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CONTENTS

Activity Sayfa
Introduction 3

SECTION I: PROJECT STUDIES 5

Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout(ESD) Project 5

Project Processes 5
A) Emergence of the Project Idea 5
B) Purpose of the Project 6
C) Implementation Process of the Project 7
C.1.Turkey Mobility: Planning-Defining Emotional School Dropout 8
C.2. Italy Mobility: ESD Peer Coaches Training 14
C.3. Spain Mobility: ESD Peer Coaches Training 20
C.4. Romanian Mobility: Courtesy Days 26
C.5. Portuguese Mobility: Respect for Differences 35

C.6. Polish Mobility: TOP 10 “Our School Song” 40

II. SECTION: EMOTIONAL SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION STUDIES 49
PEER COACHES 49
A) What Does the Conscious Friendship of Two Friends for a Purpose Mean? 50
B) Characteristics Expected to be Found in ESD Peer Coaches 50
C) Responsibilities of ESD Peer Coaches 51

D)ESD Peer Coaches Ethical Principles 51

E) Implementation of ESD Peer Coaching Studies 52
STUDIES THAT CAN PROVIDE STUDENTS' POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT 54
THEIR SCHOOL
Resources 55
Appendix I 57

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 Introduction

Education is a discipline, a field of science and a system. In terms of being a system, it includes elements such
as input, output, professions and areas of expertise. One of the most important elements of this system and the
basic institutions where education is produced are schools (Basaran, 1994). In other words, schools exist for
students to learn, and one of the primary conditions for schools to achieve their determined goals is to ensure
that students attend school.

It can be understood from the studies in the literature that students' positive perception of their schools directly
affects their school attendance behavior (Dogus & Ozdogru, 2022) and that school engagement increases
students' success, school attendance and prevents them from leaving school (Polat, 2022). On the other hand,
students with low school engagement are seen to exhibit undesirable behaviors. These include arriving late to
class, alienation from school, and school dropout (Appleton et al., 2008; Fredricks et al., 2004). Even a day
when students do not attend formal education can cause significant losses. As a matter of fact, schools are a
living space where students learn social relations and social rules as well as academic skills, in short, they
experience life.

School dropout is one of the issues that is emphasized in the education systems of the European Union
countries and almost all countries in the world. For example, Eurostat (2021) in its study presenting statistics on
those who leave education and training early in the European Union, emphasizes that those who leave
education and training early may face significant difficulties in the labor market, have difficulty finding a
secure place in the business world, and that employers are reluctant to employ those with low education
(Eurostat , 2021). For the reasons explained above, it was found important to address the issue of emotional
school dropout, which refers to a period when students' emotional ties with their schools begin to weaken, with
an Erasmus+ project. In this context, the project named " Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout " was
designed as a part of Erasmus+ School Exchange Partnerships (KA229). Thus, the project aimed to define
emotional school dropout (ESD) and develop solution strategies. In this project, with the help of our students,
we have carried out activities that will make the school attractive and increase school attendance and loyalty,
and we are sharing these with you. We hope that our project will inspire all stakeholders.

Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout Project Management Team

Metin Aktürk (project legal representative, budget manager), Diclehan Altuntaş Göçmen (project coordinator,
project first contact person, management team member) Yurdagül Doğuş (project second contact person,
researcher, management team member), Yeliz Tural Tok (project third contact person, management team
member), Dilek Özçelik (project management team member)

This booklet has been prepared as the dissemination product of the project titled " Spot and Stop Emotional
School Dropout", numbered 2020-1-TR01-KA229-093405-1, carried out by Şehit Oğuzhan Yaşar İmamHatip
Secondary School, located in the Yenimahalle district of the capital Ankara. All information in the booklet
reflects the views of the project team. The European Union cannot be held responsible for the information
contained herein.
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 CHAPTER I

PROJECT STUDIES

Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout Project

Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout Project, which was presented by Şehit Oğuzhan Yaşar
İmam Hatip Secondary School during the 2020 call for proposals and received a grant from the European
Union, is a KA-229 (School Exchange Partnerships) project. In this type of partnership, which is under
strategic partnerships for the exchange of good practices, all The partners consist only of schools. These
projects aim to increase institutional and international capacities by supporting the mobility activities of
teachers and students.

