Classroom-based Intervention Research Articles

Students’ Perceptions of Intersemiotically Cohesive Teaching Materials Designed for English for Agriculture

Multimodal materials have become ubiquitous in language teaching classes. However, growing evidence suggests that misalignments between multimodal elements can mislead or even confuse students. To explore such concerns, this paper focuses on the design and pedagogical application of intersemiotically cohesive multimodal materials in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context. Specifically, utilizing a classroom-based intervention with two groups of Thai undergraduates (N = 41) enrolled on an English for agriculture course, we employed think-aloud protocols and video recordings to capture their interactions with multimodal materials we designed. The video recordings were then used for video-stimulated focus group interviews with six representatives from each group. This allowed us to explore how these students perceived and interacted with our designed materials and enabled us to investigate how a congruence between written text, visuals, hyperlinks to translations and audio, and consciousness-raising questions affected their learning experience. The findings revealed that well-integrated multimodal resources supported vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. However, students reported challenges with the abstraction of text and usability of hyperlinks, suggesting areas for further material refinement. Based on our results, we make recommendations for multimodal material design and underscore the critical need for cohesive educational resources to ensure learning effectiveness and accessibility.

Fostering Culturally Responsive Teaching Through the Identity Project Intervention: A Qualitative Quasi-Experiment with Pre-Service Teachers

ABSTRACT The framework of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) provides a promising pathway for preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools. Important elements of culturally responsive teaching are critical reflection, valuing cultural diversity, and efficacy in teaching in a diverse classroom. The present study explores whether the Identity Project (Umaña-Taylor & Douglass, 2017), an eight-week classroom-based intervention, changes pre-service teachers’ (1) critical reflection, (2) diversity beliefs, and CRT efficacy. Using a qualitative, quasi-experimental design, we conducted semi-structured interviews (M t = 75 min.) with eight pre-service teachers (three identified as female, five identified as male), in Eastern Germany at two time points: before and after an eight-week teaching experience at school. During the teaching experience, four participants in the intervention group (M age = 22.3) facilitated the Identity Project, while the remaining four participants (control group, M age = 25.5) taught regular lessons as part of the compulsory internship in their teacher-training degree at university. One out of eight participants is of immigrant descent. Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), findings suggest that implementing the Identity Project intervention promotes pre-service teachers’ quality of critical reflection, contributes to valuing cultural diversity beliefs, and promotes CRT efficacy. The findings help to identify approaches for reflexive critical education in a migration-diverse society.

Advocating for Disciplinary Reform Through a Systematic Review of School Discipline Laws and State Guidance Across the United States

We conducted a systematic documentary content analysis of state laws and state education agency (SEA) disciplinary guidance from all 50 states in the United States. We focused on zero tolerance policies, mandates for review of disproportionality in discipline data, the utilization of school resource officers in discipline, corporal punishment, and prevention. Knowledge of practices throughout the United States is critical for school psychologists to advocate for socially just disciplinary practices and reform. Most state laws require zero tolerance practices for weapons and drug related offenses, yet very few mandate zero tolerance for minor offenses such as insubordination or disrespect. Only nine states require SEAs to review data for disproportionality or require school districts to remedy disproportionality when it is present. Eleven states allow for school resource officers to be involved in discipline outside of high-level safety concerns. Additionally, 23 states still allow corporal punishment in schools. Many states offer guidance to districts on the implementation of multitiered systems of support (MTSS), positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), restorative practices, progressive discipline, and classroom-based interventions. Implications for school psychologists advocating for disciplinary reform at the local, state, and national level will be discussed. Impact Statement The researchers conducted a systematic national content analysis of school discipline laws and SEA guidance documents. We hope that the findings about school disciplinary laws and SEA guidance in each state will assist school psychologists in targeting their advocacy and reform efforts for more equitable and proactive disciplinary practices at the local, state, and national level.

Student's and Classmates' Prosocial Behavior predict Academic Engagement in Middle School.

Students' academic engagement is greatly informed by a classroom's social climate. However, more research is needed regarding how specific peer behavior, especially prosocial behavior, come to shape academic engagement. The present study investigated whether students' perceptions about their classmates' prosocial behavior were associated with their academic engagement (cognitive, behavioral, affective) across the school year. Indirect effects via increases in students' own prosocial behavior were examined. Participants were 905 middle school students from rural, low-income communities in the Midwestern United States (50% girls, 46% boys; Mage = 12.94 years). Students completed self-report surveys in the fall and spring of the 2022-2023 school year. Results revealed that students' perceptions of their classmates' prosocial behavior were positively associated with students' own prosocial behavior. Students' own prosocial behavior was positively associated with all three dimensions of engagement. The positive indirect effect of classmates' prosocial behavior on engagement through students' own prosocial behavior was significant. The findings highlight the importance of classmates' behavior on individuals' academic engagement and offer insights into classroom-based interventions aimed at improving collective behavior.

