Differential effects of cognitive behavior modification on seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents exhibiting internalizing or externalizing problems

This study examined the differential effects of a school-based cognitive behavior modification intervention on (a) the interpersonal/social skills and (b) the social competence and school adjustment of two groups of middle school students identified as seriously emotionally disturbed. One groups of students exhibited internalizing emotional problems and the other group exhibited externalizing emotional problems. The objective of the study was to investigate whether the effectiveness of a school-based cognitive behavior modification intervention was significantly related to the type of emotional disturbance a student exhibits (i.e. internalizing or externalizing emotional disturbance). The sample consisted of an experimental and a control group of middle school students identified as seriously emotionally disturbed. The intervention was implemented in 23 biweekly 42-minute sessions. The results indicated that teacher ratings of student social competence and school adjustment were sensitive to treatment effects, although students' social skills self-ratings were not significantly affected by the treatment. A differential treatment effect was established in that externalizing students were significantly more responsive than internalizing students.     

Enhancing School Engagement in At-Risk,Urban Minority Adolescents Through a School-Based,Adult Mentoring Intervention

ABSTRACT

The current study investigated whether a 5-month, adult mentoring intervention delivered by school personnel could enhance the school engagement of ninth grade urban minority adolescents. Compared to 20 at-risk students who did not receive an intervention, 20 at-risk students who were randomly assigned to mentoring exhibited significantly less decline during the first year of high school in perceived teacher support and decision making and were less likely to enter the discipline system. The effects were stronger and included sense of school belonging for participants who were “mentored as intended.” Moreover, mentee and mentor reports of relationship quality were associated with changes in mentored participants' school-related cognitions and behaviors. The findings indicate that adult mentoring may help to prevent normative declines in urban minority youths' school engagement.     

Do organizational conditions influence teacher implementation of effective classroom management practices: Findings from a randomized trial

Although there is a growing evidence base about effective classroom management practices, teacher implementation of these practices varies due to a number of factors. A school's organizational health is one aspect of the broader social environment that has been hypothesized to influence implementation of interventions. Yet, empirical evidence is limited on whether organizational contexts can influence teacher implementation of effective interventions and subsequently, classroom environments and student outcomes. In the present study, teachers in an urban school district were randomly assigned to receive training in the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program (IY TCM), a classroom management intervention. We examined how teacher perceptions of their school environment moderated intervention effects for previously established treatment outcomes – implementation of effective classroom methods, students' social behaviors, emotional regulation, and social competence. Results showed that treatment effects on teacher implementation and student outcomes were moderated by teachers' sense of affiliation to their school. Specifically, main effects on implementation of effective classroom management strategies were only observed among teachers whose perceptions of initial teacher affiliation was low or average; whereas main effects on student outcomes were only found for teachers with initial high levels of affiliation.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention in School Discipline: A Preliminary Study

This study assessed the utility of a pilot program in rational behavior therapy (RBT) in the disciplinary processes at a large, urban junior high school. Treatment and control students were contrasted on recidivism rate and teacher behavior assessments after they participated in a condensed RBT treatment program. For two behavior ratings and recidivism rate, students who participated in the intervention differed significantly from those in the control group. Such empirical support demonstrates the potential of cognitive-behavioral interventions in school disciplinary procedures and merits further implementation and research.     

Yoga in an Urban School for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Feasibility Study

Increasingly, school-aged children present with challenging emotional and behavioral problems and may be resistant to traditional special education approaches (Smith et al., Behav Disorders 36(3):185–194, 2011). These programs do not take into consideration the specific needs of students with emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). We examined the feasibility and potential for positive effects of yoga sessions within a school setting for children with EBD at an urban elementary school. Thirty-seven children with EBD in an urban school completed a yoga intervention in small groups (7–10 students) twice per week for 3 ½ months. Teachers, parents, and students completed a systematic pre- and post-intervention assessment, and yoga instructors completed attendance and behavior checklists. Average attendance for the yoga sessions was 90 %. Eighty percent of responders described being very satisfied with the intervention. Teachers reported improved attention in class (p = 0.01) and adaptive skills (p = 0.03) and reduced depressive symptoms (p = 0.03), behavioral symptoms (p = 0.01), and internalizing symptoms (p = 0.04). No significant changes were found in the parent data and no discernable trend was found in student reports. These data suggest that yoga administered in small groups in an urban school setting is a feasible school intervention for children with emotional and behavioral disorders and may be effective in reducing symptoms.     