Project Processes

A) Emergence of the Project Idea

The two most important institutions that prepare students for life are family and school. One of
the most important chances in life, especially for children from poor and disadvantaged families, is to
receive a good education in a qualified school. Every day that students stay in the education system helps
them gain new skills that can adapt to global transformations. Based on these propositions, the partners
of the project have carried out a variety of studies in their schools to increase their students' school
belonging. However, despite all the efforts, it has been determined that some students are reluctant to
continue school. To determine the cause of this situation, the partners conducted needs analyzes and
student and teacher interviews in their schools. The results showed that some students wanted (or did) to
be absent from school for no reason. It has been shown that the two most important reasons for this are
that students do not feel like they belong to school emotionally (84%) and that they find school
meaningless (80%). These results enabled us to understand that the problem experienced by students is
actually "Emotional School Dropout". It has shown that the solutions we have produced in our schools so
far to the emotional school dropout problem experienced by students are not sufficient. However, we
realized that the methods we have used so far are not sufficient to solve this problem. It has been
understood that it is necessary to implement other solutions. Subsequently, it was evaluated that running
an eTwinning project would be effective in solving the problem. Thus, all partners of the project wanted
to benefit from the opportunities offered by Erasmus+ projects as an alternative solution to similar
problems they experienced. As a matter of fact, the education priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy ha ve
been determined as reducing the early school leaving rate below 10% and increasing the higher education
graduation rate of the young population to at least 40%. Both of these goals aim to prevent early school
leaving of students. In addition, it is stated in international reports that students of the partner countries of
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the project are under the threat of early school leaving. According to PISA 2015, more than 54% of
students are absent in Turkey, 48% in Italy, 28% in Spain, 19% in Portugal, 18% in Romania, and 15%
in Poland.

B) The Purpose of the project

The main purpose of this project is to define Emotional School Dropout (ESD), which is a very
common problem that has not been sufficiently recognized, defined, and measurement tools have not
been developed, to raise awareness and to develop prevention strategies. Realization of the project
was found to be important in terms of subject and method because it has not been studied in any
Erasmus Project before. Although low school affiliation-absenteeism-school dropout are considered
and examined as separate issues in the literature, these concepts are intertwined and successive
situations.

Emotional school dropout is a phenomenon that has not been conceptualized before in the literature.
Within the scope of this project, emotional school dropout; It is defined as the student's emotional
detachment from school despite physically attending school, and it is described as a stronger
phenomenon than low belonging. Emotional school dropout has also been positioned as one of the
precursors of absenteeism. Students who experience emotional school dropout physically attend
school due to some obligations (force of their families and laws), but they are absent when they get
suitable opportunities or through various tricks. In the long run, this situation may result in students
completely disconnecting from school and dropping out.

Due to the implementation of compulsory education in the education systems of almost all countries,
school dropout cannot be understood with its true dimensions and importance. Therefore, school
dropout shows its real situation when compulsory education is left out. However, emotional school
dropout is also a situation that is frequently experienced during the compulsory education process.
The fact that the subject is not defined and there is no measurement tool prevents this important
situation from being noticed. In this project, it has been claimed that emotional school dropout takes
place in the school leaving process as follows:

 First of all, low belonging to school begins.

 Second Emotional School Dropout is developing

 The third student begins to be absent at appropriate opportunities.

 Finally, in some cases, the student completely breaks ties with the school and drops out.
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 As stated above, the main purpose of this project is to define emotional school dropout; To work on an
international platform to raise awareness and disseminate the causes-symptoms-consequences and
prevention strategies. In addition, some of our other objectives can be explained as follows:
1. To minimize the emotional school dropout of students,
2. Ensuring peer support for emotional school dropout, training peer coaches and making this a school
culture,
3. Sharing good practices and innovative approaches to preventing emotional school dropout,
4. To improve teachers' skills in providing support to at-risk students and preventing emotional school
dropout through positive psychology methods,
5. The reasons why students experience emotional school dropout are; To help them develop self-
strength against lack of self-confidence, social-emotional problems, bullying, discrimination and
disadvantages,
6. To ensure that our students develop positive attitudes towards school and increase their belonging,
7. To make learning environments more interesting and fun,
8. To ensure that our students can work together with their European peers,
9. Reducing current student absenteeism
10. Improving the relationship between Student-School-Family

C) Project Implementation Process

The Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout project has been effectively carried out with the cooperation
and full participation of all partners. In this context, six mobilities were carried out in each partner school.
The first mobility was carried out to the coordinator country, Turkey, and to the Şehit Oğuzhan Yaşar İmam
Hatip Secondary School, located in the Batıkent district of Ankara's Yenimahalle district.

