Child-Directed Healing Play and student–teacher relationships. Evaluating a promising practice among primary-aged children in Zimbabwe

This mixed methods study evaluates the effectiveness of Child-Directed Healing Play (CDHP) in improving student–teacher relationships in 7 Private Primary Schools in Zimbabwe. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaires were administered to 31 trained teachers. Sixty-two children (22 girls and 40 boys) aged between 3 and 12, from ECD to Grade 7 were screened using the Youth Outcome Questionnaires (YOQ) completed by parents. Thirty-one children were assigned into intervention group (IG) and 31 in control group (CG). Quantitative data were gathered at two points in time: prior to the intervention (pre-test) and after the completion of the intervention (post-test) using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) Short Form. Qualitative data were collected using CDHP Session Evaluation Forms. Results showed that 32 % of teachers had 0 ACEs while 40 % had 1 to 2 and 28 % had 3–5 ACEs. The p-values for the “Closeness” and “Conflict” variables were 0.05355 and 0.1378 respectively, indicating the intervention may have improved the “Closeness” and reduced the “Conflict” in the relationships, although the results did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative findings reveal the effectiveness of CDHP in improving closeness through establishment of therapeutic relationships characterised by increased openness, trust, emotional regulation and mutual understanding. The improved closeness between the teacher and student is reflective of the intervention’s potential to be both curative and preventive (resilience-building).