The effects of a multiyear universal social–emotional learning program: The role of student and school characteristics.

Objective: This article examines the impact of a universal social–emotional learning program, the Fast Track PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) curriculum and teacher consultation, embedded within the Fast Track selective prevention model. Method: The longitudinal analysis involved 2,937 children of multiple ethnicities who remained in the same intervention or control schools for Grades 1, 2, and 3. The study involved a clustered randomized controlled trial involving sets of schools randomized within 3 U.S. locations. Measures assessed teacher and peer reports of aggression, hyperactive–disruptive behaviors, and social competence. Beginning in first grade and through 3 successive years, teachers received training and support and implemented the PATHS curriculum in their classrooms. Results: The study examined the main effects of intervention as well as how outcomes were affected by characteristics of the child (baseline level of problem behavior, gender) and by the school environment (student poverty). Modest positive effects of sustained program exposure included reduced aggression and increased prosocial behavior (according to both teacher and peer report) and improved academic engagement (according to teacher report). Peer report effects were moderated by gender, with significant effects only for boys. Most intervention effects were moderated by school environment, with effects stronger in less disadvantaged schools, and effects on aggression were larger in students who showed higher baseline levels of aggression. Conclusions: A major implication of the findings is that well-implemented multiyear social–emotional learning programs can have significant and meaningful preventive effects on the population-level rates of aggression, social competence, and academic engagement in the elementary school years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student assessment of teacher masculinity and femininity: A test of the sex role congruency hypothesis on student attitudes toward learning.

This study expanded the traditional research on teacher sex differences and student outcomes. We examined the impact of teacher and student sex differences and student assessment of teacher sex role orientation on student attitudes toward learning and found no interaction effects to support the sex role congruency hypothesis. Rather we found only a main effect for sex role orientation with androgynous teachers (those who show warmth and concern plus are assertive and dominant), who produced the most positive student attitudes toward affective, cognitive, and behavioral intent learning. Students, whether male or female, were more affected by overall teacher qualities than by whether the teacher was male or female. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supporting children's mental health in schools: Teacher perceptions of needs, roles, and barriers.

There is a significant research to practice gap in the area of mental health practices and interventions in schools. Understanding the teacher perspective can provide important information about contextual influences that can be used to bridge the research to practice gap in school-based mental health practices. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of current mental health needs in their schools; their knowledge, skills, training experiences and training needs; their roles for supporting children's mental health; and barriers to supporting mental health needs in their school settings. Participants included 292 teachers from 5 school districts. Teachers reported viewing school psychologists as having a primary role in most aspects of mental health service delivery in the school including conducting screening and behavioral assessments, monitoring student progress, and referring children to school-based or community services. Teachers perceived themselves as having primary responsibility for implementing classroom-based behavioral interventions but believed school psychologists had a greater role in teaching social emotional lessons. Teachers also reported a global lack of experience and training for supporting children's mental health needs. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multilevel exploration of the influence of teacher efficacy and burnout on response to student problem behavior and school-based service use.

There is an increasing concern about teacher factors, such as burnout or low efficacy, which have been hypothesized to influence student outcomes like achievement or discipline problems. The current study examined how burnout and efficacy relate to student disciplinary actions (e.g., referrals to the principal and suspensions) and referrals for school-based support services (e.g., student support and special education), while adjusting for school-, teacher-, and student-level variables. Data were collected during the fall and spring of a single school year from 491 teachers regarding 9,795 students at 31 elementary schools. Contrary to expectations, having low teacher efficacy in the fall was associated with a reduction in student referrals to the student support team. Also unexpectedly, teachers with high burnout in the fall were less likely to have students who received an out-of-school suspension by the spring. These findings enhance our understanding of the teacher factors that influence student outcomes and may inform the development of screenings and teacher-targeted interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using organizational change procedures to promote the acceptability of prereferral intervention services: The school-based intervention team project.