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C.1.Turkey Mobility: Planning-Defining Emotional School Dropout

This mobility held in Turkey included students-teachers getting to know each other, socializing through culture-art-
sports activities, carrying out awareness and definition studies on emotional school dropout, and sharing detailed plans
for the execution of the project.

First Day Activities: Meeting and Information

The guests were welcomed by the students and teachers of the host school. Ice breaking activities were held. Thus, all
project stakeholders had the opportunity to get to know each other closely. The departments of the host school were
visited and got to know them closely.

Second Day Activities: Project Recognition Study

A cultural festival was organized in which the host school and all partner schools attended to increase the recognition
of the project. At the cultural festival held in Batıkent Square area with the support of Atlantis Shopping Center and
Yenimahalle Municipality, partner countries presented examples of their own cultures, music, dances and sports
events. The host school presented examples from Turkish culture with the Seymenler show in the area prepared with
project posters, flags of countries and informative slogans about ESD. In addition, each country performed their own
folk dances with their local costumes. At the event, which attracted great interest from the local people, the guest
countries introduced their unique flavors to the local people and had them taste them.

Third Day Activities: Project Recognition Study

On the third day of Türkiye mobility, partners shared their ESD findings and asked, What is ESD? How does it reveal
itself? What are the reasons? What is the relationship between ESD and early school leaving? What should be the
most effective strategies for preventing ESD? He has carried out studies seeking answers to questions such as. The
students were divided into 6 groups, including one student from each country, and discussed the causes of ESD, and
carried out drama activities consisting of small games about empathy work and strategies for coping with ESD, using
pictures containing different emotional expressions.

Fourth Day Activities: We Miss You

Teachers; The surveys carried out in the eTwinning project evaluated the data obtained and discussed the situation in
their countries. A common ESD problem map was prepared, the most common causes of ESD in the countries'
systems were determined, prevention methods were evaluated, and a detailed planning was made to carry out the
project in the most effective way. Students discussed and evaluated the 'wemissyou' activity, which they implemented
before the mobility and included in the eTwinning project, and presented with visuals and video animations how a
day's absence at school causes losses.

Fifth Day Events: We Miss You

Students wrote their good wishes about the positive aspects of the host school during the "Gratitude Tree" event.
Ankara Intangible Works Museum was visited and Turkish Cultural elements, Hacivat and Karagöz Game, Traditional
Puppet Games, Marbling and Linden Activities and Traditional Toys were introduced. Trips were organized to
Anıtkabir, Anatolian Civilizations Museum and Golden Village.

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C.2.Italy Mobility: ESD Peer Coaches Training

In this activity held in Italy, ESD peer coaches training consisting of 6 modules and 12 hours was carried out as one of
the strategies to prevent Emotional School Dropout.

First Day Activities: Ice breaking-meeting-bonding activities and school environment familiarization tour

On the first day of Italy mobility, students got to know the school with their host friends and participated in classes
and activities with them, while teachers participated in "teacher training" regarding the educational practices they
would give to other teachers and parents in their schools. In this training, they had all the necessary documents and the
ESD scale.

Second Day Activities: ESD Peer Coaching 1st and 2nd Module Training

On the second day of the Italian Mobility, ESD peer coaches training started and the training of the first and second
modules was carried out. In addition, students had the opportunity to get to know each other better through the cinema
activity they held. The contents of these modules are briefly as follows:

Module 1 - ESD theoretical knowledge, discussions on the case study “ESD Threatens Everyone”

Module 2 - ESD Peer Coaching theoretical knowledge, sharing of peer coaching good practice examples from various
studies.

Third Day Activities: ESD Peer Coaching 3rd and 4th Module Training

3rd Module - Positive psychology and proactive approach theoretical knowledge, positive psychology activities
(Tolerance-Optimism-Forgiveness)

Module 4 - Coaching principles and importance, who is a student coach? Introduction of “Coach Student Observation
Form”.

Fourth Day Activities: ESD Peer Coaching 5th and 6th Module Training

Module 5 - “Case Study” study and coaching practice. With the case study, the approach of the coach student, the
application steps, the positive psychology activities to be used and the processing of the coaching form were carried
out experimentally. Students learned and discussed the application steps of coaching together.