Measuring Teacher Talk and the Behavior of Autistic Students in Preschool Through Third-Grade Special Education Mathematics Activities

Abstract Objectives Teacher talk provides the medium for teaching and learning. However, there has been little emphasis on conceptualizing and measuring teacher talk within specific contexts and populations or the influence that child behavior has on teacher talk. We described and investigated varying models of teacher talk directed individually toward autistic students within 96 special education mathematics activities drawn from larger mathematics lessons. We also examined child behavior within mathematics contexts measured through observation and via teacher report. Methods Our participants included 39 preschool–third-grade teachers across 14 districts in California and their 66 autistic students (Mage = 6.74 years, SD = 2.04). We utilized archival video observations from the start of the school year collected as part of a longitudinal study examining a classroom-based intervention for autistic students. Results Our findings provide support for a five-factor model of teacher talk (instructional talk, questioning techniques, responsive language, directive language, and foundational talk) and shed light upon teachers’ overuse of directive language to direct or redirect autistic students’ behavior relative to the other talk dimensions. We also documented a significant positive association between teachers’ use of non-task-related directives and student emotion dysregulation. Conclusions This detailed evaluation of teacher talk provides a promising means for gauging the quality of instructional talk and the experiences of elementary-aged autistic students within special education mathematics contexts. Tailoring professional development for educators that centers on understanding developmental characteristics associated with autism and highlighting teacher talk as a targeted intervention is an area for further study.

Adopting ChatGPT as a writing buddy in the advanced L2 writing class

Since its release, ChatGPT has raised concerns in many teaching contexts given its threat to reliably evaluating learners’ knowledge and skills. Within task-based pedagogy, however, this technology opens new avenues for second language (L2) teaching when adopting the technology as a writing buddy. Our study explores how ChatGPT as a model impacts the revision process of advanced L2 writers of German. Twenty-two university students participated in a two-week classroom-based intervention, producing two summaries of popular-scientific texts in L2 German. After writing a first draft, they compared their summaries with texts produced by ChatGPT (3.5) and revised, where necessary, their own text. In this paper, we analyze all students’ rubrics-based ratings of the ChatGPT models and present data of six focus students’ screen-recorded revision processes that we coded for revision focus, source, and success. Results reveal students’ growing awareness of characteristics of ChatGPT-output, such as linguistic accuracy and fluency, as well as its flaws in content provision. Revision data demonstrate that students skillfully made use of the models to improve their own texts. To conclude, our study provides evidence that using ChatGPT as models in writing and revision processes can stimulate higher-order thinking in the revision process of advanced L2 students.

Associations between Middle Schoolers’ Adjustment and Perceptions of Their Teachers’ Social-Emotional Practices

Middle school students’ prosocial behavior, classroom engagement, and sense of belonging tend to decline across the school year. This study addressed whether these declines are associated with students’ perceptions of their relationship with their teacher and the extent to which their teacher promoted respect among classmates. Self-report surveys were gathered in fall and spring from middle school students (N = 351) in low-income, rural communities. Results indicated within-year declines for boys in prosocial behavior, affective engagement, belonging, student-teacher relationships, and teacher promotion of classroom respect; there were smaller to no effects for girls. However, when students perceived improvements in their teacher’s social-emotional practices over the school year, they reported increased prosocial behavior, engagement and belonging at the end of the school year. Results were stronger for boys. These results suggest that students’ perceptions of their teachers’ social-emotional practices can have important implications for their engagement and social development across the school year, especially among boys. Suggestions for classroom-based interventions are discussed.

Using a theory of change approach to support teachers’ action research inquiries

ABSTRACT Engaging teachers in action research (AR) in their own classrooms has long been established as a means to support their professional development and the quality of their practice. Yet it also presents distinct challenges. Teachers have to find ways to align the requirements of teaching practice and AR, within the demands of their education systems. This paper explores whether teachers could be supported in this by using a Theory of Change (ToC) approach within their AR projects. Data are reported from a small-scale empirical study where teachers received training on applying a ToC approach to the development, implementation and monitoring of their own classroom-based interventions. Findings suggest this helped them to think critically about, and make changes to, their practice, while also strengthening their AR’s rigour and transferability. It was, however, less successful in developing teachers’ thinking about evidencing impact, with wider policy emphases on identifying interventions that work to improve outcomes on narrow measures remaining influential. The paper concludes that a ToC approach can be valuable within teachers’ AR projects but raises questions about what might realistically be expected when it is applied in ways commensurate with teachers’ capacities and prior research experience, in contexts dominated by discourses about ‘what works’.

