Effects of antibullying programs on teachers’ interventions in bullying situations. A meta‐analysis

Even though teachers are key figures of a program's effectiveness, most intervention studies have not focused explicitly on the effects of antibullying programs at teacher level. We conducted a meta‐analysis into the effects of school‐based antibullying programs on determinants of teacher intervention, including teachers’ attitudes towards bullying, their self‐efficacy and knowledge regarding intervention strategies, and the effects on teachers’ bullying intervention itself. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 13 peer‐reviewed papers were retrieved that reported outcomes on teachers, staff, and students (N = 948, 2,471, and 138,311, respectively). Antibullying programs had a significant moderate effect on determinants of teacher intervention (g = 0.531) and a significant small to moderate effect on teacher intervention in bullying situations (g = 0.390). Results of the meta‐analysis indicate that the effectiveness of antibullying programs may increase when components are included to reinforce teachers’ attitudes, subjective norms, self‐efficacy, knowledge, and skills towards reducing bullying in the school.     

Effectiveness of school‐based universal social,emotional, and behavioral programs: Do they enhance students’ development in the area of skill,behavior, and adjustment?

To answer the question of whether teaching social and emotional skills to foster social–emotional development can help schools extend their role beyond the transfer of knowledge, the authors conducted a meta‐analytical review of 75 recently published studies that reported the effects of universal, school‐based social, emotional, and/or behavioral (SEB) programs. The analyzed interventions had a variety of intended outcomes, but the increase in social skills and decrease in antisocial behavior were most often reported. Although considerable differences in efficacy exist, the analysis demonstrated that overall beneficial effects on all seven major categories of outcomes occurred: social skills, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, positive self‐image, academic achievement, mental health, and prosocial behavior. Generally, immediate effects were stronger than delayed effects, with the exception of substance abuse, which showed a sleeper effect. Limitations of the analysis and moderators of the effectiveness of SEB programs in schools are discussed in the final section of the article.     

Rethinking strategy instruction: direct reading strategy instruction versus computer‐based guided practice

There are many established reading strategy training programmes, which explicitly teach strategic and meta‐cognitive knowledge to improve reading comprehension. Although instruction in strategy knowledge leads to improvements in meta‐cognitive skills, the effects do not always transfer to reading comprehension. Therefore, to investigate preconditions for knowledge transfer, two different strategy training programmes were implemented in nine classes of Grade 6 students (N = 148) over the course of one school year. One programme involved teacher‐directed instruction of declarative meta‐cognitive knowledge (Reading Detectives; Rühl & Souvignier, 2006). The other aimed at improving executive meta‐cognition by guided practice: students worked with a computer program based on latent semantic analysis (LSA) (conText) and received immediate feedback on written summaries. Although both groups improved their strategy knowledge to the same extent, the conText group showed a greater improvement in reading comprehension. These fndings suggest that guided practice, which is characterised by intensive practice and individualised corrective feedback, is superior to explicitly teaching strategy knowledge.     

Psycholinguistic Training Programs: Are There Differential Treatment Effects?

The findings of an investigation assessing the differential effects of psycholinguistic training programs are reported. Methodologically, meta‐analysis, the analysis of analyses, was used to determine whether psycholinguistic training programs differentially affect the abilities measured by the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities (ITPA). When findings were integrated by ITPA subtests, ITPA constructs, and salient study features, the training programs were found to differ with respect to improving psycholinguistic abilities. Overall results, however, indicated that the Peabody Language Development Kits (PDLK) were more consistently advantageous than either ITPA related programs or other types of training activities (e.g. structured teaching and perceptual‐motor approaches). These findings were validated in a multiple regression analysis comparing the three intervention methods. It was suggested that the structured and sequential nature of the PDLK was the major factor contributing to its greater effectiveness.     

Effects of Training in the Use of Social and Cognitive Strategies: An Intervention Study in Secondary Mathematics in Co‐Operative Groups

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an intervention study into the effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the learning outcomes of students in secondary mathematics education. Special attention is given to differential effects for high‐ and low‐achieving students. The focus on differential effects is derived from studies into learning in small co‐operative groups, and from the results of meta‐analyses into the effects of training in learning strategies. From these studies it can be concluded that in general such programs contribute to learning. However, it seems that low‐achieving students are unable to benefit from interventions of the kind investigated (i.e., co‐operative learning and training in learning strategies). The main question is whether it is possible to design an instructional program from which all students benefit, and from which the low‐achieving students profit more than their counterparts in the control‐program. In the present study three instructional programs for co‐operative learning were compared: (i) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of social strategies; (ii) an experimental program with special instruction in the use of cognitive strategies; and (iii) a control program without training in either cognitive or social strategies. The programs were identical with respect to mathematical content and general instructional settings (a combination of whole‐class instruction, working in co‐operative groups and individual work). The experiment addressed the following research question: what are the general and differential effects of a training in the use of social and cognitive strategies on the results of learning in secondary mathematics? The research was conducted in two schools for secondary education in a total of 21 classes, involving a total of 511 students. The design was a pretest‐posttest control group design, using two experimental groups and one control group. The data were analysed from a multi‐level perspective. The outcomes of the investigation clearly show the effects of the intervention. Teaching cognitive and social strategies has the expected, positive effects. In addition to this main effect, a compensatory effect for the low‐achieving students was found. The low‐achieving students in the experimental conditions outperformed their counterparts in the control group.