Module 6 - Learning "Perseverance, Courage, Optimism, Humor" positive psychology activities by applying them. In
addition, with the "My Dream School" activity, guest students created a product that will contribute to the dream
school of all students of the host school and shot a short film.

Fifth Day Activities: Mobility Assessment, Friendship Strengthening

Students attended a workshop on documentary film. The short films were shared on social media and eTwinning
accounts. With the “Gratitude Tree” activity, students wrote good wishes for the positive aspects of the host school.
The host students taught one of the traditional Italian children's games to the guest students, they played it together,
and the Italian culture was closely acquainted with the Italian night event.

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C.3. Spain Mobility: ESD Peer Coaches Training
This activity, carried out in Spain, involved turning the "negative perception of school", which is one of the
important reasons why students experience ESD, into a positive one. In this context, sharing of feelings and
thoughts, drama, painting and "What Does My School Look Like?" activities were carried out.
First Day Activities: Ice breaking-meeting-bonding activities and school environment familiarization
tour
On the first day of mobility in Spain, students got to know the school with their host friends and attended
classes and activities with them. They participated in a tour introducing the school's immediate
surroundings.
Day Two Activities: What does my school look like? Explaining with Metaphors
As part of the second day activities, students talked about their schools using metaphors. In addition, the
metaphors students use for their schools; They shared the drama with their friends using toys, puppets,
models or any material they designed.
Day Three Activities: What Does My School Look Like? Picture Activity
On the third day of mobility in Spain, students held an activity in which they painted the school of their
dreams. With this activity, they shared with each other the differences between the school of their dreams
and the school they currently attend. In addition, they had the opportunity to get to know each other better,
get to know the immediate environment in more detail, and experience the pleasant moments of being a
student, with a "Trekking" activity they held in the school district. In addition, they had the experience of
performing a task as a team through the orienteering activity they carried out in teams.
Day Four Activities: My Dream School
On the fifth day of the Spanish mobility, all students created a product that will contribute to the dream
school of the host school students. The Turkish team presented a show with the puppets they had prepared,
focusing on respect for differences. A music festival was held in the school garden, to which nearby schools
were also invited.
Day Five Activities: Mobility Assessment, Friendship Strengthening
On the last day of the Spanish mobility, students wrote good wishes for the positive aspects of the host
school with the "Tree of Gratitude" event. The host students taught one of the traditional Spanish children's
games to the guest students and played together. With the Spanish Night event, students and teachers closely
experienced Spanish culture, food, songs and folklore. They had the opportunity to get to know each other..

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C.4. Romanian Mobility: Courtesy Days
This activity held in Romania included Kindness activities to prevent bullying, which is one
of the most important reasons why students experience ESD.
First Day Activities: Ice breaking-meeting-bonding activities and school environment
familiarization tour
On the first day of their mobility in Romania, students got to know the school with their host
friends and attended classes and activities with them. They participated in a tour introducing
the school's immediate surroundings.
Day Two Activities: Courtesy Hats
Some of the students who are considered to have experienced emotional school dropout state
that they experienced this situation because of the uncivil behavior they encountered at
school. Therefore, creating a culture of kindness in schools has an important place among
ESD prevention strategies. On the second day of the Romanian mobility, awareness-raising
activities were carried out to draw attention to politeness and create a culture of politeness in
schools. Students designed Courtesy Hats and took care to say polite sentences while
wearing these hats.
Third Day Activities: Kindness Slogans
On the third day of the mobility, six different multicultural groups were formed with the
participation of one student from each country. The groups determined kindness slogans and
shared their work with their friends with the visuals and powerpoint presentations they
prepared. In addition, with the support of sports teachers, students competed in friendship
and courtesy competitions in fairplay matches.
Fourth Day Activities: Kindness Slogans
They conducted workshops on the fourth day of the Romanian mobility. In these workshops,
they designed courtesy symbols, courtesy badges and jewelry. At the end of the day, the
Romanian host partners took all the teams on a countryside tour, where kindness and cultural
activities were held around the campfire.
Day Five Activities: Mobility Assessment, Friendship Strengthening
On the last day of the Romanian mobility, students wrote good wishes for the positive
aspects of the host school with the "Gratitude Tree" event. The host students taught one of
the Romanian traditional children's games to the guest students and played it together. In
addition, Romanian teachers taught Romanian folk dances to their colleagues from other
countries and organized a teacher and student dinner where they danced friendship and
kindness dances together. At this farewell dinner, where Romanian culture was introduced,
teachers and students had the opportunity to get to know Romanian culture, food, songs and
folklore.

