Table 6 Main results from the qualitative analysis regarding the PROERD instructors participating in the study (N = 19)

Adaptation

Adaptation according to the student literacy

Changes made by the instructors because students would not understand the purpose of the activity or lacked proper writing-reading skills.

“The instructor has to be aware of such difficulties and adapt the activity so that group can understand. For example, they [the students] have to write an essay, but one student does not know how to write. That student is at a disadvantaged, right? How will they compete—I have a medal [to give them]—if they do not know how to write? How will they receive the medal? So, we have to evaluate them differently, as they also have the right to receive [the medal], to show what they learned. You can ask them “what have you learned?”, record the answer, and they will narrate, explain, and speak, and you will evaluate them along with the others [answers]. Hence, there has to be a different form of assessment, and you have to be ready for it.” (P10)

Addition of content and/or activities

Addition of content and/or activities that go beyond the suggested topic in the material.

“We start the subject. When I get to the topic of cigarettes, I also discuss marijuana, along with cocaine and other drugs, because none have been mentioned [in the curricula]!” (P18)

Changes in the curricula

Changes made to the PROERD curricula according to the instructors’ opinions of what works or not, excluding all other reasons.

“There are situations in the PROERD classes, during the activity, that I make changes! Changes that I think need to be done! Because if I do make changes, I believe it will not work.” (P4)

Exclusion of content and/or activities

Exclusion of content and/or activities because the instructor lacks the required resources.

“I take this opportunity to mention that the issue with video demonstration is that many schools lack the material conditions to show videos, you see? Some schools lack projectors. Some schools have an unusable television in the classroom and lack a sound system, so this is a considerable difficulty.” (P10)

Accumulation of functions

Rarely assigned other activities

Instructors supported by superiors and are rarely assigned other police activities, thus not impacting program application.

“Our police battalion supports us. Fortunately, they assign us to other operations rather sporadically, you know? Thus, it does not influence our work considerably. We can develop the PROERD program smoothly, as individuals working with PROERD are rarely assigned other activities! For us here, it is super smooth. However, we know other places where police instructors work around the school, have to apply PROERD, and perform police operations… it doesn’t work very well. Here, for us, it is super peaceful.” (P7)

Assigned other activities because they take part in PROERD

Instructors who believe they are assigned more police duties because they take part in PROERD.

“Police routine harms PROERD because the staff, the administration, and our hierarchical superiors often assume that PROERD officers, because we work during administrative hours teaching at schools, do nothing. Hence, they think our work [with PROERD] is very easy. They end up committing us to extra shifts—“oh, you don’t do anything anyway, so, have an extra shift”—assigning us on weekends, at different times, because they think we don’t do anything during our normal working hours, you know? And this ends up hampering [the work with PROERD].” (P8)

Assigned other activities during class hours

Instructors assigned police duties during class hours.

“Even during class hours, they [the superiors] do not care. That’s the problem. They usually put us on the school round, and the school round is at the same time as our [classes], only we… they follow their schedule, we don’t.” (P1)

School infrastructure

School reality

Instructors face difficulties to implement the program at public schools that lack material and media resources.

“But the difficulty we face concerns media resources; if you need some paper, that is a resource… Yeah, supply material. There are no conditions, the school has no material conditions.” (P2)

“What stands out is the school structure, the lack of resources and space to show [the multimedia part of the program], apply it, especially for seventh graders, because it [the seventh grade curricula] needs video, a specific room, and so many public schools lack that. It is a matter of the material and the infrastructure of the State itself.” (P2)