Qualitatively evaluating school health and mental health literacy programmes: Using a reflexive approach

Background: Schools are important settings for the promotion of health and well-being. Many health-related education programmes in schools in England, including those delivered in-house by school staff or by external providers, have been evaluated to demonstrate their impact and effectiveness. However, narrative and reflexive accounts of researchers’ experiences coordinating and conducting evaluations of such programmes are limited. Methods: Drawing on reflexive research journals, we offer our reflections of qualitative data collection in primary and secondary schools in north-west England for the purpose of evaluating school-based health and mental health literacy programmes. Findings: This article explores two themes: (1) researcher identity and building relationships, and (2) the practicalities of qualitative data collection in schools in respect of time and space. Our account provides insight into the practical considerations researchers must remain mindful of when planning and generating qualitative data collection on general health and mental health and well-being issues in schools. Conclusion: Findings show that research in schools often requires considerable unseen time and effort on the researcher’s behalf. They suggest the need for more reflective and discursive writing on research processes to complement observations, findings and conclusions. Greater understanding of the realities of data collection in schools will likely improve the approaches adopted by researchers, especially those early in their careers.