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C.5. Portuguese Mobility: Respect for Differences
This mobility held in Portugal aimed to raise awareness about discrimination, which is one
of the important reasons why students experience ESD. For this reason, it included activities
to respect differences.
First Day Activities: Ice breaking-meeting-bonding activities and school environment
familiarization tour
On the first day of their mobility in Portugal, students got to know the school with their host
friends and attended classes and activities with them. They participated in a tour introducing
the school's immediate surroundings.
Second Day Activities: Evaluation of ESD Peer Coaching Studies
On the second day of the mobility in Portugal, the ESD peer coaching activities carried out
by the partners in their countries were evaluated. Students shared the difficulties and good
practices they encountered in practice with their peers and found common solutions together.
Third Day Activities: I'm in too (Count me in)
One of the events to respect differences held in Portuguese mobility was "Count me in". The
activity was carried out so that students can understand and empathize with individuals with
physical disabilities. In this activity, students were asked to paint each other's faces by tying
their eyes, hands or feet with fabric materials. In this way, it is aimed to raise awareness
about the difficulties that a physically disabled individual faces in his daily life.
Fourth Day Activities: Special Education Awareness Training
On the fourth day of the Portuguese mobility, a seminar was given by two special education
teachers and a psychologist in the project team about the difficulties faced by students with
Asperger syndrome, dyslexia, mental and emotional problems and hearing impaired students.
Teachers also shared their experiences and good practices with each other. This way, the
partners were able to transfer the good practices they learned from each other to their own
schools.
Day Five: Mobility Assessment, Friendship Strengthening
On the last day of the Portuguese mobility, students wrote good wishes for the positive
aspects of the host school with the "Tree of Gratitude" event. The host students taught one of
the traditional Portuguese children's games to the guest students and played together. With
the Portuguese night event, students and teachers closely experienced Portuguese culture,
food, songs and folklore. They had the opportunity to get to know each other.

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C.6.Polish Mobility: TOP 10 “Our School Song”
This activity, held in Poland, included events where a multilingual school song was
composed, all processes of the project were evaluated, and closing procedures were
discussed.
First Day Activities: Ice breaking-meeting-bonding activities and school environment
familiarization tour
The final activity of the project was carried out in Poland. On the first day of their mobility,
students got to know the school with their host friends and attended classes and activities
with them. They participated in a tour introducing the school's immediate surroundings.
Second Day Activities: Evaluation Meeting
On the second day of the mobility in Poland, all qualitative and quantitative data obtained in
the project were evaluated and the results achieved in the project were defined. In addition,
after the closure of the project, the studies to be carried out to make preventive ESD peer
coaching a part of the partner schools' practices were discussed and decided.
Third Day Activities: TOP 10 in My School and Our School Song
On the third day of the Poland mobility, participating students shared the My School's Top
10 list, which they prepared with the participation of all students in their schools before the
mobility, with their project partner friends. Students wrote a song featuring the
characteristics of schools in all countries. The lyrics of the song, composed by music
teachers, include words in the local languages of the countries as well as English words. The
song sung by all participating students is also recorded and shared on the project's social
media accounts and website. It was decided that the song would be played during breaks and
rest periods in schools. In this way, this activity can play a mediating role in helping students
realize the positive features of their schools.
Fourth Day Activities: Closing Banquet
The project closing ceremony was held on the fourth day of this latest activity in Poland.
Music and dance events, fairplay matches were organized in which students participated, and
a gratitude tree was planted in the school garden. This tree will sprout and grow together
with our students.
Fifth Day Activities: Mobility Assessment, Friendship Strengthening
On the last day of the Polish mobility, teachers made a mobility evaluation and new project
ideas were discussed and a commitment to cooperation was made. Students played one of the
traditional Polish children's games with the host and guest students, and with the Polish night
event, students and teachers had the opportunity to get to know Polish culture, food, songs,
and folklore. Teachers and students said goodbye with the hope of meeting in new projects.

