Examining the Role of Student Responsiveness in Treatment Effects of a Tier 2 Program Targeting Reductions in Problem Behavior.

Student responsiveness's role in promoting intervention outcomes for students who exhibit problem behavior is understudied. Due to the relational nature of many interventions delivered by teachers that target social, emotional, or behavioral outcomes of students in classrooms, it is essential to assess how responsive students are to teachers' attempts to engage them in the intervention, particularly for students with problem behaviors that may impede teachers' attempts to engage these students in intervention effectively. In the current study, we combine samples from four randomized controlled trials to examine the relationship between student outcomes and teacher attempts to deliver BEST in CLASS, a Tier 2 intervention, via student responsiveness. Delivery of BEST in CLASS and student responsiveness were assessed through direct observations and teachers' reported measures. Results suggest that teacher adherence and competence in delivering BEST in CLASS practices was associated with reductions in problem behavior from pretest to post-test via student responsiveness. Limitations of the current study and implications for future research are discussed.

Study Protocol: Multi-level Determinants of Implementation and Sustainment in the Education Sector.

Evidence-based programs (EBPs) delivered in elementary schools show great promise in reducing risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs). However, efforts to sustain EBPs in school face barriers. Improving EBP sustainment thus represents a priority, but little research exists to inform the development of sustainment strategies. To address this gap, the Sustaining Evidenced-Based Innovations through Multi-level Implementation Constructs (SEISMIC) project will: (a) Determine if malleable individual, intervention, and organizational factors predict EBP treatment fidelity and modifications during implementation, sustainment, or both; (b) Assess the impact of EBP fidelity and modifications on child outcomes during implementation and sustainment; and (c) Explore the mechanisms through which individual, intervention, and organizational factors influence sustainment outcomes. This protocol paper describes SEISMIC, which builds upon a federally-funded RCT evaluating BEST in CLASS, a teacher-delivered program for K-3rd grade children at risk for EBDs. The sample will include 96 teachers, 384 children, and 12 elementary schools. A multi-level, interrupted time series design will be used to examine the relationship between baseline factors, treatment fidelity, modifications, and child outcomes, followed by a mixed-method approach to elucidate the mechanisms that influence sustainment outcomes. Findings will be used to create a strategy to improve EBP sustainment in schools.

Using social network analysis in applied psychological research: A tutorial.

Social network analysis (SNA) is a highly flexible research method that allows for novel exploration of a wide variety of research phenomena. Evidence from fields as disparate as public health, education, informatics, sociology, and medicine has demonstrated the importance of recognizing the complexity inherent in individuals' connections with others. In this article, we provide a brief conceptual overview of social network theory and methodology, and then demonstrate how to apply SNA to an applied psychological research context studying students embedded in classrooms. We also provide numerous supporting materials on our OSF page, including R code for all analyses, a dataset containing social network data, and a glossary of key terms in social network analysis. We conclude with a set of recommendations for researchers interested in applying SNA to their own contexts and content areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Sustaining BEST in CLASS: Teacher-Reported Evidence-Based Practice Use with Students at Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.

There is growing evidence of the efficacy of evidence-based interventions in improving the academic and social outcomes of children who exhibit challenging behaviors during program implementation periods. However, less is known about the extent to which practices learned as part of these interventions are sustained after these projects end, when funding is paused temporarily, and in less-than-ideal conditions. This study used qualitative methods to investigate whether teachers previously trained in the BEST in CLASS-Elementary intervention continued to use the program's evidence-based practices with students 1-2 years after completing the program and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examined teachers' perceptions of the impact of practice use on students' academic and social outcomes. Thirteen BEST in CLASS-Elementary teachers from elementary schools in two southeastern states in the USA where the program was implemented completed semi-structured interviews on the topic. Data were coded thematically, and the results indicated that over 50% of teachers reported using "rules," "supportive relationships," and "praise" frequently with their students. However, "precorrection" and "opportunities to respond" were reportedly used less often. Teachers also perceived that their use of these evidence-based practices was linked to increases in their students' academic engagement and academic performance and knowledge, improvements in students' behaviors, their relationships with teachers, and general comfort and self-confidence. The discussion highlights modality-specific patterns noted in the results that might influence sustainment and the implication of these findings for interventions and programs aimed at promoting positive behavioral outcomes for early elementary school students.

