Evaluation of Motivationslyftet – a school-based intervention to improve self-efficacy, mental health and academic achievement among adolescents
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN14131022 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14131022 |
- Submission date
- 21/07/2025
- Registration date
- 04/08/2025
- Last edited
- 29/07/2025
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Mental health problems among adolescents are increasing both in Sweden and globally. Schools are seen as a key arena for supporting young people’s development and wellbeing. “Motivationslyftet – Empowering young people” is a school-based programme that includes thematic and module-based activities, consisting of: life skills education, school curriculum reinforcement, and staff- and supervisor training. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the universal school-based intervention Motivationslyftet on general self-efficacy, mental health, and academic achievement in adolescents (aged 13-16).
Who can participate?
1. Students in grade 7 (aged 13 to 14) from participating schools. Both boys and girls will participate.
2. A selection of teachers from participating schools
What does the study involve?
This interventional cluster-controlled study will involve schools that deliver the programme Motivationslyftet and matched control schools. The study will follow students over three school years (grades 7 to 9), with questionnaires collected at the start and at the end of grade 7 and at the end of grade 9. These questionnaires will assess areas such as self-efficacy, anxiety, stress, school climate, self-esteem and academic achievement. Teachers will also be asked about the school environment and how the programme works in practice.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Young people and their guardians will receive clear and age-appropriate information about the study, including its purpose and how their personal data will be used. Participation is voluntary and students can withdraw at any time without consequences. All participants must have informed consent from their legal guardians to take part in the study.
The study has been designed with careful ethical consideration. The possible benefits of the research, such as improved understanding of how to support adolescents’ well-being in schools, are considered greater than the possible risks.
One potential risk is that students may compare themselves to classmates when answering sensitive questions, for example about mental health. To reduce this risk, no participants will see individual results during the data collection, and all responses will be anonymous.
A potential disadvantage could also be that students in the control group will not receive the Motivationslyftet programme during the study period. These schools do not currently use the programme, and students will continue with their regular education and support as usual. This helps ensure that any potential disadvantage to the control group is minimised.
Where is the study run from?
Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
The study starts in September 2025 and will run until July 2028.
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by external research grants from the foundation: Star for life (Sweden)
Who is the main contact?
Susanne Andermo, Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet.
Email: susanne.andermo@ki.se
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
Alfred Nobels allé 23
Huddinge
19770105-9029
Sweden
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-8006-1991 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +46 8 52483902 |
| susanne.andermo@ki.se |
Study information
| Study design | Multicenter interventional cluster-controlled trial with matched control schools |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | A cluster-controlled trial evaluating the effects of Motivationslyftet, a universal school-based intervention, on self-efficacy, mental health, and academic achievement in Swedish adolescents aged 13–16 years |
| Study objectives | This study aims to evaluate the effects of the universal school-based intervention Motivationslyftet on general self-efficacy, mental health, and academic achievement in adolescents (aged 13-16). The primary hypothesis is that adolescents (aged 13-16) who participate in the programme Motivationlyftet will improve their general self-efficacy compared to the control group. The secondary hypothesis is that the adolescents that participate in Motivationslyftet intervention will show improved psychosomatic health, lower anxiety, higher self-esteem, lower stress and higher academic achievement, better perceived school climate, compared to those in the control group. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 14/01/2025, Swedish Ethical Review Authority (Box 2110, Uppsala, 75002, Sweden; +46 104750800; registrator@etikprovning.se), ref: 2024-08346-01 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Promotion of self-efficacy, mental health and academic achievement in adolescents through a school-based programme |
| Intervention | Intervention schools (n = 3- 8) with adolescents (n = 150 -250) in grade 7 (aged 13-14) will be recruited in Sweden during spring/summer 2025 to implement the programme Motivationslyftet throughout the academic years seven, eight and nine i.e. from autumn semester 2025 to spring semester 2028. Control schools (n = 3-8) with adolescents (n = 150-250) will be matched based on school socioeconomic index. All participating adolescents and legal guardians will be informed and consent to participate in the study before data collection. Students in the intervention schools will receive Motivationslyftet, which is a multi-year programme including thematic and module-based activities, consisting of: 1. Educating and training children and young people with 15 different life skills 2. School curriculum reinforcement 3. Staff training 4. Supervisor training The control group will have schooldays as usual. Students in the control schools will follow their standard curriculum and school activities without additional intervention. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Adolescents’ self-reported self-efficacy, assessed with the Swedish version (Löve et al., 2012) of the general self-efficacy scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 2010) that has been validated in adolescents (Lönnfjord & Hagquist, 2018) at baseline (September- October 2025),post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Academic achievement, school climate, and psychosomatic health measured by the Swedish items from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2023; World Health Organization, 2020) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). 2. Anxiety will be assessed using the short version of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (Ahlen et al., 2018; Spence et al., 2003) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April—June 2026), and follow-up (April—June 2028). 3. Self-esteem will be evaluated with the Rosenberg scale (Rosenberg, 1965) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). 4. Symptoms of stress will be measured with a Scandinavian scale (Elo et al., 2003) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). 5. Teachers’ perceptions of school climate and relations will be assessed in both intervention and control schools with the Pedagogical School Climate [PESOC] instrument, adapted and validated for teachers (Hultin et al., 2018) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). 6. Teachers in intervention schools will also answer questions regarding the perceived acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of implementing the Motivationslyftet programme in their schools (Weiner et al., 2017) at baseline (September- October 2025), post-intervention (April - June 2026) and follow-up (April- June 2028). |
| Overall study start date | 01/11/2024 |
| Completion date | 01/07/2028 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Learner/student |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 13 Years |
| Upper age limit | 16 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 500 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Schools in Sweden that already use the programme Motivationslyftet will be offered to participate in the study as intervention groups. Control schools will be matched based on the school's socioeconomic index. 2. All students in grade 7 (aged 13-14 years) from participating schools 3. Teachers from the included schools |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Schools that have used the programme Motivationslyftet or similar will not be invited to be control schools in the project. 2. Students who do not understand written Swedish, or who have conditions that prevent them from completing questionnaires independently, may be excluded from specific analyses. 3. Students in intervention schools who participated in the programme Motivationslyftet during middle school may be excluded from specific analyses. |
| Date of first enrolment | 25/08/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/06/2028 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Sweden
Study participating centre
Huddinge
14152
Sweden
Sponsor information
University/education
Nobels väg 5
Stockholm
171 77
Sweden
| Phone | +46 852486595 |
|---|---|
| registrator@ki.se | |
| Website | https://ki.se |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/056d84691 |
Funders
Funder type
Charity
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/07/2029 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | 1. A study protocol 2. A study reporting the effects of the intervention on self-efficacy, mental health and academic achievement 3. A study reporting effects of school climate, and perceived acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of implementing the Motivationslyftet program in their schools All articles will be published in peer-reviewed journals |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be avaliable upon request from Susanne Andermo Susanne.andermo@ki.se |
Editorial Notes
29/07/2025: Trial's existence confirmed by Swedish Ethical Review Authority.
