings. In addition, pre-arranged telephone interviews were carried out with four Education Advisers in authorities across Scotland. Four secondary schools with a history of peer education were invited and agreed to take part in the research. The schools were chosen so that the sample would cover a range of geographic settings and socio-economic factors. Interviews were held with pupils, promoted and teaching staff within the schools. Finally, open-ended interviews were held with four peer education specialists.

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The report, "Peer Road Safety Education in Scottish Secondary Schools", which is summarised in this research findings is a web only document and is available on the publications pages of the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent

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