The Efficacy of a Video-Based Teamwork-Building Series with Urban Elementary School Students: A Pilot Investigation

The Talking with TJ teamwork-building series is a video-based program designed to promote social/emotional competence in elementary school children. The program emphasizes group planning, diversity appreciation, and teamwork. Although it has been implemented in schools and by children's social organizations nationwide, empirical investigations have not evaluated its use in urban school districts. This article presents pilot data on the effectiveness of “TJ” with a sample of 208 third-grade students from an urban district designated “high risk” due to poverty, community violence, and below average reading abilities. TJ had significant positive effects on several aspects of students' social concept, but did not lead to significant behavior changes over the 5-week intervention period. These results suggest that the program is a promising means of increasing feelings of self-efficacy for students participating in cooperative problem solving tasks, but a longer-term intervention is likely necessary to produce significant behavioral effects.     

Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Intervention on Peer Relationships in Secondary Classrooms

We investigated the effects of My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S), a teacher professional development intervention, on students' peer relationships in middle and high school classrooms. MTP-S targets increasing teachers' positive interactions with students and sensitive instructional practices and has demonstrated improvements in students' academic achievement and motivation. The current study tested the prediction from systems theory that effects of MTP-S on students would extend beyond the academic domain-that is, the ecology of teachers' behaviors towards students should also influence the ecology of students' behaviors towards one another. Participants were 88 teachers (43 randomly assigned to MTP-S and 45 assigned to a control group that received the regular professional development offerings in their school) and 1423 students in their classrooms. Observations and student self-report of classroom peer interactions were collected at the start and at the end of the course. Results indicated that in MTP-S classrooms, students were observed to show improvement in positive peer interactions, although this pattern was not found in self-report data. However, moderation analyses suggested that for students with high disruptive behavior at the start of the course, teacher participation in MTP-S mitigated a typical decline towards poorer self-reported peer relationships. The relevance of findings for the social ecology of classrooms is discussed.     

Teacher preference, peer rejection, and student aggression: A prospective study of transactional influence and independent contributions to emotional adjustment and grades

This study assessed the importance of teacher preference of individual students, relative to peer rejection and student aggression, as an independent predictor of children's emotional adjustment and grades. First, a longitudinal, cross-lagged path analysis was conducted to determine the patterns of influence among teacher preference, peer rejection, and student aggression. Then, parallel growth analyses were examined to test whether lower initial and declining teacher preference, beyond the influence of initial level and change in peer rejection and student aggression, predicted change in loneliness, depression, social anxiety, and grades. Social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and academic adjustment were assessed in the fall and spring of two consecutive school years with 1193 third-grade students via peer-, teacher-, and self-report instruments as well as school records. In the cross-lagged path analysis, reciprocal influence over time between teacher preference and peer rejection was found, and student aggression predicted lower teacher preference and higher peer rejection. In the growth analyses, initial and declining teacher preference were independent predictors of increasing loneliness and declining grades. Discussion focuses on the relevance of the results within a transactional model of school adaptation.     

Effects of differential reinforcement on the behavior and self-esteem of children with emotional and behavioral disorders

Students in a residential special school for children with emotional and behavioral disorders participated in a study designed to reduce their levels of inappropriate behavior. The residential care staff rated the students' behavioral problems and their class teachers rated their overt self-esteem pre and post intervention. In addition, the students completed self-ratings of their self-esteem. The students were divided into two groups, experimental and control. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to assess behavioral changes in the experimental group. Both groups received tangible rewards to the same level but only the experimental group received them contingent upon behaving appropriately. Results showed that the experimental group students made substantial reductions in their levels of inappropriate behavior, which were maintained at a three-month followup. Also, ratings of their behavioral problems by residential child care staff suggested that this improvement in behavior had generalized beyond the classroom to the residential setting. However, no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-intervention ratings of their self-esteem or teacher ratings of their overt self-esteem.     

Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Urban Youth

Youth in underserved, urban communities are at risk for a range of negative outcomes related to stress, including social-emotional difficulties, behavior problems, and poor academic performance. Mindfulness-based approaches may improve adjustment among chronically stressed and disadvantaged youth by enhancing self-regulatory capacities. This paper reports findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a school-based mindfulness and yoga intervention. Four urban public schools were randomized to an intervention or wait-list control condition (n = 97 fourth and fifth graders, 60.8% female). It was hypothesized that the 12-week intervention would reduce involuntary stress responses and improve mental health outcomes and social adjustment. Stress responses, depressive symptoms, and peer relations were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Findings suggest the intervention was attractive to students, teachers, and school administrators and that it had a positive impact on problematic responses to stress including rumination, intrusive thoughts, and emotional arousal.     

Partnership-Based, Community-Assisted Early Intervention for Literacy: An Application of the Participatory Intervention Model

Many schools, particularly those in low-income, urban neighborhoods serving children from diverse backgrounds, have a high percentage of students with literacy deficits and limited resources for providing remedial services. Addressing these needs requires the use of empirically supported reading intervention strategies and expanding the availability of qualified persons to implement these approaches. Just as importantly, students need to be educated in a culturally meaningful context by one or more individuals who are committed to addressing their educational, emotional, and social needs. One method of expanding the instructional work force and engaging students in attachments with caring adults in a culturally relevant context is to establish a community-assisted tutoring program, that is a program implemented by residents from the community who work in the school. This article describes the process of establishing a partnership-based, community-assisted early intervention program for literacy, based upon a participatory intervention model, by presenting two case illustrations. Challenges for school consultants in establishing such a program in schools are described and directions for future research and practice are outlined.     

初中生情绪反应、表达及其与攻击行为

运用自编的《中学生情绪评定问卷》和修订的Spielberger《状态——特质愤怒表达问卷》对833名普通中学初中生进行了测试,并用同伴提名的方法把学生分为普通组、身体攻击组和关系攻击组,探讨了初中生情绪反应、表达的特点和攻击行为学生情绪反应、表达的特点。研究结果表明:(1)初中女生报告的恐惧感、悲伤感高于男生,女生报告的愤怒表达也显著高于男生;但在特质愤怒方面,男生报告的特质愤怒水平显著高于女生。在情绪表达与反应的大多数方面不存在显著的年级差异,只在负性情绪表达方面初二女生报告了比初一、初三女生更高的负性情绪表达。(2)被同伴提名为身体攻击学生在状态愤怒、特质愤怒、愤怒表达方面显著高于普通学生,被同伴提名为关系攻击的学生在特质愤怒、愤怒表达方面也显著高于普通学生。攻击行为学生的愤怒情绪系统存在一定的缺陷。     

Peer victimization and social‐emotional outcomes: The role of teacher and peer support

The relation between peer victimization, risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, and school‐based sources of social support for students in elementary and middle school were examined. Participants included 656 students in third to eighth grade from one school district. Results indicated that peer support mediated the relation between peer victimization and risk of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties, but teacher support did not mediate this relation. Conditional indirect effects analyses revealed that the indirect effect of peer support varied as a function of school level (i.e., intermediate and middle school). The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed, as well as directions for future research.

