Theory of Change
February 2014
Acknowledgements
Particular thanks are due to Leap’s Impact Manager Tom Currie, author of this document,
for his commitment to the project and to Carey Haslam for her precise feedback.
We are very grateful to the many people who have contributed to the process of creating
this document:
Youth sector professionals who have given their time:
Dimitrios Tourountsis (London Youth) and Colin Falconer (Foyer Federation)
Consultants who have shared their expertise:
James Noble (New Philanthropy Capital), Loic Menzies (LKMco), Sarah Burns & Kate
Graham (Triangle Consulting) and Sean Blair (ProMeet), and Mary Baginsky (DfE)
Members of Leap’s Impact Sub-committee for feedback and encouragement:
Suzanne Brais, Rosie Chadwick, John Leach, Rachel Sandby-Thomas (Chair)
Leap colleagues who have contributed to this work:
Steven Allen, Clarinda Cuppage, Jassy Denison, Thomas Lawson, Matt Lent, Amanda
Nelmes, Nik Rabani-Barker and Sandy Sanghera
Authors of Leap’s publication – From Violence to Resilience:
Jo Broadwood and Nic Fine
Executive Summary
Adolescence is a time of passion and ideals. It is often challenging for a young person to
make their own sense of the adult world they are entering. These challenges create conflict
within themselves and with those around them and if badly managed can lead to destructive
behaviour. These conflicts can have potentially devastating effects for the young people,
their families and peer groups, and our communities. By understanding what drives their
individual behaviour and learning how to make more responsible choices, young people can
harness their energy to improve their lives and the lives of others.
Leap Confronting Conflict views young people’s experience of conflict as an asset. With the
right support and challenge young people can use their experiences to transform their lives.
Through increasing their understanding of their relationship to conflict, young people gain
self-awareness, ability to empathise and develop self-responsibility – all vital qualities of
positive citizenship. Many young people today face economic challenges and uncertainty
about their future and this can affect their self-worth and aspirations. Their identity and
sense of belonging is further challenged by the need to navigate through a rapidly increasing
number of online and offline communities making their ability to create successful, prosocial relationships more valuable than ever.
The asset based approach is a new framework for working with young people that is gaining
traction amongst the leaders of innovative youth organisations. It means engaging young
people in identifying and developing the capabilities and qualities they need to flourish in
their adult life. Young people often already have these qualities, albeit in an embryonic or
inconsistent state. The asset based approach powerfully challenges the traditional paradigm,
prevalent in many institutions and organisations working with young people; that of defining
their clients by their deficits or risk factors.
Leap has developed an extensive understanding of conflict and our practice benefits from a
culture of reflection and development built over 27 years of working with almost 100,000
young people. The young people Leap works with gain an understanding of the sources of
their own conflicts, both internal and external. They develop their capabilities and
confidence to address and resolve difficult situations, without resorting to violence or acting
out. They integrate the tools and models into everyday life, until they become a key part of
their outlook and interactions with the world.
“What Leap does is almost give you a personality trait rather than just a specific set of
skills, which you can then go away and apply in any situation in which you find yourself”
Emmanuel Inwang, Quarrel Shop Graduate
In a recent evaluation of the sustained impact of attending Quarrel Shop – Leap’s flagship
intensive workshop on conflict – a year or more after completion all the graduates we
interviewed said that they continue to use Leap tools ‘very often’ (81%) or ‘often’ (19%).
This Theory of Change demonstrates how Leap’s work supports young people experiencing
challenging circumstances to achieve personal and interpersonal capabilities that enable
them to engage successfully in education, volunteering, work and other opportunities in
their community and beyond.
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
Who Leap works with ............................................................................................................... 2
Leap’s approach ........................................................................................................................ 4
Transformative Programmes ................................................................................................... 5
What happens on a Leap course? ........................................................................................... 6
Self Leadership and leading others ......................................................................................... 7
Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 8
Evaluation .............................................................................................................................. 10
Implementation of the Theory of Change ............................................................................. 14
Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 15
Appendix 1 – Identifying the outcomes .............................................................................. 15
Appendix 2 – Literature Review (including references) ...................................................... 18
Appendix 3 – Evaluation tools and process ......................................................................... 22
Introduction
Leap Confronting Conflict’s purpose is to give young people the skills to manage conflict in
their lives, reduce violence in their communities and help lead our society.
Leap uses a broad definition of conflict, which includes:
 internal dilemmas and tensions
 disagreements, arguments and fights with others
 fights between other individuals and groups in their communities
Conflict is such a personal experience and so commonplace that it can become a part of a
person’s identity, influencing how they behave on a day-to-day basis.
When it is poorly managed conflict can lead to the breakdown of key support relationships,
involvement in coercive interactions, the tolerance of abusive relationships and an increased
risk of involvement in violence.
By learning to identify the elements of conflict and developing the self-awareness,
competence and confidence to de-escalate and resolve it, young people develop and access
valuable internal resources and capabilities. Leap believes that the ability to manage conflict
successfully gives a young person more choices, enabling better decision-making and
ultimately delivering more positive outcomes in their life.
