Journal of School Psychology最新文献

A variety of early literacy assessments are available to monitor student response to instruction in early reading skills. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which growth during the second half of kindergarten on measures of alphabetic principle (i.e., nonsense word fluency [NWF]) and word reading (i.e., decodable real words and word reading fluency [WRF]) predicted oral reading fluency (ORF) at the end of kindergarten and first grade, over and above January baseline performance. A total of 394 kindergarten students were monitored on each assessment every 2 weeks between January and May. The unique contribution of this study was the evaluation of the degree to which the predictive value of growth on these measures differed as a function of student skills in oral reading via quantile regression. Doing so revealed whether different word-level assessments were better suited for less skilled or more skilled readers. In addition, the utility of growth in different metrics on measures of NWF (i.e., correct letter sequences [CLS] and whole words read [WWR]) was explored. Results suggested that measures of more complex skills such as WRF and NWF-WWR were most predictive of general reading outcomes among students with high subsequent ORF. The value of measuring growth, relative to baseline performance, was even more apparent when predicting performance at the end of first grade.

Improving school climate is important to reducing disparities in exclusionary discipline, yet the relationship between school climate and school discipline remains poorly understood. Although prior studies have largely relied on students' perceptions to measure school climate, few studies have examined how school contextual factors such as prior disciplinary history or school personnel may affect students' perception of school climate. In the present study, we used student responses from the annually administered New York City School Survey to examine the relationship between student perception of school climate and school personnel, drawing on a longitudinal student-level sample for public middle and high schools for the years 2011–2012 through 2018–2019 (N = 3,988,020 student-years). Using linear regression analyses to predict student perceptions of school climate, we found that various student and school characteristics had small but statistically significant associations with student perceptions (all effect sizes <0.1). Black male students and Black students receiving special education services were most likely to have negative perceptions of school climate. Students' perceptions of school climate were shaped more by teachers than school leaders. Teacher experience was associated with more positive student perceptions, whereas teacher and school leader turnover were associated with worse perceptions of school climate. School personnel diversity (i.e., the percentage of teachers, principals, or assistant principals who were Black or Latinx) was negatively associated with students' perceptions of school climate, although there was evidence of a positive association between school personnel diversity and school climate specifically for Black and Latinx students. The study adds to calls for investments in school personnel to improve school climate to reduce racial inequality in exclusionary discipline.

We conducted three studies focusing on gender differences in the quality of student-teacher relationships (i.e., closeness and conflict) in the first 2 years of secondary education. Furthermore, we examined whether boys shared more favorable relationships with male teachers and whether girls shared more favorable relationships with female teachers (i.e., gender match hypothesis). Students (N = 812 in Study 1, N = 789 in Study 2, N = 484 in Study 3) reported about their relationship with their homeroom teacher (Study 1), Dutch and mathematics teachers (Study 2), or Dutch, mathematics, English, and history teachers (Study 3). Structural equation modeling revealed that, in six out of seven relationships, boys experienced more conflict with teachers than girls. In three out of seven relationships, boys also reported less closeness with teachers than girls. Teacher gender did not affect relationship quality, except for conflict with the homeroom teacher in Study 1 (i.e., students reported more conflict with female homeroom teachers than with male homeroom teachers). Finally, girls tended to experience more favorable relationships with female teachers than boys, partly supporting the gender match hypothesis. Thus, relationship-focused interventions in secondary education might benefit by accounting for gender match between students and teachers.

