Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Recruiting
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT06270914 |
Other study ID # |
IBIS |
Secondary ID |
|
Status |
Recruiting |
Phase |
N/A
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
August 25, 2023 |
Est. completion date |
December 31, 2025 |
Study information
Verified date |
February 2024 |
Source |
Uppsala University |
Contact |
Martin Karlberg, PhD |
Phone |
018-471 1669 |
Email |
martin.karlberg[@]edu.uu.se |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Background: While positive school climate is important for students' well-being and mental
health, school personnel may experience challenges in creating a nurturing school climate.
School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) have shown positive
effects on school climate, but fewer studies have been conducted in the European context.
Aim: The present project aims to investigate the effectiveness of SW-PBIS programs for
students' social-emotional skills and academic achievement as well as teachers' and students'
perceptions of the learning environment. Furthermore, the study intends to evaluate how
school-level factors mediate or moderate the effects of the intervention. In addition, the
study includes a qualitative evaluation of the dynamic interaction processes that occur
during program implementation in local school contexts. Methods: Data on school- and
individual-level measures are collected in intervention and control schools. With regard to
challenges in retaining control groups over extended time periods, two waves of recruitment
are used. In the first wave, an active control group is used, and data are collected during
three time points. In the second wave, a wait-list control group is used, and data are
collected during two time points during one school year. Hierarchical regression analyses
will be conducted to explore the effects of SW-PBIS on the outcomes of the study. An
ethnomethodological approach will be applied to provide a detailed examination of the social
interactional and meaning-making practices of different school implementation teams, and the
negotiation of normative expectations and rules of conduct in peer-teacher-student
interactions in different classrooms. Discussion: The study is expected to contribute
knowledge on the effects of the SWPBIS program and how these effects may be mediated or
moderated by school-level factors. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods to explore
the significance of school contexts in the implementation of the SWPBIS program constitutes
the strength of the study. The challenge in the study is the extended period of
implementation of SWPBIS, which entails difficulties in retaining a control group over the
required time period. Therefore, two waves of recruitment are used, encompassing different
procedures of allocation to intervention or control groups.
Description:
Aim and Research Questions:
Firstly, the aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the SWPBIS program for students'
socio-emotional skills and academic achievement as well as teachers' and students'
perceptions of the learning environment, and to explore how school-level factors may moderate
or mediate the effect of SWPBIS on the outcomes. Secondly, the aim is to gain a deeper
understanding of the social processes and local meanings that emerge and take form among the
students, teachers, and other school professionals as they participate in the SW-PBIS
program. The aims are specified in four research questions:
1. What are the effects of the SW-PBIS program on students' socio-emotional skills and
academic achievement as well as teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning
environment?
2. To what extent do school-level factors mediate and moderate the effects of the SW-PBIS
program on the study outcomes over time?
3. How are the central contents of the SW-PBIS program made sense of and negotiated in
school teams and classrooms at two schools during the course of program implementation?
4. How do specific instances of student-teacher interaction lead to changes in students'
behavior and responses to the SW-PBIS program, and what forms of ethical dilemmas evolve
in the management of behavior problems in classrooms?
Methods:
This study utilizes a quasi-experimental non-randomized design, including two waves of
participant recruitment. In the first wave of recruitment, intervention and active control
groups are used, and outcomes will be measured at three time points. In addition to
quantitative data, qualitative observations and interviews are conducted to gain a deeper
understanding of the process of implementing SWPIS. In the second wave of data recruitment,
intervention and wait-list control groups are used, and outcomes will be measured at two time
points (pre- and post).
The study will be conducted in compulsory schools and will include classes from grade four to
grade nine. Each of the two waves of recruitment in the study will include 80 schools. Data
will be collected on school-level measures and individual-level measures. School-level
measures encompass: (a) Teacher collective self-efficacy; (b) Problem behavior in the
classroom and school. Individual-level measures encompass: (a) Social-emotional skills; (b)
Classroom environment; (c) Student achievement in national tests of mathematics and literacy.
The intervention is based on the Norwegian manualized program of SW-PBIS, N-PALS (Positiv
Atferd, Støttende Læringsmiljø, og Samhandling). The Norwegian model shares its core
components with the original SW-PBIS model. The program's core components constitute: (a)
Positive behavior support strategies, including positive expectations and classroom rules,
which are followed up with positive feedback and encouragement; (b) A system for monitoring
student behavior, (c) School-wide corrections using consequences, (d) Instruction in
classroom management skills for teachers, and (e) Strategies for collaboration with parents.
These components are implemented through activities at the school level and at the classroom
level. The implementation at the school level starts with establishing a leadership team,
comprised of school leaders, team leaders, and members of the school welfare team. The
leadership team assesses the needs and resources at the school and agrees on behavioral
expectations and rules. The team monitors student behaviors and provides opportunities for
teacher professional development with a focus on classroom management and relationship
building. At the classroom level, the teachers incorporate school-wide expected behaviors
into their classroom instruction through classroom activities and classroom rules. The
teachers also integrate their training in classroom management and relationship building into
their teaching practices. The duration of Tier 1 intervention is expected to be three years.
The control group in the first wave of data collection is selected in accordance with a
quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group. The teachers in the control
group will, instead of a wait-list intervention, receive a shortened version of SW-PBIS
containing only classroom leadership lectures. The schools that are part of the classroom
management group also send staff for instructor training (ten training sessions, 25 hours in
total, just as much as the SW-PBIS schools). Similar to the SW-PBIS group, the instructors in
this group educate and supervise school staff, supported by a team at the school. Both groups
have access to a manual and supporting materials. This design does not pose threats to the
internal validity of the study, as classroom leadership is one of the principles of the PBIS
framework. In this way, it will be possible to explore the specific contribution of
schoolwide PBS in contrast to classroom leadership only. The control group in the second wave
of data collection constitutes a wait-list control group and will not be engaged in any kind
of intervention during the intervention period.
Hierarchical regression analyses with a three-level structure will be conducted to explore
the effects of SW-PBIS on study outcomes. Hierarchical regression analyses allow for
accounting for the nested structure of the data, in which teachers' and students' responses
are nested within schools and grade levels. The outcomes at the school and individual levels
will be studied as a function of time (three time points for wave 1 and two time points for
wave 2) and group belonging (intervention or control group). To take into account the
nestedness of the data, a three-level random effect model will be used, varying by school,
grade, and the individuals' identification codes. Furthermore, the possible mediators
(quality of implementation) and moderators (school characteristics, school-level variables)
of the SWPBIS intervention will be analyzed. Missing data will be handled by imputation,
provided that the assumption of data missing completely at random is met.
In the qualitative study, a longitudinal ethnographic approach will be used in order to
obtain detailed contextualized knowledge on interactions in various contexts in two of the
intervention schools, recruited in wave 1, over a longer period of time. Through purposeful
sampling, three schools with different characteristics regarding size and catchment area will
be selected.