1
Who Leap works with
Leap approaches can be applied to 11-25 year olds. In practice, we mostly work with people
between the ages of 14-21. The models we use encourage participants to consider different
ways to view and think about themselves and the world. Engaging people at this age also
enables our work to benefit from developmental changes taking place in the adolescent
brain, before their identity, beliefs and behaviours become more entrenched.
“The idea that if something goes wrong in the first 5 years of your life, it's too late to do
anything about, is really contradicted by new research, which suggests that developmental
neuroplasticity very much continues”
Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Author of “The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education” (2005)
Training young people means that the outcomes they achieve will offer greater and wider
benefits beyond the short term and potentially throughout their life. As they use our models
and influence other people in their lives, they create further beneficiaries of our work
through a ripple effect.
Leap’s models are potentially useful to everyone. Regardless of age or background, we all
experience challenging situations. How each of us faces up to and deals with these
difficulties will arguably be the most influential factor in their life.
In order to maximise our impact Leap targets young people who:
 Are vulnerable to the influence of others or may be limiting their choices by avoiding
conflict
 Have been involved in violent, anti-social or offending behaviour (individually or in
groups)
 Demonstrate a propensity to make poor decisions around conflict, including passive
choices
By equipping these young people to address their own behaviours and the factors that
contribute to their experience of conflict, they can achieve real change, both personally and
in their interactions with others.
These young people may be:
 At risk of exclusion from school – because their behaviour is affecting their ability to
engage with education
 Living in care – which may make them more vulnerable due to the lack of the stabilising
resource of a family
 In the criminal justice system – due to involvement in offending behaviour, gangs,
weapons use or violent relationships
We also recognise that the impact of our work varies for individuals with different needs, as
illustrated on the following graph:
2
Focussing on young people in these groups enables the identification of the structures and
networks that they are engaged with, for example:
 Family home or other residential setting
o Parents
o Carers
o Key or social workers
 Peer groups
 Education
o School
o Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) or other Alternative Provision
o College
 Criminal Justice
o Youth Offending Team / Probation
o Police
o Young Offenders Institution (YOI) / Prison
 Youth organisations
 Mainstream and social media
 Local Community
In order to maximise the impact of our work with these young people, Leap also trains adult
practitioners, for example teaching and pastoral staff in schools, PRUs and colleges, Youth
Offending Teams, officers in prisons and YOIs, youth workers and other professionals
working with young people. This training gives practitioners an increased understanding of
conflict and new strategies for working with the more challenging aspects of client work.
When used alongside a programme for young people, the training enables practitioners to
understand the models and strategies that young participants have learned, helping them
notice ways that the young person is applying their newly acquired capabilities.
3
Practitioners’ recognition and support of this integration process helps young people
achieve greater outcomes.
Leap’s approach
Consider the different outcomes achieved by three people facing a challenging situation.
Person A fails to identify or ignores the feelings rising within themselves and others and
remains silent, avoiding conflict. Person B externalises their experience and blames others
for their feelings in an aggressive manner, thereby increasing the danger to him/herself and
others. Contrast these with person C who, encountering the same situation, recognises
their own emotions and has the resources to communicate in a way that can be heard by
others. Isn’t person C much more likely to actively facilitate a successful resolution of the
situation?
Leap calls the phenomenon of how you experience and respond to the challenges you face
your relationship to conflict and all Leap courses include models to help deepen
participants’ understanding of this relationship. Your relationship to conflict is shaped by
several factors, especially your:
 Awareness of your own emotions, their subtleties and function
 Ability to distinguish your reactions and interpretations from what is actually happening
 Appreciation of others’ perspectives and the ability to understand how they differ to your
own
These three factors are important and valuable, but on their own they are not enough to
resolve conflict. It is also important to be able to:
 Take responsibility for your own choices and actions
 Listen fully to others and appreciate their experience
 Communicate effectively
4
Transformative programmes1
Many excellent programmes engage young people through activities such as sports, drama
and music, and offer an alternative to spending time on the streets where they may be
drawn into violent or criminal behaviour. These programmes are intended to divert young
people away from crime and antisocial behaviour and can help them find new confidence,
skills and friends. For some, this is enough to help them change the path they are on. These
programmes can be an important first step in contacting and engaging young people who
are traditionally seen as hard to reach.
However, there are many young people who are already cynical about life or they are so
influenced by their peers that they find it impossible to break out of the spiral of
destruction. These young people are caught up in a vicious circle and their families, local
agencies and the wider community often feel powerless to help them break out of that
cycle. They need a transformative programme – a programme that will help them change,
fundamentally, the way they perceive themselves, the world around them and their place in
their community.
