Managing and Evaluating Change; Conducting a Needs Analysis: Preparing for Change

Dawn Jennifer and Helen Cowie

“VISTA School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action” project

Bulgarian

English

Violence, needs analysis, conflicts, change

training module

Parents, Policy Makers, Teachers, Researchers, Young People, School Directors.

21 - 100 pages

The contents of this unit are as follows:
- Description of the objectives of the document, which are to: illustrate the importance of perceptively observing an environment when carrying out a needs analysis; promote a clear understanding of what a needs analysis is; prepare individuals for potentially difficult situations during needs
analysis, focusing on strategies to deal with this; provide the opportunity for the discussion of problems in carrying out a needs analysis and to identify potential solutions; highlight contrasting perceptions of different groups within the
school and ways of resolving conflicting views; develop a working group contract for carrying out a needs analysis
- Presentation of the facilitation skills to be developed through this unit, which are (1) knowledge and understanding of what is meant by a needs analysis; how to design improvement plans for individual pupils, groups and the school as a whole; the operation of school systems; how to include pupils’ opinions in any decision about their education; how to understand potential roadblocks in facilitating change; (2) personal qualities and attributes include: having an appropriate, pupil-centred set of beliefs and values which informs their decisions and actions; having the ability to influence the ethos in a place of work and effect and sustain change there; being able to deal with conflicting viewpoints and being an effective communicator; being an effective trainer of and adviser to staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils; being a good observer and astute in analysing and monitoring behavior when assessing pupil needs; having the ability to facilitate and value pupils’ opinions about their own education.

In an educational climate in which the incidence of bullying and violence in schools has become a major cause for concern, coupled with a wide variety of interventions to promote non-violence, Brighouse suggests that “interventions need to be systematically mapped, planned, implemented, and evaluated”. He suggests that this can be achieved through a process of collective review in order that schools do not stumble across interventions that will culminate in an ad hoc approach to addressing the problem.
In other words, interventions are more likely to work if based on a full understanding of the problem, knowledge of the resources available, and an awareness of the possible difficulties that may arise in the course of planning and implementation.
Thus, Cowie and Wallace suggest that a needs analysis (also known as an audit) is an essential pre-requisite for successfully implementing an intervention to promote non-violence.

http://www.vista-europe.org/downloads/Bulgarian/D1f.pdf
The document is also available in EN language on the following link:
http://www.vista-europe.org/downloads/English/D1f.pdf

15_needs analysis and change.pdf

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