Specifying Mediators of Classroom Social-Behavioral Interventions

 

Submission type

Symposium

Scheduled

Room 114, 12-07-2019, 14:00 - 15:30

Keywords

classroom management, Tier 2, mediators, achievement, competence

Summary of Symposium

This symposium describes studies that evaluated the mediators of three social behavioral interventions. The first study describes an innovative method, direct dependence analysis, for conducting mediation analyses when the mediator is gathered at the same time-point as the outcome. Study two provides one of the first tests of a hypothesized observed variable, time-on-task, as a mediator of improved classroom behavior management practices on student achievement. Finally, study three, examines proposed mediators of a Tier 2 self-monitoring intervention on student disruptive behaviors. Collectively, these studies provide evidence for the hypothesized proximal mechanisms for social behavioral interventions. 

Auteurs

Discussant

Riley-Tillman, TC
University of Missouri/Missouri Prevention Center, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia

 

Abstract ID

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

Discussant

Summary

Dr. Riley-Tillman will discuss the three presentations, strengths and limitations, and implications for future directions in social-behavioral interventions.

Auteurs

Mediators of a Tier 2 Self-Monitoring Intervention on Student Disruptive Behaviors

Thompson, AA (Aaron)¹, Herman, KC (Keith)¹, Reinke, WM^1
1University of Missouri/Missouri Prevention Center, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia

 

Abstract ID

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

Tier 2, self-monitoring, disruptive behaviors, competence, mediator

Summary

We tested the hypothesis that the positive impact of participating in the Self-management Training And Regulation Strategy (STARS) on disruptive classroom behavior was mediated by improvements in perceived autonomy, social competency, and student-teacher relationships. Using a classroom block randomized design, we screened 762 fourth and fifth grade students to identify 108 students (age = 10.3 yrs.) with elevated levels of teacher-rated disruptive behavior who were randomly placed in either the STARS (n=60) or a waitlist condition (n=48). Controlling for pretest differences, a path model revealed that STARS students experienced significant changes in posttest assessments of disruptive classroom behavior (d=.46) as well as significant changes in the key program targets of perceived autonomy, social competence, and student-teacher relations. However, the increases in social competence—a core STARS program target—appear to fully mediate posttest changes in disruptive classroom behavior. The findings support one element of the STARS theory; that providing social competence training, using structured and formative feedback sessions, and providing increased opportunities for struggling students to practice skills leads to important changes in challenging classroom behaviors.    

Auteurs

Does Time-On-Task Mediate the Effects of Classroom Management Training on Student Achievement?

Herman, KC (Keith)¹, Reinke, WM^1
1University of Missouri/Missouri Prevention Center, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia

 

Abstract ID

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

Classroom management, middle school, achievement, engagement, mediator

Summary

Classroom management practices have a profound effect on student development. While abundant research has documented the features of effective classroom management practices in elementary schools, few evidence-based training programs exist for middle school teachers and fewer still have specified mediators of intervention effects. A multisite cluster randomized controlled trial found a middle school classroom management training program led to improvements in student achievement, disruptive behaviors, and concentration problems. Here we focus on mediators of these primary outcomes. Participants included 102 teachers and 1450 students in 6th to 8th grade. Main effects on English achievement test scores were partially mediated by student improvements in observed time-on-task.  That is, classroom management training increased student engagement in learning and time accessing instruction, which led to improvements in student achievement. This is one of the first studies to identify a direct observation of student time-on-task as a proximal effect of classroom management improvements, and in turn, a likely contributor to student learning. Practical significance of the findings and implications for schools and policy makers are discussed.

 

Auteurs

Prosocial Skills Causally Mediate the Relation between Effective Classroom Management and Academic Competence: An Application of Direction Dependence Analysis

Wiedermann, W (Wolfgang)¹, Herman, KC (Keith)², Reinke, WM (Wendy)^1
1University of Missouri/Missouri Prevention Center, University of Missouri, 65211, Columbia
²University of Missouri/Missouri Prevention Center, 16 Hill Hall, 65211, Columbia

 

Abstract ID

Submission type

Oral only

Keywords

classroom management; prosocial skills; achievement; direct dependence analysis; mediator

Summary

Direction dependence analysis (DDA) is a recently developed method that addresses the need for more sophisticated tools to evaluate causal mechanisms of educational interventions. For example, in a design where the treatment x is randomized and the mediator (m) and the outcome (y) are measured cross-sectionally, the causal direction of the mediator-outcome relation is not uniquely identified. That is, both mediation models, x-->m-->y or x-->y-->m, may be plausible candidates to describe the underlying mechanism. As a third explanation, unobserved confounders can still be responsible for the mediator-outcome association. The present study applied DDA to evaluate the hypothesized mediators of a classroom behavior management training program on student academic competence. The study involved a group randomized clinical trial with 105 teachers and 1818 students (K-3rd grade) in a large urban school district. Analyses revealed only student prosocial skill development causally mediated the interventions effects on student academic competence. The findings support the importance of explicit instruction and coaching of student social skills as part of classroom behavior management programs and confirm the causal link between prosocial skills and academic success. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for future applications of DDA in educational research.

 

Auteurs