Transformative programmes aim to obtain long-term results that are sustainable and
transform the way in which young people live their lives. They build resilience and personal
resources in young people, giving them an opportunity to express themselves and to reflect
on who they are and what they do. Within a structured and facilitated process, young
people are encouraged to examine themselves, their current choices and the consequences
of those decisions. Ultimately, the young people transform themselves as the consequences
of their choices become clear to them. They begin to develop a new, more resilient way of
being in the world and are aided by a community of support that is developed around the
programme. Transformative programmes leave a legacy of young leaders who make an
active and positive contribution to their community.
1
The sections on Transformative Programmes and Leap’s Core Principles are excerpts from “From Violence to Resilience”
(Broadwood & Fine) JKP 2011
5
What happens on a Leap course?
A Leap course will typically be delivered to a group of 12-16 young people by 2 or 3 trainers,
and can be anything from 1 day to 10 days in length; longer courses tend to be spread over
several weeks and usually include a residential component. The group is facilitated through
a carefully structured programme of games, discussions, activities and exercises to engage
them in a shared understanding of conflict and, by applying it to their own life experience,
identify their own perceptions, reactions and patterns of behaviour. Concepts and models
are introduced through games and explored through discussions and enactive learning
techniques. By sharing and role-playing conflict situations in their life, learning becomes a
visceral experience that learners can anchor in their physical and emotional intelligence. This
approach engages a wide range of learning styles effectively. It also helps learners identify
situations and relationships in their life that they could improve through applying the
methods learnt on the course.
Key concepts and subjects include:
 Identifying personal conflict triggers and whether you are reacting and responding
 Distinguishing fact from interpretation
 Identifying emotions and their value, particularly understanding the anatomy of anger
 Different styles of communication
 Tracing the roots of habitual behaviours and identifying their costs and gains
 Understanding the concept of being responsible
 Exploring the relationship between choices and consequences
 The role of thoughts in getting hooked into conflict and strategies for getting unhooked
As well as presenting Leap materials in an engaging way, Leap trainers are expert at building
rapport and creating strong relationships with young people. Trainers use self-disclosure and
personal stories to bring Leap concepts to life and demonstrate the effectiveness of the
materials in their own lives. Trainers also apply Leap models in the course room when
managing behaviour or interpersonal dynamics presented by the group. This provides
learners with direct experience of how conflict and potential conflict can be identified,
addressed and resolved safely through respectful communication. Ground rules (including
Leap’s five step process for their implementation) are agreed at the start of each course to
maintain the sense of safety that is essential for participants to engage fully with the course
and allow themselves to be vulnerable, sharing and addressing issues of personal
importance.
6
Self-leadership and leading others
An important aspect of developing a young person’s ability to apply the models and
strategies they learn on a Leap course is for them to take on a role that uses these new
capabilities. This can include facilitating workshops for other young people, becoming a peer
mediator, being a learning mentor to participants on Leap courses or taking a junior role on
the delivery team of a Leap course as a Young Trainer. This aspect of the programme is a
powerful and valuable part of their development, as it helps anchor their understanding of
Leap concepts through applying them in real, demanding situations.
“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than it is to think yourself into a new
way of acting.”
A.J. Jacobs – Author
Some of these roles require young people to use their own experiences of conflict to address
conflict in their communities by engaging with and contributing to others who are involved
in similar situations. Their experience and understanding of conflict then becomes an asset
in their own practice and they can become a valuable and valued member of their
community, contributing to improving the lives of others. The value of this new found role
replaces the status that they previously held through their involvement in conflict. Pro-social
behaviours offer them a new sense of identity as a young leader in their community.
7
Outcomes
As young graduates from Leap programmes become better at recognising and managing
conflict, and sustaining healthy relationships across the different spheres of their life, the
change that they achieve can be described on three inter-related levels: Personal,
Interpersonal and Societal. Leap spent two years identifying a framework of outcomes
across these three levels. This process included analysing how participants describe the
changes they experience, reflecting on our learning as practitioners and studying the work of
experts in the field. This section briefly describes these outcomes and how they are
connected.
All Leap participants initially explore how the conflict they experience is shaped by their own
perceptions and interpretations. By applying Leap models to their own conflicts, participants
develop an understanding of the dynamics at play and learn to recognise their own feelings,
reactions and patterns of behaviour. This lays the foundation for addressing conflict
successfully and provides the following Personal outcomes:
Personal Outcomes
 Increased emotional intelligence
 Greater locus of control and self-efficacy
 Improved well-being and resilience
These outcomes enable the participant to identify new choices and approaches to
communication that take their own responses into account. Change at this level helps
participants identify how their own behaviours and beliefs cause some situations to persist.
This shift in understanding enables them to address issues in a more responsible way,
providing a better chance of resolution. The Interpersonal outcomes reflect this shift and
demonstrate the new knowledge and capabilities they are able to use to address conflict.
