Effects of a Universal Positive Classroom Behavior Program on Student Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a universal program to promote positive classroom behavior on students’ approaches to learning and early academic skills. Second grade classrooms (N = 39) were randomly assigned to treatment and business‐as‐usual control conditions. Teachers in intervention classrooms implemented the Social Skills Improvement System Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS‐CIP) over a 12‐week period. Participating students’ (N = 494) engagement, motivation, and academic skills were assessed before and after treatment implementation. Results indicated that students with lower levels of engagement and motivation at pretest experienced significant improvement in these areas after exposure to the SSIS‐CIP. Although no significant differences were observed in reading, students receiving supplemental instructional services demonstrated greater gains in mathematics than did their peers in the control condition.

Academic self‐attributions for success and failure in mathematics and school refusal

“…The results reveal attributional patterns that predominate in the field of mathematics for primary school students based on the causes that justify their negative school attendance behavior. So, although psychoeducational intervention programs exist that aim to fix maladaptive attributional styles and promote more optimistic thoughts about achievement (Cleary & Zimmerman, ; Diperna, Lei, Bellinger, & Cheng, ), it may be helpful to know that not all of the students that refuse school reveal the same attributional pattern. Thus, it is important to note that students who base their school refusal behavior on the first three factors of the SRAS‐R, characterized by presenting generalized, social, or separation anxiety and fear of evaluation, have an increased tendency to attribute their failures to effort as opposed to a lack of capacity.…”

Initial Development and Validation of the Social Skills Improvement System—Social and Emotional Learning Brief Scales-Teacher Form

“…Schools are increasingly incorporating educational programming focused on teaching students how to regulate and manage their behavior, to understand and influence their emotions, and to make healthy and responsible choices. These competencies have come to be known as social and emotional learning (SEL), and a growing evidence base supports their inclusion in school curricula (e.g., DiPerna, Lei, Bellinger, & Cheng, 2015; Diperna, Lei, Bellinger, & Cheng, 2016; DiPerna, Lei, Cheng, Hart, & Bellinger, 2018; Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011) and multitiered systems of support (MTSS).…”

Nothing Lost, Something Gained? Impact of a Universal Social-Emotional Learning Program on Future State Test Performance

“…Reported effect sizes for social skills were g = .18 (7.14% improvement index) in first grade and g = .36 (14.06% improvement index) in second grade (DiPerna et al, 2015, 2018). Effect sizes were similar in magnitude for academic motivation and engagement at both grade levels (DiPerna et al, 2016, 2018), and moderation analyses indicated that students who were in classrooms with lower levels of initial social and learning-related behavior outcomes made the greatest gains (DiPerna et al, 2015, 2016). In both grade levels, the program had a negligible impact on immediate academic outcomes as measured by reading and math computerized adaptive tests given within the same year as program exposure (ES range –.04 to .07; DiPerna et al, 2015, 2018); however, long-term effects of the SSIS-CIP on state test scores have not been examined to date.…”

“…Many schools have begun actively restricting classroom time that does not directly prepare students for high-stakes tests (Schonfeld et al, 2015), and some researchers (e.g., DiPerna et al, 2016; Rimm-Kaufman et al, 2014) have suggested that the possibility of decreased academic instructional time resulting from implementation of universal SEL curricula should be explored. Others (e.g., Whitehurst, 2019) even question whether SEL may be a “distracting fad that comes with high opportunity costs” (Whitehurst, 2019, p. 68).…”