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 CHAPTER I
EMOTIONAL SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION STUDIES

PEER COACHES

There are various definitions in the literature about peer coaching. For example, Browne (2006) sees peer
coaching as a type of change model. This change process focuses on changing the person, situation, event
and behavior and includes a number of tactics. It is thought that if an emotional, technical awareness-
oriented need is created in people, deficiencies and problem areas can be overcome (Browne, 2006).
Robbins (1991) defines peer coaching as sharing, instructive, problem-solving practices in which peers self-
evaluate by gaining new skills, based on mutual trust. It defines. Topping (1996) describes peer education or
peer coaching; It is defined as "individuals from the same social group who are not professional educators
help each other and themselves learn by teaching (lecturing) and/or providing skill training"

Studies on peer coaching help in teaching supervision (Avan & Şahin, 2020), improving students' written
expression skills (Dölek, 2016), solving immigrant students' problems related to the education process
(Altunay & Dede, 2019), and improving students' skills in coping with bullying (Günay & Can, 2018) shows
that it is an effective way. Due to these strong characteristics described in the literature, it was adopted in
this study to benefit from peer support and peer coaches in order to increase students' commitment to school
and prevent them from experiencing Emotional School Dropout.

In this project, peer coaching studies were carried out in the context of peer support, as peer coaching aims
to provide egalitarian, non-hierarchical, equal partnership, academic development and cooperation without
evaluation (Topping (1996), which basically means that peers support each other. Nazlı (2008, p. 94) It
refers to support as a student helping other students by using their helping skills. Kou, Turton, Lee-Hsieh,
Tseng and Hsu (2007), who have studies on Peer Support, classified peer support as physical help, academic
help and emotional help. Accordingly, ;

Physical Assistance is when classmates notice the problems they are experiencing and give help and
suggestions to each other. It is the ability to exhibit constructive behavior towards solving the problem
instead of excluding them from the group when there is a problem between them.
Academic Help is when classmates share their academic knowledge with each other. Those who want to
improve their performance share their academic knowledge with each other.
Emotional Help is when classmates listen, share, and support each other. It also indicates the importance of
friendship for the peer group. 49
In the project, peer coaching/peer support studies were adopted and carried out as "a conscious friendship
between two friends for a purpose". Using the experiences and literature gained in the project, issues related
to ESD (emotional school dropout) peer coaches were determined and implemented as follows.

A) What Does the Conscious Friendship of Two Friends for a Purpose Mean?

 ESD peer coaching is a voluntary practice.

 There is no evaluation in ESD peer coaching. For this reason, two friends with the same experience
cooperate to obtain new information and apply it. For this reason, it is recommended that the
coaching and coaching students be from the same age groups.

 The most important basic assumption in ESD peer coaching studies is that the student receiving
coaching is not seen as an individual in need of correction. The student receiving coaching only
receives support from his or her peers to improve in some areas.

 In ESD peer coaching studies, there is no power relationship between the students who provide peer
coaching support and the students who receive peer coaching support. In these studies, the power lies
only in the relationship between the students providing coaching and the students receiving coaching
support.

 ESD peer coaching activities aim to help the student receiving coaching support achieve the results
they desire. The focus and agenda of coaching activities is the student providing coaching support,
and the agenda is determined by the student providing coaching. Therefore, the responsibility of the
process lies with the student receiving coaching support.

B) Characteristics Expected to be Found in ESD Peer Coaches

The basic characteristics that ESD peer coaches should have in project studies are determined as
follows. Practitioners who plan to conduct similar studies can change or diversify these features
according to the characteristics of their own studies.
 Having a humanist worldview
 Respecting nature and other living things
 Being open to collaboration
 Volunteering to help
 Being known for his positive qualities by his teachers and friends
 Internalizing the principles and ethical principles regarding peer coaching

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C) Responsibilities of ESD Peer Coaches
 The basic characteristics of the responsibilities of ESD peer coaches in project studies are
determined as follows. Practitioners who plan to carry out similar studies can change or diversify
these responsibilities according to the characteristics of their own work.
 To fulfill the responsibilities assigned to them by professionals (teachers, project officials,
school counselors)
 Ensuring the confidentiality of the shares of the friends they support
 To be respectful towards their friends whom they offer support to.
 Being aware that they are in an equal position with the friends they support.
 To record the work they collaborate with their friends they support in the "Peer Coaching/Peer
collaboration work student registration chart"
 Actively participating in peer coaching activities and meetings

D) ESD Peer Coaches Ethical Principles

Some important ethical principles regarding ESD peer coaching were determined in the project
studies. These ethical principles presented below can be reshaped by practitioners who plan to
conduct similar studies in line with the characteristics of their own studies. However, it should not be
forgotten that principles such as confidentiality, lack of hierarchical superiority, volunteering, the
relationship being based on trust, and being development-oriented are at the heart of peer coaching
studies.