Interpersonal Outcomes
 Increased empathy and awareness of others’ needs
 Increased knowledge of negotiation and conflict resolution strategies
 Improved communication, negotiation and assertiveness
 Better at managing the impact of negative relationships and increased network of
positive relationships
Understanding these practical strategies and how they can be applied to affect change
encourages participants to address conflict in other areas of their lives. Their proactive
stance reinforces the personal outcomes as they successfully address situations they
previously tolerated. A growing sense of their own capabilities feeds into the Societal
outcomes they achieve as they become more engaged with their local community, be that
their school, prison wing or the neighbourhood in which they live.
Societal Outcomes
 Increased engagement and participation (e.g. through volunteering, training, education
and employment)
 Taking on responsible leadership roles
8
 Contributing to increased community safety (e.g. through reduction of violent, aggressive
and offending behaviour)
These outcomes benefit other areas of their life as an increase in their capability to address
and resolve relationship issues, helps develop their confidence to take on new challenges,
growing their sense of accomplishment. This in turn means they are more likely and able to
engage and succeed in education, volunteering, work and civic challenges.
The roles that young people can then take on (described in Transformative Programmes
section) enable them to contribute to the community. They use their previous experiences
of conflict in a positive way and build a sense of purpose and value, replacing the status they
previously got for negative behaviours with a more positive regard from those around them.
Though we separate these three levels for purposes of clarity and understanding, they are
interdependent and gains at one level promote gains at other levels as shown in the diagram
below. The literature review2 that we commissioned to help establish the measurability and
trainability of these outcomes also demonstrated evidence of how the personal outcomes
lead to development of the inter-personal outcomes.
2
Appendix 2 – Literature Review
9
Evaluation
This section of the document focuses on the measurement processes Leap has developed to
evaluate the change demonstrated by young people participating in our programmes.
Leap’s vision for our evaluation function is that:
 We measure and communicate the impact of our work accurately and effectively, using
clear and achievable evaluation processes.
 Our staff and trainers are competent and confident in fulfilling their evaluation
responsibilities and the evaluation tools are easy to use and fit for purpose.
 The tools and reporting processes are regularly reviewed to ensure they are effective.
The model below illustrates how different functions of the evaluation process fit together.
10
Leap has developed measurement processes to evaluate the change demonstrated by young
people participating in our programmes. These are implemented for programmes of at least
four days of training. There are three main aspects of this evaluation:
A. Data regarding participants, circumstances, challenges and goals
B. Qualitative and quantitative data regarding their progress during the programme
C. Longitudinal data gathered a year after the end of the programme
A. Data regarding participants circumstances, challenges and goals
This is gathered from referral partners and the participants during the recruitment process
regarding their reasons for doing the course, details of the types of conflict they experience,
key challenging relationships in their life and their aspirations. Any offending behaviour, risk
factors and other aspects of their life that might affect their participation or on which their
participation may impact are also recorded.
This is used for risk assessment purposes and held on file for use in follow-up longitudinal
evaluation interviews.
B. Qualitative and quantitative data regarding their progress during the programme
The main tool that we use is the Journey of Change (JoC). The JoC measures participants’
progress against the outcomes on the personal, interpersonal and societal levels of Leap’s
Outcomes Framework. It was developed and piloted by our delivery team in collaboration
with Triangle Consulting3. The tool is used to gather three perspectives:
1. Participant’s self reflections
2. Trainer’s perspective
3. Referral partner’s experience
Comparing data from these three sources helps ensure a robust, triangulated representation
of a participant’s progress. The engagement of learners in their own self-reflective
evaluation supports the developing self-awareness that is key to our work.
A more detailed description of the Journey of Change tools and our evaluation process is
outlined in Appendix 3.
C. Longitudinal data gathered a year after the end of the programme
The learning achieved through participation in a Leap programme offers a new paradigm for
many participants - the opportunity to take responsibility for their choices and behaviours.
Though it may be challenged and tested, the power of this often continues to grow and
benefit different areas of their life for a long time after the end of the programme. Leap has
initiated a longitudinal evaluation of the impact of our programmes with participants a year
after they completed their course. Through 1 to 1 interviews, often carried out face to face,
we gather information regarding:
1. What they are up to in their lives
2. How much they are still using what they learned from the programme
3
Triangle Consulting website - http://www.outcomesstar.org.uk
11
3. How they are dealing with conflict
4. The quality of their relationships with key people in their life
5. The choices they are now making and what role they believe the Leap training played in
them making and / or engaging successfully in those choices.
In a an evaluation of the longitudinal impact of our work, we interviewed 32 out of 51
graduates from our 2011/12 Improving Prospects programme a year or more after they
completed the programme. We also asked interviewees to supply us with the name of a
responsible adult (usually from their referral organisation) who knew them since before they
participated in the programme and were able to interview 10 of them. This data is available
in a summary document4.
Measuring impact
Leap programmes are delivered in partnership with organisations that hold the primary
relationship with participants. By establishing suitable measurement processes, appropriate
data analysis and effective tracking of client progress we are developing a better overall
picture of the change that young people achieve during and after participation. We continue
to build on our evidence base and develop our understanding of how outcomes on the Leap
framework contribute to long term change in young people’s lives through partnership
programmes like the one described in the logic model below, which we are implementing
with Lambeth Youth Offending Service.
