Evaluation

The evaluation of the pilot training programme was carried out with a number of instruments:

1. written reflections after the five of the programmed six visits by the participants to the residents of the care home;
2. written reflection on the differences experienced in acting in the first and the second role plays during the face-to-face training session;
3. written reflections on the face-to-face training session in week two of the programme;
4. a written questionnaire at the end of the programme with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative questions for visitors, deputy head of Felsted School and the Home Manager of Redbond Care Home in Dunmow;
5. a verbal discussion with the visitors; this was carried out separately on dates convenient to both the students and the community visitor; seven students participated in the filmed discussion with Mina Drever at their school on 16-11-2018; the discussion with the volunteer community visitor on 19-11-2018 was audio-recorded; both discussions were transcribed for the purpose of accurate quotations where appropriate.

With these instruments answers were sought to the following questions:

1. Could this programme have wider applicability?
2. How beneficial was it to all participants?
3. Is the design appropriate?
4. How onerous and disruptive was it to the normal routine of students, school and care home?
5. Does it change attitudes towards people living with dementia and towards the disease itself?

Qualitative text analyses have been carried out on each of the method. The sample was too small for a representative quantitative analysis of some of the questions in the written questionnaire. However, just for the sake of obtaining indications for potential results if the programme were to be run with larger groups, some percentage figures have been reported. Participants’ quotes below, in the results section, are taken from the questionnaire responses and from the verbal discussions.