 Peer coaches and supported peers are on equal footing.

 There is no hierarchical relationship between peer coaches and supported peers.

 Peers who are supported by peer coaches pay attention to the confidentiality of the shares
between them.

 The relationship between peer coaches and the peers receiving support is completely voluntary
and cannot involve any coercion.

 The relationship between peer coaches and supported peers aims at academic development,
commitment to school and cooperation, without involving any evaluation.

 The relationship between peer coaches and supported peers is based on mutual trust

 Peer coaching studies aim to improve both the peer coaches and the students who provide
coaching support. Peer coaches and supported peers mutually gain new skills through the
relationship they establish.

 Peer coaches and supported peers know their limitations in this study.
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  Peer coaches and students receiving peer coaching support are aware that the relationship
between them is a friendly and professional process. In this context, the two students are aware of
not developing dependency between them.ESD

E) Implementation of Peer Coaching Studies

The implementation of ESD peer coaching studies is explained in this section as implemented in the
project. In this context, ESD peer coaching studies can be considered on two grounds. The first of these
is teacher training. The second is the ESD peer coach training and implementation phase.

ESD Peer Coaching Studies Teacher Trainings, Duties and Responsibilities of Teachers
ESD peer coaching activities are carried out under the guidance of teachers. Therefore, teachers are
expected to have knowledge and practical skills about emotional school dropout and peer coaching
studies. Teachers are critical in selecting peer coach students. They should act together with their
colleagues in determining peer coaches and take into account the characteristics that a peer coach should
have. In addition, they should pay attention to the functioning of peer coaching studies and carry out
preventive work to avoid undesirable situations. They should examine the registration forms prepared by
peer coaches, and in cases requiring expert help, school administrators should cooperate with consultant
teachers and inform the relevant parties about how students can receive expert support.

ESD Peer Coaching Studies

In ESD peer coaching studies, the ethical principles and other issues explained above should be taken
into consideration. In addition, other issues that should be taken into consideration in peer coaching
studies can be explained as follows:

 The relationship between peer coaches and students receiving peer coaching support should always
be open, honest and sincere.
 Peer coaches and students receiving peer coaching support first agree to identify the problem.
 When the work between peer coaches and students receiving peer coaching support does not
progress as planned, both students should try to talk about the issue in order for the coaching
relationship to continue safely.
 Peer coaches should have a neutral, objective and supportive attitude.
 Students receiving peer coaching support should be open to suggestions, development and change.
In this regard, the student who receives coaching support should be willing to change, develop, and
carry out studies aimed at internalizing skill and behavioral changes.
 Peer coach students should avoid making evaluations, making criticisms and expressing advisory
opinions unless the students receiving coaching support request it.

Recommendations on Implementation Steps in Emotional School Dropout Peer Coaching Studies