4
Download the summary report here: bit.ly/1kvz6f7
12
13
Implementing and improving this Theory of Change
This document represents our current understanding of what we do and how we measure
success. It is a work in progress and will support ongoing reflection and development of our
practice. The process of developing the outcomes framework and evaluation methods has
been useful in focussing conversations between colleagues. This document will help to
widen that conversation to include all personnel and a wider stakeholder group.
This means we will:
 Engage delivery personnel in using Leap’s Theory of Change
 Continue to use the Journey of Change tool in all suitable programmes
 Use the results from the Journey of Change to provide feedback to trainers and referral
agencies, and to inform the improvement and development of our programmes
 Where programmes are not suitable for Journey of Change we will use the Theory of
Change to identify and implement more suitable impact measures
 Engage with delivery partners to examine and improve our Theory of Change and
evaluation methods in a range of settings
 Keep abreast of other outcomes frameworks and develop an understanding of their
relationship with our own
 Refine our outcomes framework to reflect our best understanding and ensure its
credibility
 Build our evidence base of young people’s achievement of outcomes from the Leap
framework and how they contribute to long term outcomes valued by funders and
commissioners, e.g. education, employment and desistance from offending.
14
Appendix 1 – Identifying the outcomes
We identified the outcomes through a 3-stage process:
1. Analysing how young people described the changes they achieved from participating in
one of our main programmes to identify a set of outcomes
2. Holding a 1-day workshop with delivery staff and other sector professionals to express
the change that young people achieve in our programmes
3. Carrying out a literature review to identify peer-reviewed, academic research that
underpinned our understanding of how Leap methods achieved these outcomes
The initial list of outcomes was identified by analysing 112 narrative answers to the
question: “What has changed?” in participants’ self-reflection evaluation forms5. These
answers were coded by two members of Leap staff, one with a background of working with
young people and the other the organisation’s lead on evaluation. They worked together,
discussing each decision. This yielded the 30 outcomes listed below:
17
8
6
6A
REDUCED IMPULSIVITY
Considering consequences
15
1
1B
EMPATHY
Appreciating other's
perception and experience
Influence of self on others
2
6B
3
1C
1D
2
2A
2B
3
3A
3B
3C
Modifying behaviour
Appreciating others
LEARNING TO LEARN
Participation
Learning from others
COMMUNICATION
Listen more
‘I’ vs. 'You'
Improved skills
6
1
1
3
24
5
3
13
6C
6D
7
7A
7B
8
8A
8B
8C
3D Valuing and trusting
communication
4
KNOWLEDGE
4A Able to support/help others
4B Understanding conflict better
5
SELF-AWARENESS
5A Recognising limiting beliefs
5B Need to work on self first
3
8D
Communicate instead of
fight
Calmer
More considered
SKILLS
Using new skills
Confidence
INSIGHT/PERCEPTION SHIFT
Letting go of my past
Gaining new insights
Valuing and appreciating
others
Maturity
47
24
23
4
1
1
8E
8F
9
9A
9B
9C
Increased locus of control
Increased confidence
TEAM WORK
Including others
Appreciating group dynamics
More able to contribute/
confidence
3
1
29
16
7
6
5C
2
1
1A
Own red flags
3
8
10
5
5
17
1
7
2
3
We then held a 1-day workshop to identify our outcomes from a delivery perspective. This
was facilitated by an evaluation consultant (LKMco) and attended by members of Leap’s
delivery team, a professional advisor on research and evaluation from the Department for
Education and the Director of Policy and Innovation for a national youth organisation.
5
The interim report evaluating outcomes for Quarrel Shops in 2012 – can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/M8AVjT
15
The outcomes for the day were captured as:
 Increased self-awareness, emotional intelligence, sense of own value and worth,













confidence, self-efficacy and locus of control
More able to identify and articulate own needs
Increase empathy and awareness of others’ needs
Improve skills for dealing with conflict
More assertive
Increase strategies for dealing with conflict
Improved communication skills
Better mental health
Improved listening skills
Able to contribute to others
Increased confidence and self awareness
Appreciate others’ needs and respect difference
The skills & understanding to actively make choices on how to constructively manage
conflict
Healthier relationships with friends, family, peers, adults and the professionals who work
with them
These two sets of outcomes were then examined, compared and refined in consultation
with senior trainers and delivery staff, working with the consultant. We also carried out a
literature review6 to examine peer-reviewed, academic research that defined the outcomes,
demonstrated their measurability and identified that they could be developed through use
of training methods that are comparable to Leap’s approach.
Other outcomes frameworks we considered
We studied the Young Foundation’s Framework of outcomes for Young People7 and New
Philanthropy Capital’s Journey to EmploymenT Framework8. The outcomes we identified
align closely with these two frameworks. This was reassuring as these frameworks were
created using rigorous and well-resourced processes. We decided that the specialist focus of
our work justified the differences to the outcomes and the way our framework is structured.