Prereferral intervention programs represent a consultation-based approach for providing behavioral and/or instructional support to students before considering their eligibility for special class placement. Although research concerning the initial success of these programs has been promising, more information is needed relating program process variables to student outcomes in addition to effective procedures for promoting the adoption of these programs over time. This article describes organizational change procedures that were used to promote the acceptability of a prereferral intervention program at 4 pilot schools. Ss were school-based intervention team members (teachers, teaching assistants, school psychologists, and staff development facilitators) at each school. This article presents evaluation data concerning the program's acceptability to team members and participating teachers, integrity of the consultative process, and effect on numbers of children referred to special education. The implications of these results for school psychologists attempting to promote the acceptability and long-term adoption of prereferral intervention programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A school-randomized clinical trial of an integrated social–emotional learning and literacy intervention: Impacts after 1 school year.

Objective: To report experimental impacts of a universal, integrated school-based intervention in social–emotional learning and literacy development on change over 1 school year in 3rd-grade children's social–emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes. Method: This study employed a school-randomized, experimental design and included 942 3rd-grade children (49% boys; 45.6% Hispanic/Latino, 41.1% Black/African American, 4.7% non-Hispanic White, and 8.6% other racial/ethnic groups, including Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American) in 18 New York City public elementary schools. Data on children's social–cognitive processes (e.g., hostile attribution biases), behavioral symptomatology (e.g., conduct problems), and literacy skills and academic achievement (e.g., reading achievement) were collected in the fall and spring of 1 school year. Results: There were main effects of the 4Rs Program after 1 year on only 2 of the 13 outcomes examined. These include children's self-reports of hostile attributional biases (Cohen's d = 0.20) and depression (d = 0.24). As expected based on program and developmental theory, there were impacts of the intervention for those children identified by teachers at baseline with the highest levels of aggression (d = 0.32–0.59) on 4 other outcomes: children's self-reports of aggressive fantasies, teacher reports of academic skills, reading achievement scaled scores, and children's attendance. Conclusions: This report of effects of the 4Rs intervention on individual children across domains of functioning after 1 school year represents an important first step in establishing a better understanding of what is achievable by a schoolwide intervention such as the 4Rs in its earliest stages of unfolding. The first-year impacts, combined with our knowledge of sustained and expanded effects after a second year, provide evidence that this intervention may be initiating positive developmental cascades both in the general population of students and among those at highest behavioral risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

One-year outcomes of Project Towards No Drug Abuse

OBJECTIVES: This paper presents the 1-year outcomes evaluation of Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND), a large-scale indicated drug abuse prevention program in southern California applied to continuation high school youth, who are at high risk for drug abuse. METHODS: The efficacy of nine-lesson health motivation--social skills--decision-making curriculum was evaluated in a three-condition experimental design. Twenty-one schools were randomly assigned by block to one of three conditions--standard care (control), classroom program, and classroom program plus a semester-long school-as-community component. A pretest was followed by a 3-week-long drug abuse prevention program and then a posttest at 14 continuation high schools. The 7 standard care schools received only the pretest followed by the posttest (same time duration). Subjects were followed up 1 year later. RESULTS: Changes in use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs were assessed in a pretest-1-year follow-up time interval. The follow-up rate was 67% (analysis n = 1,074). Indicated preventive effects were found on alcohol and hard drug use. No differences were found across the two program conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Project TND is the first program to demonstrate 1-year self-reported behavioral effects on alcohol use and hard drug use among older, high-risk youth by using a school-based, limited-session model.     

Bridging student health risks and academic achievement through comprehensive school health programs

In the National Action Plan for Comprehensive School Health Education, representatives for over 40 health, education, and social service organizations viewed education and health as independent systems. Participation concluded that healthy children learn better, and they cautioned that no curriculum can compensate for deficiencies in student health status. While literature confirms the complexity of health issues confronting today's students, schools face enormous pressure to improve academic skills. Local school leaders and stakeholders often remain unconvinced that improving student health represents a means to achieving improved academic outcomes. A rich body of literature confirms a direct link between student health risk behavior and education outcomes, education behavior, and student attitudes about education. This article summarizes relevant information concerning the health risk behavioral categories of intentional injuries; tobacco; alcohol, and other drugs; dietary, physical activity, and sexual risk behaviors.     

The Zuni life skills development curriculum: Description and evaluation of a suicide prevention program.