Improving 5th Grade Mathematics Knowledge with Worked Examples and Self-Explanation Prompts

Prior short-term studies have shown the effectiveness of worked examples and self-explanation prompts in improving elementary students’ mathematics knowledge. However, year-long classroom-based interventions have been tested only with older students. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effectiveness of a year-long classroom intervention, MathByExample, which paired worked examples and self-explanation prompts with practice problems. We utilized a classroom-based experimental design where 5th-grade classrooms were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Findings illustrate that intervention dosage impacts the effectiveness of the intervention in improving 5th graders’ grade-level mathematics knowledge. In addition, prior knowledge impacted the effectiveness of the intervention for two of the four outcome variables. This study expands the literature on the use of worked examples and self-explanation prompts in several ways. It provides evidence that this tool has the potential to improve elementary students’ learning. It included four different measures of math knowledge, which provides stronger support for the effectiveness of the intervention. Finally, it adds to the literature that shows the benefits of studying and explaining both correct and incorrect worked examples.

Introducing a classroom-based intervention to regulate problem behaviours using metacognitive strategies

Introducing a classroom-based intervention to regulate problem behaviours using metacognitive strategies

Preprofessional teachers’ and speech-language pathologists’ attitudes toward collaborative service delivery in classrooms

Despite policies favoring delivery of interventions for children with communication disorders in the classroom, most school-based interventions are delivered outside the classroom. Both teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have been found to have positive attitudes toward classroom-delivered intervention and the collaboration skills required to implement it. The purpose of this study was to explore preservice teacher and SLP attitudes toward inclusive service delivery and perceptions of their collaboration skills. The study used convergent mixed-methods, two-group design with participants completing an assignment requiring interprofessional collaboration. Twenty-nine preservice teachers and SLPs consented to the preassignment survey, and 37 consented to the postassignment survey. Compared to preservice teachers, preservice SLPs more strongly agreed that interventions are best delivered in the classroom. After the collaborative assignment, participants more strongly agreed that SLPs should implement classroom-based interventions. The preservice SLPs more strongly agreed that they had skills to identify children's language needs in the classroom. Barriers to collaboration included differences in goals, role understanding, and level of preparation across the professions. The findings suggest that to foster more inclusive delivery, professional preparation programs require more focus on building skills in respectfully managing differences in what each professional brings to classroom-based language interventions.

Educational Interventions in Immigrants for Asthma and COPD: A Systematic Review.

Asthma and COPD are prevalent respiratory conditions among immigrants, yet many individuals in this population do not effectively utilize available therapies, resulting in exacerbations and limitations in their daily lives. This systematic review seeks to describe asthma/COPD educational interventions specifically tailored for immigrant patients and assess their variability and outcomes, with the ultimate goal of improving self-management and achieving better asthma or COPD control in this population. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using four electronic databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo). Articles were included if they focused on asthma or COPD interventions conducted in immigrant populations. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of included articles. Out of the initial 1173 articles identified, 812 were assessed for eligibility. Six articles met the inclusion criteria for educational interventions targeting immigrants with asthma or COPD. These studies explored the effectiveness of interventions on various immigrant populations using different methodologies including group discussion of photographs and classroom-based interventions. The interventions varied in terms of settings, educational materials, and delivery methods. Positive outcomes were observed in areas such as knowledge, understanding of instructions, and inhaler technique. However, the included studies had limitations in assessing the impact on asthma and COPD self-management and sustainability. More research is needed on asthma and COPD management in immigrants. The interventions included in this review had positive effects on outcomes like inhaler technique and asthma knowledge. However, due to variability in outcome measures, it is difficult to directly compare the interventions. Future studies should include diverse immigrant populations, consider the specific migration status of the immigrants, long-term sustainability of the intervention and use culturally tailored approaches to improve respiratory health in this population.

