ERIC Number: EJ1141238
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Jun
Pages: 30
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0279-6015
EISSN: N/A
Starting Strong: A School-Based Indicated Prevention Program during the Transition to Kindergarten
Eisenhower, Abbey; Taylor, Heather; Baker, Bruce L.
School Psychology Review, v45 n2 p141-170 Jun 2016
Starting Strong in Kindergarten (Starting Strong) is a school-based indicated prevention targeting behavior problems, student-teacher relationships, and parent-school connectedness for children with or at risk for disruptive behavior problems during the transition to kindergarten. By use of a block-randomized, controlled trial to test program feasibility and efficacy, seven schools (representing 33 kindergarten classrooms and 97 children, 74% of whom were boys, 57% of whom were White, and 38% of whom were English language learners) were assigned to the immediate-intervention versus delayed control condition. A 10-week parent group (offered in both English and Spanish) and four-session teacher group consultation program addressed strategies for promoting positive behavior, student-teacher relationships, and parent-teacher collaboration. Feasibility was supported by high parent and teacher attendance, engagement, and satisfaction. The intervention had effects on overall parent- and teacher-reported behavior problems, as well as on parent-reported externalizing problems and parent- and teacher-reported internalizing problems, although not on a teacher-reported externalizing problems scale. Implications for sustainable, school-based mental health interventions are discussed. The transition to kindergarten may be a particularly apt time to address behavioral and relational adjustment in school.
Descriptors: Kindergarten, Prevention, Transitional Programs, Behavior Problems, Teacher Student Relationship, Parent School Relationship, At Risk Students, Randomized Controlled Trials, Feasibility Studies, Intervention, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Mental Health Programs, Multivariate Analysis, Observation, Measures (Individuals), Rating Scales
National Association of School Psychologists. 4340 East West Highway Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-657-0270; Fax: 301-657-0275; e-mail: publications@naspweb.org; Web site: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Student Teacher Relationship Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A