Early career teachers experience exceptionally high rates of attrition from the profession, often due in part to elevated concerns about student behavior and poor occupational health. This study reports findings from a randomized controlled trial testing the combined effect of the PAX Good Behavior Game and MyTeachingPartner™ for 188 early career, early elementary teachers (Grades K–3). Of primary focus were observations of the quality of teachers' interactions with students and their self-reported occupational health over 2 consecutive school years. Results indicated that relative to comparison teachers, those in the intervention condition reported lower distress at follow-up (d = −0.23) and less decline in teacher affiliation across the 2-year period (d = 0.50). In addition, the intervention teachers who were highly distressed at baseline and who experienced high levels of disruptive behavior had higher quality interactions with students around emotional support (d = 0.27), classroom organization (d = 0.32), and instructional support (d = 0.69) at the end of 2 years than comparison teachers. This subgroup of intervention teachers also experienced more favorable changes over time in distress (d = −2.47) and teacher affiliation (d = 3.00) over the course of the study. Professional development focused on classroom management with coaching support may be particularly impactful for early career teachers experiencing higher levels of distress and in classrooms with higher rates of behavior problems.

Using a large sample of students (N = 1373; 40% girls; M_age = 14 years) from 54 classrooms in South Korea, this study identified subtypes of bullies based on specific combinations of self-reports and peer-reports and examined the intrapersonal and interpersonal factors that explain the differences in characteristics between these identified groups. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups of bullies: (a) non-bullies (59.5%), (b) peer-identified bullies (21%), (c) self-identified bullies (9.8%), and (d) self/peer-identified bullies (9.7%). Multinomial logistic hierarchical analysis revealed significant differences between the bully subgroups on the four intrapersonal factors (i.e., anti-bullying attitudes, perception of teachers' reaction to bullying, delinquent behavior, and depression; odds ratios [OR] ranged from 0.24 to 3.13) and three of the four interpersonal factors (i.e., overestimated popularity, rejection, and victimization; ORs ranged from 0.39 to 2.26). More specifically, compared to the peer-identified bully group, the non-bully and self/peer-identified bully groups showed opposite patterns of anti-bullying attitudes, delinquent behavior, and peer status (ORs ranged from 0.46 to 3.13). Relative to the peer-identified bully group, the self-identified bully group was more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms and perceive themselves as being victimized, was less likely to endorse anti-bullying attitudes, and had a less positive perception of teacher's reaction to bullying (ORs ranged from 0.24 to 1.40). Gender differences emerged as well. Implications for optimizing the screening of bullying perpetrators and anti-bullying interventions are discussed.

Text reading fluency (TRF) is a common reading intervention target in second and third grade. TRF requires the integration of several skills that result in several pathways to dysfluent reading. However, when applying the drill-down approach to intervention targeting, practitioners are guided to consider students' rate and accuracy when reading connected text after ruling out decoding difficulties. A question remains whether students' reading rate and accuracy alone is sensitive to differences in the underlying skills that promote TRF. We used latent profile analysis to investigate whether different profiles of component reading skills could be identified among second- (n = 127) and third-grade (n = 170) students who were referred for an intervention targeting TRF. Most students were identified as white (56%) and students were predominately English speakers (87%). At the beginning of the intervention, we measured participants' skills in listening comprehension, reading comprehension, reading vocabulary, word reading efficiency, and decoding efficiency. Four profiles emerged in both grades with similar patterns in terms of the component skills influencing TRF. Students in two of the profiles demonstrated relative strengths in word reading or reading comprehension with their other skills near the sample average. A third profile approximated the sample average across all component skills whereas the fourth profile was below the sample average in all measured skills. However, some of the empirically derived profiles did not differ in terms of students' average reading rate. For example, the average words read correct per minute did not significantly differ between students with relative strengths in comprehension and students with relative strengths with word reading. Our results suggest that differences in students' text reading rate and accuracy may not always capture potentially relevant differences in the skills that influence TRF.