We continue to study and consider all outcomes frameworks issued by organisations
working in relevant fields.
6
7
8
Appendix 2 lkmco Literature review
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/framework-of-outcomes-for-young-people
http://www.thinknpc.org/publications/the-journey-to-employment/
16
Journey to EmploymenT
Outcomes
Young Foundation
Outcomes Framework
Leap CC Outcomes Framework
EMOTIONAL CAPABILITIES
 Self-esteem
 Autonomy and control
 Grit and determination
 Empathy
 Managing feelings
 Resilience and
determination
PERSONAL OUTCOMES
Increased emotional intelligence
Greater locus of control and self-efficacy
Improved well-being and resilience
ATTITUDES
 Aspirations
 Attitudes to work
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
 Teamwork
 Communication
 Problem solving
 Self-management
 Leadership
 Confidence and
agency
 Creativity
 Communication
 Planning and problem
solving
 Relationships and
leadership
EXPERIENCES +
INVOLVEMENT
 Work experience
 Perception of value of work
experience
 Networks
 Community involvement
QUALIFICATIONS,
EDUCATION + TRAINING
 Basic skills
 Achieving qualifications
 Attendance and behaviour
CAREER MANAGEMENT
 Career direction
 Job search skills
 Presentation to employers
PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
 Access to transport,
internet, childcare, support
for young carers or disabled
people
 Reduced substance abuse
 Reduced offending/antisocial behaviour
INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES
Increased empathy & awareness of others’ needs
Increased knowledge of negotiation and conflict
resolution strategies
Improved communication, negotiation and
assertiveness
Better at managing impact of negative
relationships and increased network of positive
relationships
SOCIETAL OUTCOMES
Increased engagement and participation
(e.g. volunteering, training, education and
employment)
Taking on responsible leadership role
Contributing to increased community safety (e.g.
reduced violent, aggressive and offending
behaviour)
ACCREDITATION
Leap’s courses for young people and practitioners
are accredited at levels 1, 2 and 3 through the
Open College Network
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Appendix 2 – Literature Review including references
The aim of this literature review is to briefly summarise some of the peer reviewed, academic
research that underpins Leap’s Theory of Change. (ToC). It is intended to explain some of the
assumptions behind the ToC and to ground Leap’s practice in well-evidenced research findings.
What personal attributes does Leap aim to impact on?
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand and regulate emotions in others and
yourself. It is important because it influences well-being by enabling perspective-taking which
improves creative and deep thinking, emotion recognition, facilitation of thought and regulation of
emotions (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2002). It can be tested using the MSCEIT (though this is
expensive to administer).
Self-efficacy and locus of control
Thompson (2009) divides ‘perceived control’ into two elements, self-efficacy and locus of control.
She describes locus of control as:
“the perception that most people’s outcomes are influenced by personal action (internal) versus
outside forces or other people (external)”
Locus of Control impacts on wellbeing by reducing stress, increasing problem-solving and helping
people become effective copers who are able to tolerate uncomfortable situations and have
increased immune functioning. Locus of control can be measured using a scale based on the work of
Rotter (1966), and which is testable via a free, regularly validated and reliability-checked online
questionnaire.
Thompson goes on to describe self-efficacy as:
“the belief that one personally has the ability to enact the actions that are necessary to get desired
outcomes”
Self-efficacy therefore takes into account whether a person believes they have the competence,
skills or knowledge to achieve tasks and goals. It matters because it impacts on well-being by
influencing psychological adjustment, physical health, self-regulation, increasing the impact of
success in personal plans and improving ‘collective’ efficacy (Maddux, 2005). Self-efficacy can be
tested using the Generalised Self-efficacy scale, a well-known and strongly validated instrument
often used in psychological and education research which is currently freely available for use in 31
languages.
Well being and mental health
Psychological well-being is best understood as ‘positive mental functioning.’ It is testable using the
work of Carol Ryff (1989) which is free to use on request.
Subjective Well-being is our personal experience of how happy we feel. It is testable through the
freely available satisfaction with life test.
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Mental Health is used either in a way that is analogous to well-being or more medically to relate to a
bio-psychological concept (i.e. not getting ill).
What evidence is there to suggest these qualities can be trained?
As was shown above, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy and locus of control all impact on wellbeing. If training impacts on these factors it should also impact on well-being.
Self-efficacy:
Self-efficacy is known to be related to our initial childhood experiences, self-efficacy emphasises that
efficacy will only increase later if interventions provide skills and a belief in the ability to solve
specific types of problems. Examples outlined by Maddux (2005) include having people practice
verbal persuasions, experiencing or ‘performing’ a certain task with increasing levels of autonomy,
hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation training, meditation and imagining experiences via stimuli. All can
lead to increased self-efficacy.
