Impact of CW-FIT on Student and Teacher Behavior in a Middle School

Abstract

Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) improve student behavior. Yet, teachers may not receive adequate training to implement PBIS at the classroom level. This study evaluated class-wide function-related intervention teams (CW-FIT) as a classroom-level behavior management system to determine whether the behavior of middle school students would improve with teacher implementation of CW-FIT. A multiple-baseline across conditions design was used to evaluate changes in on-task behavior of adolescent students in sixth and seventh grade from a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse middle school. In addition, the effects on teacher behavior-specific praise statements and teacher reprimands were assessed. Consistent with previous evaluations of CW-FIT, findings indicated a functional relation between the intervention and increases in on-task student behavior. In addition, the findings also showed improvements to teacher behavior with increases in behavior-specific praise statements; however, no effect was observed with teacher reprimands. Social validity measures indicated students and teachers found the intervention favorable. Implications, limitations, and areas for future inquiry are discussed.

Effects of a Behavior Management Strategy, CW-FIT, on High School Student and Teacher Behavior

“…Further, teachers maintained high levels of implementation fidelity and consumers (i.e., teachers and students) viewed the intervention favorably. Speight et al (2020) found similar results when implementing CW-FIT in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse middle school. On-task behavior and teacher praise showed improvement with CW-FIT.…”

“…The utility of CW-FIT across elementary settings has been well-established in the literature base (Caldarella et al 2015;Kamps et al 2015;Wills et al 2018), and evidence is emerging for intervention efficacy in middle school classrooms (Caldarella et al 2019;Orr et al 2020;Speight et al 2020;Wills et al 2019). Though the results should be interpreted cautiously given the limitations, this study provides evidence CW-FIT may lead to similar improvements in high school student and high school teacher behavior.…”

“…Emerging evidence supports the utility of CW-FIT in middle school settings (Conklin et al 2017;Orr et al 2019;Speight et al 2020;Wills et al 2019). Orr and colleagues evaluated CW-FIT using a single-subject withdrawal design and noted improvements in on-task behavior for 12 middle school students in a self-contained classroom.…”

Can effective classroom behavior management increase student achievement in middle school? Findings from a group randomized trial.

“…More recently, class-wide function-related intervention teams (CW-FIT), a universal approach to classroom management originally developed for elementary schools, was modified and evaluated in middle school settings (Monson, Caldarella, Anderson, & Wills, 2020; Orr et al, 2020; Speight, Whitby, & Kucharczyk, 2020; Wills, Caldarella, Mason, Lappin, & Anderson, 2019). Several studies in various middle school settings suggest that CW-FIT improved student behaviors and increased their time-on-task.…”

Does professional development for teachers impact student behavior utilizing class-wide function-related intervention teams?

“…CW-FIT incorporates many research-based behavioral strategies such as: direct instruction of skills, self and peer management, extinction by removing reinforcement, differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors through dependent group contingencies, token economy, and teacher praise (University of Missouri, 2019). CW-FIT has been researched over 20 times (e.g., Jolstead, Caldarella, Hansen et al, 2017;Kamps, Wills, Dawson-Bannister et al, 2015;Speight, Whitby, & Kucharczyk, 2020). Recent studies investigated the use of the program in differing elementary schools and how the program affected student engagement, disruptive behaviors, and teacher praise.…”