In collaboration with the Zuni pueblo, a culturally tailored intervention program was designed using a model of social cognitive development to remediate the behavioral and cognitive correlates of suicide. The Zuni Life Skills Development curriculum was introduced in the tribal high school and evaluated using a multimethod approach including self-report, behavioral observation, and peer rating. Students exposed to the curriculum scored better than the no-intervention group at posttest on suicide probability and hopelessness. In addition, the intervention group showed greater ability to perform problem-solving and suicide intervention skills in a behavioral assessment. The effectiveness of the program and recommendations for similar prevention programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characteristics of health education among secondary schools--School Health Education Profiles, 1996

PROBLEM/CONDITION: School health education (e.g., classroom training) is an essential component of school health programs; such education promotes the health of youth and improves overall public health. REPORTING PERIOD: February-May 1996. DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM: The School Health Education Profiles monitor characteristics of health education in middle or junior high schools and senior high schools. The Profiles are school-based surveys conducted by state and local education agencies. This report summarizes results from 35 state surveys and 13 local surveys conducted among representative samples of school principals and lead health education teachers. The lead health education teacher is the person who coordinates health education policies and programs within a middle or junior high school and senior high school. RESULTS: During the study period, almost all schools in states and cities required health education in grades 6-12; of these, a median of 87.6% of states and 75.8% of cities taught a separate health education course. The median percentage of schools that tried to increase student knowledge on certain topics (i.e., prevention of tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, violence, or suicide; dietary behaviors and nutrition; and physical activity and fitness) was > 72% for each of these topics. The median percentage of schools that tried to improve certain student skills (i.e., communication, decision making, goal setting, resisting social pressures, nonviolent conflict resolution, stress management, and analysis of media messages) was > 69% for each of these skills. The median percentage of schools that had a health education teacher coordinate health education was 33.0% across states and 26.8% across cities. Almost all schools taught HIV education as part of a required health education course (state median: 94.3%; local median: 98.1%), and more than half (state median: 69.5%; local median: 82.5%) had a written policy on HIV infection among students and school staff. A median of 41.0% of schools across states and a median of 25.8% of schools across cities had a lead health education teacher with professional preparation in health and physical education, and < 25% of schools across states or cities had a lead health education teacher with professional preparation in health education only. Across states, the median percentage of schools, whose lead health education teacher had received in-service training on certain health education topics, ranged from 15.6% for suicide prevention to 51.4% for HIV prevention; across cities, the median percentage ranged from 26.2% for suicide prevention to 76.1% for HIV prevention. A median of 19.7% of schools across states and 18.1% of schools across cities had a school health advisory council. Of the schools that received parental feedback (state median: 59.1%; local median: 54.2%), > 78% reported receiving positive feedback. INTERPRETATION: More than 75% of schools have a required course in health education to help provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to adopt healthy lifestyles. ACTIONS TAKEN: The School Health Education Profiles data are being used by state and local education officials to improve school health education and HIV education.     

Coping and parenting: Mediators of 12-month outcomes of a family group cognitive–behavioral preventive intervention with families of depressed parents.

Objective: In a randomized clinical trial with 111 families of parents with a history of major depressive disorder (86% mothers, 14% fathers; 86% Caucasian, 5% African-American, 3% Hispanic, 1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 4% mixed ethnicity), changes in adolescents' (mean age = 11 years; 42% female, 58% male) coping and parents' parenting skills were examined as mediators of the effects of a family group cognitive–behavioral preventive intervention on adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Method: Changes in hypothesized mediators were assessed at 6 months, and changes in adolescents' symptoms were measured at a 12-month follow-up. Results: Significant differences favoring the family intervention compared with a written information comparison condition were found for changes in composite measures of parent–adolescent reports of adolescents' use of secondary control coping skills and direct observations of parents' positive parenting skills. Changes in adolescents' secondary control coping and positive parenting mediated the effects of the intervention on depressive, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms, accounting for approximately half of the effect of the intervention on the outcomes. Further, reciprocal relations between children's internalizing symptoms and parenting were found from baseline to 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: The present study provides the first evidence for specific mediators of a family group cognitive–behavioral preventive intervention for families of parents with a history of major depressive disorder. The identification of both coping and parenting as mediators of children's mental health outcomes suggests that these variables are important active ingredients in the prevention of mental health problems in children of depressed parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial impact of the fast track prevention trial for conduct problems: II. Classroom effects.