     

TRAINING POLICY GERONTOLOGISTS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF NEEDED SKILLS,KNOWLEDGE, AND ATTRIBUTES

Findings from a survey of policy professionals in aging (n = 114) and experience with a demonstration program to train policy gerontologists indicates that (1) the demand for policy gerontologists is moderately high; (2) training requirements include specific skills training in political processes, communication, analysis, and administration; (3) policy gerontologists require such personal attributes as follow through, initiative, and innovation; and (4) knowledge of the content of specific policy areas as well as an understanding of the policy‐making process is important. Findings have been used to develop a model curriculum for training policy gerontologists which is presented and discussed.     

Leadership without imposition

Community colleges require speech communication teachers with special competencies—competencies dictated by the educational goals, the student characteristics, and the community orientation of junior colleges. These teacher competencies should be taught through special master's degree programs and in‐service training provided by teacher education institutions and professional speech communication associations. Based on her experience as a teacher at community colleges in Texas and Illinois and as a director of teacher training in speech, the author suggests that community colleges are basically different than four‐year institutions, and need teachers with different skills.     

THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTS OF A PARENT‐FACILITATED SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM ON SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Due to impairments in social interactions and communication, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a need for effective social skills training programs. However, many programs fail due to a lack of acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of target skills. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and outcomes of a parent‐facilitated social skills training program, designed to overcome the shortcomings of acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of other programs for children with ASD. Participants in the current study included 5 children with ASD and their parents, recruited from a western state. This study expands previous research by training parents in implementation of a social skills training program comprising several evidence‐based practices. The results of the parent‐facilitated intervention are provided, and implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Building Leadership Expertise of Future Early Childhood Professionals

Abstract

This article describes the effectiveness of the Structured Simulation Training Method (SSTM) as a pedagogical too] to prepare student teachers for work in inclusive early childhood settings. Simulations are a performance‐based methodology designed to allow student teachers to directly experience issues in diversity and practice interpersonal communication, consultation and decision‐making skills. Qualitative methodologies were employed to analyze data collected from student reactions to interactions with simulated clients. Themes that emerged from the data suggest that the SSTM allows student teachers to socially construct professional knowledge, improve attitudes about diversity and practice effective interpersonal skills in a realistic but supportive learning environment.     

Effectiveness of school‐based psychotherapy: A meta‐analysis of dissertation research

A meta‐analysis was conducted with 65 school‐based psychotherapy and counseling dissertations over the last 10 years (1998–2008) to assess if a file‐drawer problem (i.e., studies conducted but not published that, as a whole, have different results than studies in the same area published) exists in the school‐based outcome literature. An overall mean effect size of 0.44 was found for 73 treatment interventions. This effect size is comparable to Prout and DeMartino's 1986 meta‐analysis conducted with published school‐based studies and approximately half a standard deviation smaller than Prout and Prout's 1998 meta‐analysis of school‐based intervention studies. A bias does appear to exist but seems to be smaller than the bias found in the general child and adolescent psychotherapy outcome literature. Most of the dissertation studies evaluated group interventions and used a cognitive–behavioral or skills training intervention. Skills training and interventions with elementary‐school students yielded the largest effect sizes. Comparisons of the current study with previous school‐based intervention meta‐analyses are discussed as are suggestions for future research. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Teacher training in K–12 student mental health: A systematic review

Teachers are in a unique position to identify and support students who experience mental health concerns. The purpose of this systematic review was to (a) identify current available evidence-based teacher training programs related to students' mental health, (b) review the content and delivery methods of the training, and (c) evaluate the quality of the research designs and evaluation methods of the training. Most training programs are delivered face-to-face and include interactive discussion and content knowledge. Content varied among the training programs. Most studies found improved knowledge among teachers; however, no studies found improvement in effective communication.     

ADAPT<Superscript>IT</Superscript>: Tools for training design and evaluation

This article describes a set of computerized tools that support the design and evaluation of competency-based training programs. The training of complex skills such as air traffic control and process control requires a competency-based approach that focuses on the integration and coordination of constituent skills and transfer of learning. At the heart of the training are authentic whole-task practice situations. The instructional design tools are based on van Merriënboer's 4C/ID^* methodology (1997). The article describes a training design tool (Core) that supports the analysis and design for competency-based training programs and an evaluation tool (Eval) that supports the subsequent revision of this training design.     