Effects of simulation-based education module on delirium care in undergraduate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

AimTo examine the effects of a delirium education module on undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge of and perceived confidence and competence in delirium care. BackgroundDelirium is common in intensive care units (ICUs) and leads to poor clinical outcomes. The under recognition of delirium is a major problem in ICU medicine. Nurses, as first-line health care providers, can address this by recognizing patients who are experiencing delirium. Since undergraduate nursing students will be the future ICU nurses, it is important to deliver the knowledge regarding delirium care. However, education about assessing delirium in ICUs among undergraduate nursing students is lacking. DesignQuasi-experimental study. MethodsA total of 74 undergraduate students were divided into an intervention group (n=34) and a comparison group (n=40). A 2-hour simulation-based delirium education module integrated into a critical care curriculum was delivered to the intervention group only. The classroom-based intervention was administered at a medical university in northern Taiwan. Study outcomes were measured using a structured survey including (1) a 16-item delirium care knowledge quiz, (2) confidence in delirium care scale and (3) competence in delirium care scale. The survey was distributed to students before and after the module in December 2020. The Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were adopted to test the differences of all variables between groups. A generalized estimating equation model was used to investigate the adjusted treatment effects. ResultsThe participants had a median age of 22 years and 81% were female. The delirium education module yielded greater knowledge (B = 3.04, 95% confidence interval = 2.20–3.88), confidence (B = 4.20, 95% confidence interval = 2.67–5.73) and competence (B = 4.82, 95% confidence interval = 3.33–6.30) in delirium care when the treatment and control groups were compared. ConclusionsFor undergraduate nursing students, simulation-based education module is effective in improving the knowledge of and confidence and competence in delirium care. It is recommended that this be included in critical care nursing curricula.

The Impact of Shadow Reading Techniques on Enhancing Reading Fluency among First-Year Students: A Classroom-Based Intervention Study

The study employed a quantitative research design to explore the current reading fluency of the first year students at Dai Nam University in Hanoi, Vietnam. The participants consisted of 123 first year student who have completed their first semester of English study. The findings showed that the reading fluency was at low level; M=2.74. The findings demonstrate that shadow reading techniques have a positive effect on the reading fluency of first-year students. This improvement is evident in their ability to read words accurately and quickly, maintain a consistent reading pace, and exhibit appropriate expression and intonation. As a result of improved fluency, students are better equipped to comprehend and understand the text they read. This has implications for their overall reading achievement and academic success. The study reveals that shadow reading not only enhances fluency but also increases students' motivation and engagement with reading. Students who participated in shadow reading activities reported a greater enjoyment of reading. Future investigations may delve deeper into specific factors influencing the effectiveness of shadow reading, explore its long-term impact on reading achievement, and examine variations in effectiveness among diverse student populations.

Three-Year Program Evaluation of a University-Public School Collaborative Partnership.

This clinical focus article reports on an innovative program that provides classroom-based speech and language services to school children receiving speech-language therapy while addressing the need for clinical placements for graduate students in speech-language pathology. This program evaluation report centers around the logic model used to develop and implement the program. The program was implemented in partnership between a university program in speech-language pathology and a nearby school district. The program took place in two different schools within the district, each with one state licensed and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association-certified speech-language pathologist (SLP) who supervised two or three graduate student interns per year of the project for a total of 17 graduate students over 3 years. Data sources for this program evaluation included child-level data collected by graduate student interns, teacher satisfaction surveys, and semistructured interviews. Program stakeholders including graduate student interns, speech-language pathology supervisors, and the school district administrator provided converging positive feedback about the program implementation. This was corroborated by favorable ratings from teachers who collaborated with graduate student interns and an increase in the number of classroom-based intervention hours for school children receiving speech-language services. The short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes of the program's logic model were achieved in part or fully as supported by data sources used for program evaluation procedures. Clinical implications are provided about the need for innovation in school-based services with a focus on collaborative classroom-based intervention.

Nudging students' interest in learning a new language: An experimental proof of concept for an online informational-nudge

Motivating students to persist in learning they did not choose is one of the most challenging parts of being an educator. Psychological, classroom-based interventions have been popularized, but less research has explored online support outside the classroom. An experimental test of the efficacy of a programme of informational nudge videos for the support of students' interest in learning a new language during compulsory university course in Japan was conducted. First/second year students (n = 2364; F = 627), participated in the experimental study. The experimental group watched 14 engaging informational videos (mean = 56 s) twice. The control group watched 14 videos that taught a specific an English phrase for the same amount of time. Prior/post individual interest, and prior utility-value for learning English, and their prior course self-efficacy were collected. Students pre/post English knowledge and their persistence in course online learning components was collected. Following latent profile analysis based on prior variables, the full sample and each subgroup was used to test a fully-forward longitudinal Structural Equation Model which tested the impact of the experiment on students' future individual interest in learning English. The LPA reveal three latent subgroups labelled low, moderate and high motivation. SEM test indicated a small, positive experimental effect for full sample (β = .05) and a larger effect for the moderate motivation subgroup (β = .08). Post individual interest for the moderate group was a significant predictor of e-learning persistence (β = .23), which predicted future knowledge (β = 10). This pilot programme of informational nudges presented a small significant longitudinal effect for future individual interest for the full sample and moderate motivation subgroup. This was followed by subsequent mediated links to e-learning persistence and knowledge growth. The informational nudge experiment presented positive results indicating that these informational, “light-touch” nudges have the propensity to support students' interest in learning.

