As students transition into adolescence they are often permitted greater independence in nonclassroom settings within schools and thus the opportunities for problem behaviors increase. However, nonclassroom settings can also provide an opportunity for students and school staff to engage in informal yet positive interactions. This paper aimed to identify potential predictors of observed student behaviors in nonclassroom settings in high schools, such as characteristics of the settings (e.g., location) and observed adult behaviors. Hierarchical analyses were conducted on observational data (N = 917) collected in nonclassroom settings (i.e., arrival/departure, hallway/stairway, and cafeteria) in 58 high schools. Fewer negative student behaviors and increased positive student behaviors were observed when adults actively connected with students. Furthermore, the frequency of negative student behaviors varied by location, time of year, and time of day. This study contributes to prior literature through the focus on nonclassroom settings, examination of adult as well as student behavior, and the use of observational methodology in high schools. Implications for schools seeking to reduce problem behaviors and improve school climate in nonclassroom settings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
.Research suggests that involvement in relational aggression is associated with serious adjustment problems, including concurrent and future social maladjustment (e.g., problematic friendships; rejection), internalizing problems (e.g., depressive symptoms), and school avoidance. Despite the burgeoning literature focusing on the harmful and damaging nature of relationally aggressive behavior, this research has only recently begun to be used to inform school-based prevention and intervention programming. This article reviews the developmental research related to relational aggression and presents a systematic examination of nine published school-based prevention and intervention programs to prevent relational aggression. Programs reviewed target preschool through eighth-grade students. Strengths and limitations of each program are discussed. Recommendations are offered for future research to develop and validate school-based programming for relational aggression, and implications for school psychologists are discussed.
Research, theory, and practice suggest an important role for parents in supporting their children when exposed to violence and helping them cope with victimization experiences. Despite this little is known about how parents respond to bullying and the factors that influence their response. Using data from 1,117 parents who reported that their middle or high schooler had been bullied in the past 30 days, this article identified different patterns of responses as well as examined the influence of perceptions of school climate, school policies and training, and school structural characteristics on their responses. A latent class analysis identified 3 different patterns of parental responses including Only Talk (72%), Contact School (23%), and Handle Themselves (5%). Parents who perceived the school to have more effective school rules were less likely to be in the class of parents who contacted the school versus the only talking class; however, school staff training was associated with a greater likelihood of parents being in the contact the school class versus the only talking class. Perceptions of equity were also related to an increased likelihood of being in the contact the school class versus the handle themselves class. These findings suggest that parents’ behaviors in response to bullying may be related to their perceptions of the school and school actions around bullying. Efforts to promote a collaborative approach to bullying between school and home should focus on communicating this expectation, potentially addressing parents’ perceptions of equitable treatment for all students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
The objective of the current article is to highlight an example of a new paradigm, Scientific Edutainment. The manuscript describes how educational researchers and technologists worked together to develop a multi-media bullying prevention experience, called Free2B for middle school students paying particular attention to ensure that the programming was not only relevant to all students but also was appealing and responsive to the needs of urban youth. Bullying is the most common form of aggression experienced among school-aged youth, which impairs students' learning and social-emotional functioning and has financial costs to society. Given that the prevalence of bullying is highest in middle school, finding brief and feasible methods for motivating and sustaining change at this age is critically important, especially in the case of urban, under-resourced schools.In response to this challenge, multidisciplinary bullying prevention researchers collaborated with international technologists to develop the Free2B multi-media bullying prevention experience through an iterative Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. In addition, the research team conducted a series of pilot studies to iteratively develop and initially evaluate the multi-media program, helping to ensure relevance specifically for urban middle school youth.Results from the pilot studies indicated that the vast majority of middle school students found the Free2B multi-media bullying prevention experience to be enjoyable, relevant to their needs, and addressed important strategies to handle peer bullying and victimization. In addition, the brief prevention experience was associated with increases in problem-solving knowledge, prosocial attitudes about bullying, increased sympathy, and confidence in handling peer conflicts.The current paper illustrates the use of a new paradigm, termed Scientific Edutainment, as a way to combine evidenced-based developmental science with the latest in entertainment technology to provide innovative, engaging, and technologically-sophisticated educational programming.