Emotional Intelligence:
A recent study by Pool & Qualter (2012) reported on a teaching intervention with undergraduates
which increased students’ emotional intelligence scores. Scores remained significantly improved six
months later. The intervention was based on Mayer and Salovey’s (1997) four branch model:
 Accurately perceiving emotions in oneself and others
 Using emotions to facilitate thinking
 Understanding emotional meanings
 Managing emotions
It included:
 Role plays
 Short lectures
 Group Discussions
 Readings
Pool & Qualter (2012) also note that although there are few other papers that show a statistically
significant increase in emotional intelligence scores, this is not necessarily because there is no way
to increase it, but because those studies are simply not available with designs that would adequately
pass peer review. This is a common issue across all training organisations.
Locus of control:
As we have seen, Thompson’s work brings together both locus of control and self-efficacy under
‘perceived control’. She reports on a number of (often medical) interventions in which successful
experiences in handling problems and reducing stress (through psycho-educational and group
coping skills for example), increased sense of control (Cunningham, Lockwood, Cunningham, 1991).
In the educational sphere, ‘attribution retraining’ interventions which sought to increase attribution
of causality to controllable and modifiable explanations of academic performance led to reduced
drop-out rates and improved academic performance (Perry 2003, Perry and Penner, 1990).
However, Thompson notes that attribution of benefits is not without difficulty. It is also worth
noting that Reich and Zautra (1991) found that increasing perceived control amongst at risk
(disabled or bereaved) older adults with low locus of control did not improve their mental health
and could indeed be counterproductive. Nonetheless, Thompson concludes that “attempts to
increase perceived control have shown some promise, especially if they increase general coping and
stress reduction skills”.
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What are the links between personal qualities and interpersonal qualities?
 Empathy and awareness of others’ needs: These are important aspects of emotional intelligence
 Knowledge of negotiation and conflict resolution strategies: These are directly taught as part of
Leap’s programs
Research on factors contributing to ‘pro-social behaviour’ and relationships is of greatest relevance
to interpersonal qualities.
Pro-social behaviour is voluntary behaviour designed to help another person. It generally has a
beneficial outcome as recognised by people in the local society. Examples include sharing items,
being friendly, stepping in to stop a crime, helping resolve conflicts between people. Pro-social
behaviour is for the most part motivated by empathy or concern for another person's well-being,
though it can also be motivated by self-interest. The intent plays a less important role in the
definition than the action itself.
Several of the personal qualities identified above influence pro-social behaviours and relationships:
Emotional intelligence promotes perspective-taking and sense of control promotes problem-solving
rather than blaming. Gebauer et al (2007) found that people with more positive emotions and
greater subjective well-being tended to have more pleasure-based, pro-social motivations (i.e. they
were motivated to do nice things for other because it would help them feel good). Hence, it seems
that being a person who ‘feels’ good generally leads to doing things so others feel good.
Penner et al.’s (2005) analysis of pro-social behaviour (conflict resolution would fall into this
category) found evidence that pro-social behaviour is increased when an individual has an increased
numbers of positive emotions, is strong at emotional intelligence, has high self-efficacy and has
general feelings of competence.
Factors which contribute to interventions’ success
Large meta-analyses by Blume, Ford, Baldwin & Huang (2010) and Baldwin & Ford (1988) have
shown that training programs work best when:
Cohorts are chosen carefully, taking into account:
 Cognitive ability
 Conscientiousness
 Voluntary participation
Training involves increasing:
 Motivation
 Self-efficacy
 Knowledge
The training involves:
 ‘Relapse prevention’ either through immediate opportunities to put training into practice or
follow up training
 Delivery that is spread over time
 Availability of support from a mentor, supervisor or peer
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The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being, http://www.liberalarts.wabash.edu/ryff-scales,
Accessed: May 17, 2013.
Baldwin, T. T., & Ford, J. K. (1988). Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research.
Personnel psychology, 41(1), 63–105.
Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., Baldwin, T. T., & Huang, J. L. (2010). Transfer of training: A meta-analytic
review. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1065–1105.
Boniwell, I., & Ryan, L. (2012). Personal Well-Being Lessons for Secondary Schools: Positive
psychology in action for 11 to 14 year olds. Open University Press.
Challen, A., Noden, P., West, A., & Machin, S. (2011). UK Resilience Programme Evaluation: Final
Report. Department for Education.
Cunningham, A. J., Lockwood, G. A., & Cunningham, J. A. (1991). A relationship between perceived
self-efficacy and quality of life in cancer patients. Patient Education and Counseling, 17(1), 71–78.
Dacre Pool, L., & Qualter, P. (2012). Improving emotional intelligence and emotional self-efficacy
through a teaching intervention for university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(3),
306–312.
Gebauer, J. E., Riketta, M., Broemer, P., & Maio, G. R. (2008). Pleasure and pressure based
prosocial motivation: Divergent relations to subjective well-being. Journal of Research in Personality,
42(2), 399–420.
Headspace. (2009). Evidence Summary: The Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing for Young
People with Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders.
