Reducing School Dropout and Enhancing Pupils' Sense of Belonging and Participation Through Co-created Music-based Activities
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Group music activity, co-created by pupils and music therapists, 1x/week over 1 school semester, Usual school schedule over 1 school semester.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Preventative Health, Well-Being, Psychological, Salutogenesis, Mastery. Basic parameters: 15 years — 25 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Norway
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Reducing School Dropout and Enhancing Pupils' Sense of Belonging and Participation Through Co-created Music-based Activities: The RESONATE Cluster-randomised Crossover Trial
Overview
RESONATE is a cluster-randomised crossover trial focusing on reducing school dropout rates and fostering belonging through co-created music-based activites, by combining music therapy (MT), psychology, and social sciences. About 200 participants will be recruited in the area of Bergen, Norway. They will be randomized into the following intervention arms: group music activity followed by usual school schedule or usual school schedule followed by group music activity.
Detailed description
RESONATE is a research initiative with researchers from Norway, Finland, and Denmark, and cultural organizations, the project employs an interdisciplinary approach combining music therapy, psychology, and social sciences. By engaging pupils, teachers, and community stakeholders, RESONATE develops and implements music interventions that promote emotional well-being, social inclusion, and resilience. These interventions align with Norway's current national school curriculum (LK20) and are informed by evidence-based research, including studies from WHO and music therapy scholars. Activities such as music-making and listening enhance social interaction, self-expression, and emotional support-key factors in reducing dropout risks.
The project follows a co-creation process, ensuring that interventions are designed with direct input from pupils and educators. A mixed-methods research approach, evaluates the impact of music activities on pupil engagement and well-being. Findings will be shared with policymakers, educators, the school sector, and welfare services to develop a transferable model applicable to schools nationally and internationally.
Interventions
- Behavioral Group music activity, co-created by pupils and music therapists, 1x/week over 1 school semester
Group music activity is a music therapy intervention where participants will performe activites such as songwriting, music production and singing. The sessions will be conducted by an appropriately qualified music therapist, with support from the teacher and the researcher. - Behavioral Usual school schedule over 1 school semester
The participants will at first only attend a ordinary school schedule over 1 semester without group music activity. The next semester the participants will be followed by group music activity plus orinary school schedule.
Primary outcome measures
- Absence from school (any reason) [Time frame: 4 months, 10 months]
Secondary outcome measures (9)
- Absence from school (unexcused) [Time frame: 4 months, 10 months]
- Healthy Use of Music Scale (HUMS Healthy) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Generalised Resistance Resources in School Scale (GRRS) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Academic engagement (subscale of Positive Youth Development, PYD) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Positive values (subscale of Positive Youth Development, PYD) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Social competencies (subscale of Positive Youth Development, PYD) [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- UCLA Loneliness Scale, short version [Time frame: 0 months, 4 months, 6 months, 10 months]
- Adverse events [Time frame: 4 months, 10 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Pupils from the area Bergen, Norway.
- High school pupils.
- Sufficient Scandinavian language skills.
- Between age 15-25.
Exclusion criteria
- Does not speak a Scandinavian language sufficiently.
- Planning to change school during the school year.
- Uncorrected hearing impairment.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
Norway · 16 centers
- Give Music A Chance - Norway — Bergen
- NAV Vestland — Bergen
- Hyssingen Produksjonsskole — Bergen
- Møhlenpris idrettslag — Bergen
- Stiftelsen Vestnorsk Jazzsenter — Bergen
- Amalie Skram videregående skole — Bergen
- Bergen kommune, Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek — Bergen
- Vestland Fylkeskommune Opplæring og Kompetanse — Bergen
- … and 8 more centers
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07632391 · RESONATE · ES747784