This study examined the effectiveness of the universal component of the Fast Track prevention model: the PATHS (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies) curriculum and teacher consultation. This randomized clinical trial involved 198 intervention and 180 comparison classrooms from neighborhoods with greater than average crime in 4 U.S. locations. In the intervention schools, Grade 1 teachers delivered a 57-lesson social competence intervention focused on self-control, emotional awareness, peer relations, and problem solving. Findings indicated significant effects on peer ratings of aggression and hyperactive-disruptive behavior and observer ratings of classroom atmosphere. Quality of implementation predicted variation in assessments of classroom functioning. The results are discussed in terms of both the efficacy of universal, school-based prevention models and the need to examine comprehensive, multiyear programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The ecological effects of universal and selective violence prevention programs for middle school students: A randomized trial.

This study reports the findings of a multisite randomized trial evaluating the separate and combined effects of 2 school-based approaches to reduce violence among early adolescents. A total of 37 schools at 4 sites were randomized to 4 conditions: (1) a universal intervention that involved implementing a student curriculum and teacher training with 6th-grade students and teachers, (2) a selective intervention in which a family intervention was implemented with a subset of 6th-grade students exhibiting high levels of aggression and social influence, (3) a combined intervention condition, and (4) a no-intervention control condition. Analyses of multiple waves of data from 2 cohorts of students at each school (N = 5,581) within the grade targeted by the interventions revealed a complex pattern. There was some evidence to suggest that the universal intervention was associated with increases in aggression and reductions in victimization; however, these effects were moderated by preintervention risk. In contrast, the selective intervention was associated with decreases in aggression but no changes in victimization. These findings have important implications for efforts to develop effective violence prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher–student interactions in desegregated schools.

As part of the desegregation plan in the city of Detroit (Michigan), 306 elementary, middle, and high school teachers in recently desegregated schools were involved in an in-service program. As part of this program, teacher–student interaction data were collected in each teacher's classroom using the Brophy-Good Dyadic Interaction Observation System. These data were standardized for each classroom to produce an index of the extent to which the allocation of instructional opportunities was proportionate to the distribution of students in the class. Results indicate that Black students and males received a greater proportion of the classroom interactions than did White students or females, and that both male and female teachers acted in very similar ways with male and female students. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AIDS education in Tanzania: promoting risk reduction among primary school children

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test the effects of an education program in Tanzania designed to reduce children's risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and to improve their tolerance of and care for people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS: A randomized controlled community trial including baseline and 12-month follow-up surveys was employed. Public primary schools in the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania were stratified according to location and randomly assigned to intervention (n = 6) or comparison (n = 12) conditions. Of the 1063 sixth-grade students (average age: 13.6 years) who participated at baseline, 814 participated in the follow-up survey. RESULTS: At follow-up, statistically significant effects favoring the intervention group were observed for exposure to AIDS information and communication, AIDS knowledge, attitudes toward people with AIDS, and subjective norms and behavioral intentions toward having sexual intercourse. A consistent positive but nonsignificant trend was seen for attitudes toward having sexual intercourse and for initiation of sexual intercourse during the previous year (7% vs 17%). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible and effective to train local teachers and health workers to provide HIV/AIDS education to Tanzanian primary school children.     

