Research and Development of Short-Term Interventions for K–3 Students Having Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Disorders

Abstract

The article discusses the goals, development, and outcomes of a three-stage research and development model used to produce short-term intervention programs for behavior disorders in elementary schools. This R & D effort spanned the 1971-1979 academic years and was administered by the Center at Oregon for Research in Behavioral and Emotional Health (CORBEH). It was supported by a large federal center grant to the University of Oregon. Four intervention programs were developed and validated across the three research stages of our CORBEH R & D model—two were on externalizing disorders (disruption, aggression) and two were on internalizing disorders (social withdrawal, low academic survival skills). The RECESS program for socially negative-aggressive students was used to illustrate how the R & D model operated, worked in actual implementation practice, and accounted for its behavioral outcomes.