Health Foundation. (2011). Research scan: Training professionals in motivational interviewing.
Locus of Control Scale, http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LC.html. Accessed: May 17, 2013,
Maddux, J.E. (2009) Self-Efficacy: The Power of Believing You Can. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds)
The Oxford handbook of positive psychology, New York: Oxford University Press.
Morton, M. H., & Montgomery, P. (2013). Youth Empowerment Programs for Improving
Adolescents’ Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem A Systematic Review. Research on Social Work Practice,
23(1), 22–33.
Penner, L. A., Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., & Schroeder, D. A. (2005). Prosocial behavior: Multilevel
perspectives. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 56, 365–392.
Perry, R. P. (2003). Perceived (Academic) Control and Causal Thinking in Achievement Settings.
Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 44(4), 312.
Perry, R. P., & Penner, K. S. (1990). Enhancing academic achievement in college students through
attributional retraining and instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(2), 262–71.
Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1983). Stages and processes of self-change of smoking:
toward an integrative model of changeJournal of consulting and clinical psychology, 51(3), 390.
Positive Action, http://www.positiveaction.net/programs/index.asp?ID1=1&ID2=14, Accessed: May
17, 2013,
Reich, J. W., & Zautra, A. J. (1991). Experimental and measurement approaches to internal control
in at‐risk older adults. Journal of Social Issues, 47(4), 143–158.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
Psychological monographs: General and applied, 80(1), 1–28.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological
well-being. Journal of personality and social psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.
Salovey, P., Mayer, J.D., & Caruso, D. (2002). The positive psychology of emotional intelligence. In
C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology, New York: Oxford
University Press.
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.),
Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (pp. 3–31). New York:
Basic Books.
Thompson, S. C. (2009). The Role of Personal Control in Adaptive Functioning. In C.R. Snyder & S.J.
Lopez (Eds) The Oxford handbook of positive psychology, New York: Oxford University Press
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Appendix 3 – Evaluation Tools and Process
The main tool that we use is called the Journey of Change (JoC). It was developed and piloted by our
delivery team in collaboration with Triangle Consulting. The JoC measures progress against stated
programme outcomes and also provides data for measuring progress against Leap’s outcomes
framework. The tool is used to gather three perspectives:
1. Participant’s self reflections
2. Trainer perspective
3. Referral partner experience
1. Participants self reflections
The participant’s self reflection evaluation is embedded in the learning process of the course. As
participants engage in the course materials they gain understanding of the course outcomes. The
outcomes for Leap’s Quarrel Shop course are:




Understanding my relationship to conflict
Resolving conflict with others through communication
Successful group working that values input from all members
Supporting others to manage their own conflicts
Although the meaning of these outcomes may not immediately be clear to learners, the orientation
process helps ensure they understand each outcome and also engages them with the journey
metaphor used for their evaluation. This metaphor describes progress through 5 stages. These are:
1. Never really
questioned it
2. Questioning /
thinking more
3. Learning
and making
new choices
4. Reflecting
and practising
new skills
5. Including and
influencing
others
By identifying and discussing the thoughts and behaviours of someone at each of the 5 stages,
participants identify an appropriate score to describe where they were before the course for each of
the programme outcomes. This ‘before’ score is gathered once they have reached an appropriate
point in the course to have a sense of the concepts involved, so that the score has validity.
At the end of the programme, participants are presented with their JoC form and asked to check
and, if they wish to, amend their ‘before’ score. They then provide an ‘after’ score and answer the
question “What has changed for you?” for each of the outcomes.
The data from these self-reflection JoC forms is analysed by comparing ‘before’ and ‘after’ scores for
each outcome, providing indication of their progress. The narrative answers are coded against Leap’s
outcomes framework to provide qualitative evaluation of the changes each participant is
experiencing in their life.
2. Trainer perspective
Trainer perspective JoC forms gather start and end scores (1-5) for the programme outcomes and
also identify data is collected for which outcomes from Leap’s Framework the trainer team has seen
the learner progress with. This is completed at the end of the programme by the two most senior
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trainers on the team. The data from the trainers’ evaluation provides a straight comparison of each
learner’s self reflection against the trainers’ perception.
3. Referral partner experience
The referral partner JoC mirrors the Trainer’s JoC, if the programme has included suitable training
for referral staff, such that this would be meaningful process with them. Otherwise they are just
asked to score the change their client has achieved in each of Leap’s framework of outcomes on the
scale shown below:
Negative impact
No change
Slightly better
Much better
As they complete the section for personal and interpersonal outcomes they are asked to quantify
the degree to which these changes can be attributed to the programme by providing a grade for the
following statement:
[Leap Programme] has made a big contribution to these changes
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
This helps establish the level of attribution that the programme can claim and identifies the other
programmes and factors affecting participants’ lives.
By comparing and evaluating the progress from these three perspectives we build a fuller picture of
the progress made by Leap graduates. This is also used as comparison data for the longitudinal
evaluation, carried out a year after the course finishes.
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