Research and Evaluation

This evaluation concluded that teachers value the variety, importance and high standard of the Keys for Life program and report it to be a valuable part of their senior school curriculum in terms of developing positive and relevant road user attitudes and knowledge for their students.  Since the commencement of Keys for Life in 2004 and following the previous program evaluation in 2008, school and student participation rates have continued to trend upward across public, Catholic and independent schools, as well as in metropolitan and regional areas. The report conducted by Metrix Consulting in 2015 provided recommendations for optimising the Keys for Life program; as well as evidence that it is performing well on its key objectives for teachers, students, parents/carers and stakeholders, regarding the development of knowledge, intentions and positive attitudes.

This evaluation concluded that CHAT is one of the most effective ways of implementing a whole school approach to core health areas. The report conducted by the Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC) at Edith Cowan University provides evidence that CHAT schools are leading the way in ensuring that resilience, drug and road safety education is delivered to the highest standard.

This evaluation found that children who received drug education reported better coping skills and resiliency, a better understanding of the impact of drugs on the body and a lower risk taking score than those who received no drug education. The aim of this evaluation was to investigate the dissemination of the components of SDERA, as well as its impact on Western Australian students. It measures process, impact and outcome indicators and builds on the work completed in 2005 and 2006 by the Child Health Research Unit at Edith Cowan University.

This study is one of the first longitudinal research projects to specifically target school staff nominated by students as people they would approach to discuss personal issues. These selected staff received Keeping in Touch training to develop their understanding of the impact they can have in reducing drug use behaviours amongst Western Australian adolescents. The Child Health Promotion Research Centre (CHPRC) in collaboration with SDERA received funding from Heathway in 2008 to evaluate the effectiveness of the KIT-Plus program.

Road Aware Parents and Road Aware Kids (October 2011)

This evaluation was designed to measure the impact of the Road Aware Parents program and the Road Aware Kids program on knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. It confirmed that if SDERA program materials are delivered to children and parents, then positive changes that contribute to safer behaviour in the traffic environment are seen. Furthermore, the report is unequivocal about the positive perception of the quality of the road safety education materials provided by SDERA.

Keys for Life Evaluation (2009)

The evaluation identified that a majority of schools and stakeholders considered Keys for Life to be an exemplary program in terms of the provision of resources and quality of information. The evaluation examined the effectiveness of implementation and the delivery of the program across the state. The evaluation also looked at the program content, the professional development program, the parent workshop and the way in which the program has been promoted, taught and supported.

The grants were offered to provide incentive for schools to develop Road Safety Guidelines using the Getting it Together resource as a guide. Analysis of the data from the pre and post questionnaires and an examination of the case studies indicated that providing grant opportunities to schools elevated road safety as an issue and encouraged school community engagement. The concept of a health promoting school is one that emphasises the close associations between health and education.