The eye of the beholder: metaphor in adult education research

Important workforce competencies for managers and professionals were identified separately for males and females through a sequence of interviews, content analysis, accessing expert opinion and statistical factoring procedures. Interviews of thirty‐two professionals and managers and a subsequent content analysis led to the development of a list of important skills, knowledge and attitudes which formed the basis for separate male and female competencies questionnaires. Principal components analyses were performed separately for male and female questionnaires, with samples of 310 women and 249 men. Seven important competencies were identified for each gender. Competencies for women were: maintenance of job skills; orientation to innovation and change; affective and cognitive efficacy; self determination and stability; presentation skills; interpersonal communication skills; and office politics skills. Competencies for men were: leadership ability; self‐determination; interpersonal ability; task management; job skill maintenance; office politics skills; and tolerance and open‐mindedness. Results suggest that acquiring competence in the workforce involves a combination both of learning and of overcoming constraints, and that individual experience influences important competencies.     

Communication skills programs that last: Face to Face and relapse prevention

Communication skills are basic to effective management. However, communication training programs must not only show evidence that the skills have been learned, but also demonstrate that this learning can be converted into effective on the job behavior. A communication skills program, Face to Face, based on the microtraining model, is described. This model has substantial empirical evidence of successful skill acquisition. A novel approach to skill transfer and retention, the relapse prevention model is proposed as a methodology for maintaining communication skills in the work setting.     

The Effects of Training in Social Perspective Taking on Socially Maladjusted Girls

A paucity of research exists concerning training programs for the development of interpersonal functioning in socially maladjusted or delinquent adolescent females. Females in a residential institution participated in a role-play program designed to enhance social perspective-taking ability. In 15 sessions girls were coached in specific social skills and acted multiple role perspectives in typical problem situations. Compared to girls in a fitness training program, girls in the role-play training program showed enhanced performance on a measure of social perspective taking. Generalized effects were also found for performance on tests of interpersonal problem analysis, empathy, and the acceptance of individual differences. Additionally, observational data indicated that role-play training resulted in increased prosocial behaviors. Role-play training had no effect on a measure of referential communication.     

A review of the use of virtual reality head-mounted displays in education and training

In the light of substantial improvements to the quality and availability of virtual reality (VR) hardware seen since 2013, this review seeks to update our knowledge about the use of head-mounted displays (HMDs) in education and training. Following a comprehensive search 21 documents reporting on experimental studies were identified, quality assessed, and analysed. The quality assessment shows that the study quality was below average according to the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument, especially for the studies that were designed as user evaluations of educational VR products. The review identified a number of situations where HMDs are useful for skills acquisition. These include cognitive skills related to remembering and understanding spatial and visual information and knowledge; psychomotor skills related to head-movement, such as visual scanning or observational skills; and affective skills related to controlling your emotional response to stressful or difficult situations. Outside of these situations the HMDs had no advantage when compared to less immersive technologies or traditional instruction and in some cases even proved counterproductive because of widespread cybersickness, technological challenges, or because the immersive experience distracted from the learning task.     

‘THOMAS’ Training: An early years intervention for children with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)

The ‘THOMAS’ course (The Hampshire Outline for Meeting the needs of under fives on the Autistic Spectrum) is a four‐day training programme to enhance the learning of young children with impairments in social understanding, communication and play by increasing the use of appropriate interventions. It has been supporting families and professionals in the early years settings for over five years and feedback has been exceptionally positive. This article reviews the extent to which training skills have been embedded in the long‐term. Results indicate that the training is still as effective a year on, with many techniques, including visual structure and behaviour management, seen as highly effective interventions. Furthermore, there is an indication that course participants may experience an increase in confidence that enables them to become more independent and generate their own solutions as skills and knowledge become embedded over time.     

A social skills intervention programme for kindergarten children at risk of developing behavioural problems

ABSTRACT

A programme for training social skills to a group of 6‐year‐old children was developed and evaluated. The group consisted of eight children, four boys and four girls; three of these were considered to be at risk of developing emotional and behavioural problems. The targeted skills were supporting, cooperating, establishing social contacts, participating, reducing aggression and handling conflict situations. The theoretical framework underlying the social skills intervention programme was based on cognitive‐social learning theory and scaffolding. The programme consisted of nine, 30‐35 minute, training sessions which were presented over a one and a half month period. Pretest/posttest assessment indicated that the intervention programme was effective in increasing some positive and reducing some negative behaviours. The sociometric assessment, however, showed few changes from pre‐training to posttraining.     

Reflections on an evolving view of giftedness and talent: An interview with Rena Subotnik

Students' progress toward educational goals is usually assessed using achievement tests. Assessment of students’ growth in thinking abilities, however, requires alternate techniques. Since thinking is most often performed in problem‐solving situations, teachers can become the best observers of it by providing situations in which students can practice and demonstrate intelligent behaviors. Some indicators include: perseverence, precision of language, problem‐finding, decreased impulsivity, meta‐cognition, checking for accuracy, transference, flexibility, drawing upon previous knowledge and enjoyment of thinking.