Language skills and friendships in kindergarten classrooms: A social network analysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent that language skills contribute to kindergarten children's classroom-based friendship networks. We assessed language skills and collected friendship data via individual interviews of 419 children from 21 kindergarten classrooms. Using social network analysis, we found that language skills were significantly associated with friendship centrality and reciprocity after controlling for classroom and child-level factors. Children classified as at risk for specific language impairment (SLI) were significantly less central to friendship networks, and the odds of a reciprocal friendship tie were more than 50% lower compared to children who were not classified as at risk. Of children at risk, girls were significantly more central than boys. We couch our results within limitations of our study and provide recommendations for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and Initial Psychometrics of a Generic Treatment Integrity Measure Designed to Assess Practice Elements Targeting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Outcomes in Early Childhood Settings.

Though treatment integrity measurement is important for research intended to promote social and behavioral outcomes of children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) in early childhood settings, measurement gaps exist in the field. This paper reports on the development and preliminary psychometric assessment of the treatment integrity measure for early childhood settings (TIMECS), an observational measure designed to address existing measurement gaps related to treatment integrity with tier 2 interventions in the early childhood field. To assess the preliminary score reliability (interrater) and validity (construct, discriminant) of the TIMECS, live observations (N = 650) in early childhood classrooms from 54 teachers (92.6% female, 7.4% male; 61.1% White) and 91 children (M age = 4.53 years, SD = .44; 45.1% female, 54.9% male; 45.1% Black) at risk for EBDs were scored by 12 coders using the TIMECS and an observational measure designed to assess teacher-child interactions. Teachers also self-reported on the quality of the teacher-child relationship. Interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients, ICC [2,2]) for the quantity (i.e., adherence) item scores had a mean of .81 (SD = .07; range from .68 to .95), and the quality (i.e., competence) item scores had a mean of .69 (SD = .08; range from .52 to .80). Scores on the TIMECS Quantity and Quality items and scales showed evidence of construct validity, with the magnitude of the correlations suggesting that the quantity and quality items assess distinct components of treatment integrity. A TIMECS quantity scale also showed promise for intervention evaluation research by discriminating between teachers who had and had not been trained in a specific evidence-based intervention targeting social and behavioral skills in early childhood. The findings support the potential of the TIMECS to assess treatment integrity of teacher-delivered practices designed to address child social and behavioral outcomes of children at risk for EBDs in early childhood settings.

First grade classroom-level adversity: Associations with teaching practices, academic skills, and executive functioning.

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and a model-building approach, the authors examined direct and indirect associations between first-grade (G1) classroom-level adversity (CLA), G1 teaching practices, and student (N = 1,073; M = 6.64 years; 49% girls; 82% White) academic skills and executive functioning in G1 and third grades (G3). Teachers reported the prevalence of adversity among their students (e.g., poor home/family life, poor academic/social readiness). Observers rated G1 teaching practices: teachers' classroom management, controlling instruction, and amount of academic instruction (classroom observation system). Children completed literacy and math assessments at 54 months, G1, and G3 (Woodcock Johnson Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems), and executive functioning at G1 and G3 (Tower of Hanoi). Direct associations emerged between CLA and controlling instruction (positive), classroom management, and academic instruction (both negative). In addition, CLA was related to G1 literacy (but not math) directly and indirectly via classroom management (negatively) and controlling instruction (positively). The addition of G3 outcomes revealed a negative direct longitudinal association between CLA and G3 executive functioning, and indirect associations with G3 literacy and math through G1 teaching practices and literacy. Results support the notion that collective student characteristics influence student outcomes in part through teaching practices and suggest that teachers and students may benefit from the diffusion of high-adversity classroom compositions when possible. Moreover, in high-adversity classrooms teachers and students may benefit from supports targeting classroom management and foundational student competencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Peer influence on gender identity development in adolescence.

During adolescence, gender identity (GI) develops through a dialectic process of personal reflection and with input from the social environment. Peers play an important role in the socialization of gendered behavior, but no studies to-date have assessed peer influences on GI. Thus, the goal of the present study was to examine peer influences on four aspects of adolescents' GI in racially and ethnically diverse 7th- and 8th-grade students (N = 670; 49.5% boys, M age = 12.64) using a longitudinal social network modeling approach. We hypothesized stronger peer influence effects on between-gender dimensions of GI (intergroup bias and felt pressure for gender conformity) than on within-gender dimensions of GI (typicality and contentedness). Consistent with expectations, we found significant peer influence on between-gender components of GI-intergroup bias among 7th and 8th graders as well as felt pressure for gender conformity among 8th graders. In contrast, within-gender components of GI showed no evidence of peer influence. Importantly, these peer socialization effects were evident even when controlling for tendencies to select friends who were similar on gender, gender typicality, and contentedness (8th graders only). Employing longitudinal social network analyses provides insights into and clarity about the roles of peers in gender development. (PsycINFO Database Record