Well-Being

List of 8 items.

• Semesters in Solitude: Post-Secondary Life Interrupted by COVID-19

  
  Summary: This report focuses on the experiences of Branksome alums during the first two years of the COVID pandemic.
  
  Key Findings: Academically, students’ grades were lower during the onset of the pandemic, with students whose university programs structured classes for synchronous and collaborative online learning faring better than those who did not. Psychologically, stress has been compounding over time, with students who were closer to graduation from post-secondary being particularly uncertain about their futures. Many alums showed resilience in the face of dramatic societal change.

• The First Year Story Snapshot #2: Well-Being and the Post-Secondary Transition

  
  Summary: The second snapshot in the 3-part series focuses on graduates' well-being during the transition from high school to university and the developmental and institutional shifts that students experience.
  
  Key findings: Academically, graduates found their first year at post-secondary to be less stressful than Grade 12. Developmentally, students grappled with changing relationships and learning to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and socially.

• Women Strong: Fostering a Resilient Spirit Through Sport

  
  Summary: Recent research from the Resilience Research Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has found that activities such as sport and music can be critical in helping students with developing resilience.

• The First Year Story Snapshot #3: Emerging Adulthood and Autonomy and the Post-Secondary Transition

  
  Summary: Our last snapshot in the series focuses on graduates' developing sense of autonomy, ability to manage their responsibilities, and ability to self-regulate when removed from existing support systems during transition to university.
  
  Key findings: Graduates found that the biggest adjustments were negotiating independent decision making, learning how to do all the "adult tasks" and strengthening their time management skills.

• Rethinking Stress for Youth in All-Girls’ Schools

  
  Summary: Drawing from recent research and experiences from the all-girls context, we offer an overview of what stress is and its connections to girls and rigorous learning environments.
  
  Key findings: Stress responses look different for Junior, Middle and Senior students. Helpful approaches include: normalizing stress, active listening, developing emotional literacy, helping students develop self-soothing strategies and more.

• Girls’ and Bullying: A Literature Review

  
  Summary: This research brief provides a synthesis of selected literature that focuses on girls’ experiences with bullying.
  
  Key findings: Girls’ understanding of bullying is different from adults’ — they are more likely to refer to it as ‘drama’; see it as a group, rather than individual act and have important concerns about adult intervention.

• Girls’ and Cyberbullying: A Literature Review

  
  Summary: This research brief provides a synopsis of selected literature that focuses on girls’ experiences of cyberbullying.
  
  Key findings: Research on the prevalence of cyberbullying is mixed, however it appears that victim-bullies are more common online than in real life, as girls are more likely to “bully back” online. This is a growing area of research.

• Branksome Hall’s Whole School Approach to Bullying Prevention

  
  Summary: Since 2005, Branksome Hall has committed to a bullying prevention program that uses a whole-school approach. During the ten years since this program began, the school has planned, implemented and regularly assessed its efforts. This report shares findings from a ten-year research study on the program’s impact.
  
  Key findings: Over the decade, Branksome Hall has observed a significant reduction in bullying, with belongingness and connection, and student-led initiatives playing an important part.