Fostering students’ peer relationships through the classroom-based intervention FRIEND-SHIP

ABSTRACT Social inclusion is a key factor in the well-being and mental health of students. This article describes the findings of the FRIEND-SHIP intervention study to promote social competences and social inclusion within classrooms. The data presented are drawn from teacher interviews conducted before and after the FRIEND-SHIP intervention with students in primary and lower secondary schools, as well as from entries in diaries that the teachers kept during the intervention. A thematic analysis suggests that the intervention improved both students’ social competences and their social inclusion. Furthermore, the program enhanced teachers’ awareness of their daily teaching routines. Suggestions for the program’s improvement based on its practical implementation are also presented and discussed.

Strategies for remediating the impact of math anxiety on high school math performance

Students with math anxiety experience excessive levels of negative emotion, including intrusive and distracting thoughts, when attempting to learn about math or complete a math assignment. Consequently, math anxiety is associated with maladaptive study skills, such as avoidance of homework and test preparation, creating significant impediments for students to fulfill their potential in math classes. To combat the impact of math anxiety on academic performance, we introduced two classroom-based interventions across two samples of high school math students: one intervention focused on emotion regulation (ER) using cognitive reappraisal, a technique for reframing an anxious situation, and the other intervention encouraged students to improve their study habits. The Study Skills (SS) intervention was associated with increased grades for highly anxious students during the intervention period, whereas the ER intervention was less efficacious in countering anxiety-related decreases in grade performance. The SS intervention encouraged highly math-anxious students to incorporate self-testing and overcome avoidant behaviors, increasing academic performance and ameliorating performance deficits associated with increased anxiety that were observed in both groups prior to intervention, and that persisted in the ER group. Notably, the benefits observed for the SS group extended to the post-intervention quarter, indicating the potential lasting effects of this intervention. These results support the hypothesis that using better study strategies and encouraging more frequent engagement with math resources would help highly-anxious students habituate to their math anxiety and ameliorate the negative effects of anxiety on performance, ultimately increasing their math comprehension and academic achievement.

Meet Up Buddy Up: effective strategies to promote 4th grade students' intergroup prosocial behavior

IntroductionGiven the changing demographics in the U.S., it has become increasingly important to promote prosocial behavior toward those dissimilar from oneself. This research is the first to examine the degree to which children's group-based prosocial behavior, specifically, prosocial behavior directed to other-gender peers, can be promoted through simple classroom-based intervention strategies.MethodsUsing a randomized controlled trial (RCT) pre- and post-design with 346 4th graders from four schools in the Southwest U.S. over 1 academic year, we examined the effect of simultaneously implementing two strategies for promoting relationships among diverse peers, Meet Up and Buddy Up (MUBU). MU involved promoting group/classroom level peer interactions whereas BU focused on dyadic peer interactions.Results and discussionPath analysis yielded support for our hypothesis that MUBU effectively increased children's other-gender prosociality above and beyond baseline prosociality. The finding speaks to the utility of relationship-building for enhancing children's intergroup prosocial behavior. We discussed implications for research and educational practices.

Effect of a Classroom-based Intervention on the Social Skills of Students with Learning Difficulties

Children with learning difficulties often face challenges in social skills, hindering their ability to adjust and interact within society. The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a training program designed to enhance the social skills of individuals with disabilities. The quasi-experimental study involved 20 primary school students with learning difficulties exhibiting deficits in social skills in the United Arab Emirates. To evaluate the level of social skills of the sample children, a social skills assessment scale was employed, which was developed by the researchers. The assessment scale consisted of 24 statements that were organized into three dimensions based on previous research and theoretical frameworks. The results of the present study showed that the training program significantly and positively impacted the social skills of these children. There were statistically significant disparities between the mean ranks of the experimental group and the control group's scores on the social skills assessment scale after program completion. In conclusion, the study recommends integrating the developed training and similar programs into the public and private education curricula, including both government and private schools, to improve the social communication abilities of children with learning difficulties. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SIED2-011 Full Text: PDF