School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS; Sugai & Horner, 2006) is currently implemented in over 20,000 schools across the country with the goal of preventing disruptive behavior problems and enhancing the school climate. While previous studies have indicated significant main effects of SWPBIS on student outcomes, the program impacts likely vary as a function of children’s social–emotional characteristics. This study examined variation in the effects of SWPBIS based on children’s baseline pattern of behavior problems and social–emotional skills using data from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Data come from 12,344 elementary school children (52.9% male; 45.1% African American and 46.1% White; 49% received free or reduced-price meals; and 12.9% received special education services). The group randomized controlled effectiveness trial was implemented in 37 elementary schools. Latent profile analyses (LPA) were conducted on teachers’ baseline ratings of children’s behavior problems, concentration problems, social–emotional functioning, and prosocial behavior using the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation–Checklist (TOCA–C; Koth, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2009). LPA revealed 4 latent classes: high-risk (6.6%), at-risk (23.3%), normative (36.5%), and socially–emotionally skilled (33.6%). LPA membership was found to have a moderating impact on children’s subsequent discipline problems and need for and use of school-based services. Findings suggest that the effects of SWPBIS on student outcomes tend to be greatest among at-risk and high-risk children.
There has long been an interest in understanding how the non-curricular aspects of the school environment, or school climate, influence academic outcomes. School climate has been conceptualised both broadly to encompass multiple aspects of the school social and physical environment and more narrowly to focus only on student engagement. There is evidence for the importance of student engagement for student academic outcomes, with student perceptions of increased engagement reflecting improved teaching and academic self-concept. Further, student perceptions of safety and the school environment have been associated with aggressive behaviour and psychological well-being. The association between school climate and student outcomes is grounded in several psychological, sociological, and criminological theories including the bioecological model, social-cognitive theory, social control theory, social disorganisation theory, and Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. School climate is primarily measured using surveys of students' perception of their school environment, but more work is needed to understand the perspective of diverse stakeholders (e.g., parents, school staff) as well as assess a broader array of school climate constructs. Additionally, research suggests the importance of observations of classroom and non-classroom areas in understanding how school climate relates to students' academic and behavioural outcomes. There are known gender, developmental, and racial/ethnic differences in perceptions of school climate with boys and students of colour having less positive perceptions. The majority of research on school climate has been conducted in developed countries, particularly the United States, with work in developing countries focused on creating schools in the midst of challenging circumstances. Evidence-based interventions exist to improve school climate, primarily through the coordinated implementation of activities to support students' psychosocial well-being.
The growing concern about bullying and school violence has focused national attention on various aspects of school climate and school connectedness. The current study examined dimensions of staff connectedness (i.e., personal, student, staff, and administration) in relation to staff members’ comfort intervening in bullying situations (e.g., physical, verbal, relational), as well as bullying situations involving special populations of students (e.g., gender-nonconforming, disability, overweight, sexism, racism, and religion). Data for this study were collected from a national sample of 5,064 members of the National Education Association (NEA), of whom 2,163 were teachers and 2,901 other school staff. Analyses with structural equation modeling indicated that increased staff connectedness was associated with greater comfort intervening with bullying. Similarly, having resources available regarding bullying, receiving training on the school’s bullying policy, and being involved in bullying prevention efforts were significantly associated with comfort intervening. Implications for school-based prevention and school climate promoting efforts are discussed.
The present longitudinal study used a social-ecological framework to explore the extent to which peer victimization and aggression were associated with changes in concentration problems and emotion regulation among elementary students in general versus special education, while accounting for student demographics and school contextual factors. Data come from a multilevel, longitudinal dataset including 7,314 students (kindergarten through Grade 2) across 37 elementary schools. Multilevel analyses indicated that on average, students in special education had worse trajectories, including higher concentration problem scores and lower emotion regulation skills over time than students in general education. Children who were victimized and in special education displayed significantly more concentration problems and worse emotion regulation skills at baseline as compared with other students. The findings highlight the risks associated with prolonged victimization among children in special education. Implications for prevention programming targeting social-emotional functioning and special education populations are discussed.