Many studies have indicated an alarming prevalence of anxiety among Chinese adolescents, highlighting the critical need for prevention protocols. DNA-V (Discoverer, Noticer, Advisor-Values model) is an adapted version of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy designed to prevent mental health problems in adolescents. This study investigated the effects and underlying mechanisms of DNA-V. The DNA-V prevention program was culturally adapted and optimized in both content and form specifically for Chinese adolescents, with the aim of reducing anxiety levels. A total of 139 participants (59 females) from six eighth-grade classes at an average middle school in Beijing were randomly assigned to one of three groups consisting of the DNA-V face-to-face group (two classes), the DNA-V web-based group (two classes), or the active control group (two classes). Adolescents' anxiety and cognitive fusion were measured before (Time 1), immediately after (Time 2), and 2 months after (Time 3) the program using the Chinese Secondary School Students Anxiety Scale (CSSSAS) and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ). Results showed that in the DNA-V face-to-face group, the anxiety score at Time 3 was significantly lower than the scores at Time 1 (p < .001, Cohen's d_rm = 0.56) and Time 2 (p = .043, Cohen's d_rm = 0.24). The cognitive fusion score at Time 3 was significantly lower than the scores at Time 1 (p = .001, Cohen's d_rm = 0.51) and Time 2 (p = .003, Cohen's d_rm = 0.37). The results of the study suggest that the DNA-V prevention program could serve as an effective tool for reducing anxiety in adolescents.

Using a person-centered approach, we aimed to identify different executive functioning profiles to assess heterogeneity across individuals within the same school grade through latent profile analysis. A sample of 150 Grade 2 (7–8 years old), 150 Grade 6 (11–12 years old), and 150 Grade 10 (15–16 years old) children and adolescents were assessed on 11 different executive tasks representative of the three main executive functioning subcomponents (i.e., inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory), fluid intelligence, processing speed, problem-solving, and reading comprehension. Three different executive functioning profiles of different patterns of interactions based on inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and working memory within and between grades were identified. Moreover, these profiles were differentially related to reading comprehension and mathematical achievement. Second, as expected, we did not find these profiles to be associated with sociodemographic variables such as chronological age or sex. Still, fluid intelligence and processing speed were differentially related to the different profiles at each grade. We also found that the executive functioning profiles interacted with each cognitive skill (i.e., fluid intelligence and processing speed) in predicting reading comprehension and math achievement. These findings provide valuable insights for developing preventive and intervention strategies in education.

Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) comprise nearly a third of children enrolled in early childhood classrooms across the United States. Unfortunately, EB populations are often met with barriers that limit their opportunity to thrive in the school setting. Bilingual school psychologists (BSPs) are uniquely positioned to provide culturally and linguistically responsive academic and behavioral services to these young students. However, to date, there are no empirical studies exploring the graduate preparation received by early childhood BSPs and the services provided to young EBs. The present study involved the development and administration of a national survey examining the role of BSPs in early childhood settings. A convergent mixed-methods approach was used to analyze survey results from 97 participants. The results indicated that most early childhood BSPs felt unprepared by their graduate programs, although most indicated receiving early childhood preparation and almost half indicated receiving bilingual preparation. Four qualitative themes also emerged from the data. Implications for future research and preparation are discussed.

The level of psychological stress in children and adolescents has increased rapidly over the past decade. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based intervention programs targeting stress management and coping/resilience in school-aged children. The present study used more rigorous selection criteria than previous meta-analyses by only including randomized controlled trials to increase the validity of the meta-analysis. Fifty-five studies were selected for the analysis, including 66 comparisons in the case of stress and 47 comparisons in the case of coping/resilience outcomes. A meta-regression with robust variance estimation was used. Effects were calculated as the standardized mean difference (Hedges' g) between the intervention and control conditions at posttest. The results highlighted important methodological issues and the influence of outliers. Without outliers, the results indicated a small significant overall effect on stress (g = −0.15, p < .01) and coping/resilience (g = 0.14, p = .01). When outliers were included, the effect sizes markedly increased in both cases (g_stress = −0.26, p = .022; g_{coping/resilience} = 0.30, p = .009). Stress management interventions were more effective if they were delivered by mental health professionals or researchers than by teachers. Coping/resilience interventions were more effective in older age groups, in selective samples, and if they included cognitive behavioral therapy. An explanation of the results and a detailed discussion of the limitations of the study and its implications for practice are considered.