     

Evaluating cognitive–behavioral group counseling to improve elementary school students' self‐esteem,self‐control,and classroom behavior

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive–behavioral group counseling provided to behaviorally disruptive elementary school children. Fifty‐two referred children received protocol‐based cognitive–behavioral group counseling provided by the first author, a school social worker. Students were randomly assigned to receive either immediate (IT) group counseling or delayed treatment (DT). The two groups were roughly equivalent on most demographic and outcome measures at the first assessment. Following group counseling, the IT groups' self‐esteem, perceived self‐control, teacher, and teacher aide grades of classroom comportment significantly improved, while similar measures of the DT children did not appreciably change. The DT children then received the same group program the IT group was exposed to three months earlier, and when group counseling was completed (third assessment) the IT groups' gains had been maintained, and the DT group gained improvements similar to those obtained by the IT group. In conclusion, cognitive–behavioral group work can be an effective intervention with behaviorally disruptive elementary school students. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of remedial, failure, and successful secondary school students across self-perception and past and present school performance variables

Three groups of Grades 9-10 adolescents were compared across a combination of self-perception and school performance variables (past and present). The three groups studied were (1) students in remedial math and English classes (Remedials), (2) unsuccessful regular-stream students failing three or more subjects (Failures), and (3) successful regular-stream students failing no more than one course (Controls). The sample of 96 students was predominantly female, and subjects were enrolled in a general nonuniversity preparatory program at a commercial high school in an inner-city working-class district. Five sets of measures were used: Self-Perception Measures (Peer, Family, and Academic Self-Concept scales, as well as self-report measures of Study Habits and Educational Aspirations), Current, Past and Follow-up School Performance Measures (academic and nonacademic), and Attribution Measures (student and teacher attributions of reason for failure). Results indicated significant differences between the three groups on several variables. Compared with the Controls, both Remedials and Failures had lower Academic Self-Concepts and lower Reading Levels, but only the Remedials had significantly lower levels of Intellectual Functioning, in addition to lower Math Achievement Levels than the Controls. The Failure group was significantly lower than the other two groups on Family Self-Concept, Attendance, and Overall Grade Percentage (both at the initial and follow-up periods), and they had records showing a higher frequency of elementary school Behavior Problems. Thus it was suggested that school failure was related to emotional difficulties to a significantly greater degree for the Failure group as compared to the Remedial group, which was characterized by more straightforward academic and intellectual deficits. Finally, Failures and Remedials and their teachers tended to attribute the student's failure in particular courses fairly equally to either the student's difficulty in grasping the subject matter, or to insufficient effort, whereas those Controls who were failing a course tended to blame their failure on "Teacher Problems."     

提高小学四年级学生情绪胜任力的干预研究

基于将情绪、认知和行为发展相整合的理念,试图通过团体干预活动,提高小学生的情绪胜任力。结果表明,6个系列干预活动能够有效提高小学四年级学生的情绪词汇量、情绪识别能力和情绪调节能力。团体内同伴提名和教师访谈显示,干预活动有助于促进学生的积极心境、自我控制能力和亲社会社交能力的发展,有助于减少攻击、同伴拒绝等适应不良行为。     

Improving student bus-riding behavior through a whole-school intervention

We describe a multicomponent intervention to improve bus-riding behavior of students attending an urban public school. The intervention was developed with technical assistance consultation that emphasized collaboration among students, school personnel, and bus drivers. The primary intervention procedures were identifying appropriate behaviors during transportation ("bus rules"), training bus drivers to deliver positive reinforcement, and rewarding student performance through a weekly school-based lottery. Disruptive bus behaviors, as measured by discipline referrals and suspensions, decreased with intervention relative to baseline phases in an ABAB reversal design. These positive results were maintained over the long term, with school personnel assuming responsibility for intervention in the absence of ongoing consultation.     

School Sense of Community,Teacher Support,and Students’ School Safety Perceptions

This study examined the association between two characteristics of school climate (sense of community and teacher support, measured both at the individual and at the school level) and students’ feelings of being unsafe at school. The study involved a sample of 49,638 students aged 10–18 years who participated in the 2010–2012 California Healthy Kids Survey. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), our findings revealed that, at the individual level, students perceiving higher levels of sense of community and teacher support at school were less likely to feel unsafe within the school environment. At the school level, sense of community was negatively associated with unsafe feelings, whereas there was no association between school‐level teacher support and feelings of being unsafe at school.