 First of all, if an emotional school dropout peer coach study is planned to be carried out in a school,
it is recommended that all school stakeholders adopt this study and make it a part of the school
culture. Issues related to the study should be disclosed to school stakeholders and presented to
classroom teachers, all teachers of the school, school counselors and parents.
 The next step is to identify peer coaches. Students who have the qualifications to be peer coaches are
determined by taking the opinions of classroom teachers, subject teachers and school counselors.
 Interviews are held with the selected students to determine their willingness to participate in such a
study. 52
 Those who volunteer to be ESD peer coaches are given training on the subject. Roles,
responsibilities and ethical principles are explained. Peer coaching trial sessions are held during the
training.
 After the training, a goodwill certificate is issued with the students trained as ESD peer coaches.
Written commitments are taken to abide by ethical principles.
 All students are informed that peer coaching support has been launched at the school and how they
can benefit from this application.
 In addition, students who find it useful to provide peer coaching support can be identified in line
with the observations of all school teachers, school counselors and classroom teachers. The coaching
system carried out at the school is explained to these students again and they are allowed to meet the
coach students if they volunteer.
 Both peer coach students and support students have the right to choose their partner. Because
harmony and positive communication between students will increase the power of the application.
 The problem area is identified with the cooperation of the consultant teachers working in the
coaching system, the school counselor, the coach students and the students to be supported. In other
words, the area needed by the student to be supported is determined. This area may be academic
support, social support, emotional support.
 The process is started after the ESD peer coach student and the student to be supported are matched
and the area to be supported is determined.
 The ESD peer coach tries to understand the feelings and thoughts that lead the student he supports to
a negative attitude towards the school. Listens to the student he supports. They spend time together
during breaks. However, the point that needs to be taken into consideration here and needs to be
reminded again is that "a dependent relationship should not develop between two students". Both
students realize that they are on equal footing, in a friendly yet professional process.
 The ESD peer coach student shares his experiences and good practices with the student he supports.
 The ESD peer coach records the process in the ESD Peer Coach/Peer Collaboration registration chart
and delivers it to the advisor teacher. Both the peer coach and the advisor teachers are responsible for
protecting the confidentiality of this record sheet and the confidentiality of the student's shares.

53
 STUDIES THAT CAN PROVIDE STUDENTS' POSITIVE PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THEIR
SCHOOL
Students' positive perceptions about their schools are also one of the main indicators of their
commitment to their schools. Conversely, if students' perceptions of their schools are negative, negative
consequences such as low commitment, alienation from school, absenteeism and ultimately school
dropout may occur. Activities such as art, sports and trips carried out with students can be effective in
students' perception of school as a fun learning environment. In addition, studies in some basic areas
can be carried out with students who are considered to be experiencing emotional school dropout.
The resource titled "Positive Psychology Practices at School", edited by Şerife Işık, and the activities in
this resource can be used in future studies. In addition, this book can provide support in peer coaches
training. These studies can be presented under several main themes as follows:
Main Theme: Healthy Problem Solving
Main theme: Tolerance
Main theme: Optimism
Main theme: Humor
Main theme: Kindness
Main theme: Hope
Main theme: Gratitude

In conclusion
This booklet has been prepared as one of the dissemination products of the Erasmus+ project named
“Spot and Stop Emotional School Dropout” numbered 2020-1-TR01-KA229-093405_1. The "Spot and
Stop Emotional School Dropout" project was carried out by Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania
and Turkey and was completed under the coordination of Turkey. The main goal of the project is to
define "emotional school dropout", a situation that occurs at the beginning of the process that leads
students to drop out of school, to raise awareness, to develop prevention strategies and to develop a
measurement tool that aims to measure the level of emotional school dropout of students.
The basis of students' emotional school dropout is that they have a negative perception of school and do
not feel happy at school. In this context, many activities were carried out in the project that could make
students' perceptions of their schools more positive. Additionally, studies have been carried out to train
Emotional School Dropout (ESD) Peer Coaches and make this a culture of partner schools. In the ESD
peer coaching system implemented in the project and introduced in this booklet, students who receive
coaching support have important gains such as realizing their abilities, improving their social relations,
self-confidence, academic success, time management and communication skills. For students who offer
peer coaching, there are benefits such as gaining a sense of responsibility, developing new perspectives,
and improving their social relations and communication skills. In addition, ESD peer coaching
application has other important gains such as providing tolerance, helpfulness and friendship values for
54
 all students of schools, ensuring that students are active in the educational process, and making the
school and lessons attractive. As an organization, schools will also be able to gain significant benefits
from this practice. For example, if ESD peer coaching becomes a school culture, it will transform the
school into a learning environment that is more loved and embraced by students.
At the end of this booklet, there are very important people and institutions to whom we owe our thanks.
First of all, we would like to thank the European Union for providing us with this opportunity. We
would like to thank the Turkish National Agency for the support it provided so that we could carry out
our project work in the most perfect way. We would like to thank our project specialist who quickly
answered all our questions and facilitated our processes during the project. We would like to express
our great gratitude to our students who showed great responsibility in the project activities. We would
also like to present it to all participating teachers and parents who voluntarily participate in the
activities we organize during the project work, devote time from their private lives to these trainings,
and care about their professional development.

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APPENDIX-Peer Coaching/Peer Collaboration Study Student Registration Chart

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