This study examined the feasibility and potential efficacy of the Resilience Education Program (REP), a Tier 2 school-based internalizing intervention. REP represents a hybrid intervention approach, incorporating both small-group cognitive-behavioral instruction and a check-in/check-out reinforcement-based mentorship program. A randomized…

The purpose of this study was to examine in detail the relationship between perceived parental involvement in homework (content-oriented and autonomy-oriented forms of involvement) and students' homework behavior (homework time, homework time management, and amount of homework completed). The study also looked at how the relationships between…

This is the first systematic review of the school outcome literature for behavior interventions used with middle school students exhibiting disruptive behaviors. A total of 51 investigations (published between 2000 and 2020) including 6,498 students and 264 implementers were coded on four dimensions (i.e., sample, interventions, methodology, and…

Classroom management is a common challenge in middle schools. Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a multi-tiered intervention designed to decrease problem behaviors at the classroom level (Wills et al., 2010). It is comprised of evidence-based practices such as teaching classroom expectations, increasing teacher praise, and…

Bullying in middle school can be understood through the lens of the evolutionary theory. This theory views bullying behaviours as aspects of a drive for power and status, dark facets of charisma and leadership. In this light, we seek to channel these natural instincts into more positive outlets, giving "bullies" -- and all students --…

Special education teachers are often encouraged to use praise in their instructional interactions with their students with significant support needs (SSN). It is assumed that reinforcing behavior facilitates learning and academic achievement for these students. Despite a myriad of interventions aimed at increasing special education teachers' use…

Middle school teachers frequently struggle with positively managing student behavior. However, praise-to-reprimand ratios (PRRs) have received little research attention. PRRs studied in elementary school have been positively associated with improvements in on-task and prosocial behavior, but limited research has been conducted on optimal PRRs in…

This cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of the CHAMPS classroom management program on the social behavioral and academic outcomes of a large diverse sample of middle school students within an urban context. Participants included 102 teachers and 1,450 students in sixth to eighth grade. Two-level hierarchical linear models…

This study provides evidence on the impact of including warm messages in elaborated feedback. These messages are aimed at the motivational process that can be mobilised by feedback and that which can condition its reception and the way students face the task (post-feedback behaviour). In a task where secondary school students had to learn a new…

The effectiveness of behavioral interventions can be dependent on the fidelity with which practitioners design and implement those methods. Fidelity refers to the degree to which interventions are implemented as intended. Interventions implemented with low fidelity do not achieve anticipated results with students, whereas high-fidelity…

Positioning students as competent is a teaching practice that uses specific, explicit affirmations to note that students have contributed something meaningful to the community of learners. It supports student agency in the mathematics classroom and contributes to the development of a positive mathematics identity. In this article, the authors…

Following a review of the literature to identify core principles of schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS), this study employed coding methods to examine teacher concerns as expressed in their responses to an open-ended probe in five middle schools. Teachers in all schools expressed concerns for their colleagues' support…

Youth development researchers have focused on persistent challenges facing youth in diverse urban settings; thus, we know less about youth in rural communities. Using multilevel modeling, we explored contextual factors associated with school grades and educational aspirations. We find that, on average relative to students from urban schools,…

The aim of this study was to examine how different bystander roles in peer victimisation situations relate to moral disengagement, defender self-efficacy, and student-teacher relationship quality. Self-reported survey data were collected from 333 middle and junior high school students (10-15 years of age) from four schools in Sweden. Random…

School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) relies on effective implementation of Tier 1 practices to ensure accurate identification of students in need of more intensive supports at Tier 2 or Tier 3. While measures of school-level fidelity are widely used, measures of classroom-level implementation of Tier 1 supports are…