The cat vertebral column: stance configuration and range of motion

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether clinical-teaching skills could be improved by providing teachers with augmented student feedback. METHOD: A randomized, controlled trial in 1994 included 42 attending physicians and 39 residents from the Department of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine who taught 110 students on medicine ward rotations for one-month periods. Before teaching rotations, intervention group teachers received norm-referenced, graphic summaries of their teaching performances as rated by students. At mid-month, intervention group teachers received students' ratings augmented by individualized teaching-effectiveness guidelines based on the Stanford Faculty Development Program framework. Linear models were used to analyze the students' mean ratings of teaching behaviors at mid-month and end-of-month. Independent variables included performance ratings, intervention status, teacher status, teaching experience, and interactions with baseline ratings. RESULTS: Complex interactions with baseline performance were found for most teaching categories at mid-month and end-of-month. The intervention-group teachers who had high baseline performance scores had higher student ratings than did the control group teachers with similar baseline scores; the intervention group teachers who had low baseline performance scores were rated lower than were the control group teachers with comparable baseline scores. The residents who had medium or high baseline scores were rated higher than were the attending physicians with comparable baseline scores; the performance of the residents who had low baseline scores was similar to that of the attending physicians with comparable baseline scores. CONCLUSION: Baseline performance is important for targeting those teachers most likely to benefit from augmented student feedback. Potential deterioration in teaching performance warrants a reconsideration of distributing students' ratings to teachers with low baseline performance scores.     

Evaluation of a social-problem-solving training program for suburban and inner-city third-grade children.

Assessed the effects of a 52-lesson, class-taught, social-problem-solving (SPS) training program, with 3 questions in mind: (a) Does training improve interpersonal problem-solving abilities? (b) Does it enhance behavioral adjustment? (c) Are problem solving and adjustive gains related? 243 suburban and inner-city program 3rd graders and controls were evaluated on a variety of problem-solving and behavioral-adjustment measures. Program Ss improved more than controls on several cognitive skills, including problem identification, alternative-solution thinking, and consequential thinking as well as on behavioral problem-solving performance. The intervention positively affected the adjustment of suburban but not urban Ss. However, relationships between problem-solving skill improvements and adjustive gains were not found. Variables such as program curriculum and the age and sociodemographic attributes of its targets must be better understood in exploring the potential of SPS training to promote behavioral adjustment. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of interventions to improve patient compliance: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: This article summarizes the results of 153 studies published between 1977 and 1994 that evaluated the effectiveness of interventions to improve patient compliance with medical regimens. METHODS: The compliance interventions were classified by theoretical focus into educational, behavioral, and affective categories within which specific intervention strategies were further distinguished. The compliance indicators broadly represent five classes of compliance-related assessments: (1) health outcomes (eg, blood pressure and hospitalization), (2) direct indicators (eg, urine and blood tracers and weight change), (3) indirect indicators (eg, pill count and refill records), (4) subjective report (eg, patients' or others' reports), and (5) utilization (appointment making and keeping and use of preventive services). An effect size (ES) r, defined as Fisher's Z transformation of the Pearson correlation coefficient, representing the association between each intervention (intervention versus control) and compliance measure was calculated. Both an unweighted and weighted r were calculated because of large sample size variation, and a combined probability across studies was calculated. RESULTS: The interventions produced significant effects for all the compliance indicators (combined Z values more than 5 and less than 32), with the magnitude of effects ranging from small to large. The largest effects (unweighted) were evident for refill records and pill counts and in blood/urine and weight change studies. Although smaller in magnitude, compliance effects were evident for improved health outcomes and utilization. Chronic disease patients, including those with diabetes and hypertension, as well as cancer patients and those with mental health problems especially benefited from interventions. CONCLUSIONS: No single strategy or programmatic focus showed any clear advantage compared with another. Comprehensive interventions combining cognitive, behavioral, and affective components were more effective than single-focus interventions.     

Self-management of cystic fibrosis: short-term outcomes of the Cystic Fibrosis Family Education Program

This study tested the efficacy of the Cystic Fibrosis Family Education Program, a cystic fibrosis self-management program, on improving participants' knowledge, self-efficacy, self-management behavior, health, and quality of life. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent comparison group design was employed. Participants made up 104 patient-primary caregiver dyads from the intervention site cystic fibrosis center and 95 from the usual care comparison center. The intervention, a self-paced print curriculum based on social cognitive theory, targeted behavioral capability, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations and was implemented as an integral part of medical care. Parents, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescents received separate materials on respiratory, nutrition and malabsorption, communication, and coping issues. Significant intervention effects were found on the knowledge scores for caregivers, adolescents, and children; caregiver and adolescent total self-management scores; Child Behavior Checklist total score; one parent coping scale score; the modified NIH score; NIH pulmonary factor 1; and the Brasfield total score. Significant interaction effects were evident in the self-efficacy scores for caregivers and children.