Classroom Intervention Research Articles

Implementation resources to support teachers’ use of behavioral classroom interventions: protocol of a randomized pilot trial

BackgroundTeacher-delivered behavioral classroom management interventions are effective for students with or at-risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other disruptive behavior challenges, but they can be difficult for teachers to use in the classroom. In this study, we will pilot test a package of implementation strategies to support teachers in using behavioral classroom interventions for students with ADHD symptoms.MethodsWe will use a 2-group, randomized controlled trial to compare outcomes for teachers who receive Positive Behavior Management Implementation Resources (PBMIR), a theory and data-driven implementation resource package designed to increase teacher implementation of behavioral classroom management interventions, with those who do not receive this additional implementation support. We will measure teacher implementation outcomes (e.g., observed fidelity to behavioral classroom interventions) and student clinical outcomes (e.g., ADHD-related impairment, ADHD symptoms, student–teacher relationship, academic performance) before and after an 8-week intervention period for both groups; we will also measure teacher-reported acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility for the PBMIR group following the intervention period.DiscussionIf there is preliminary evidence of feasibility and effectiveness, this pilot study will provide the foundation for evaluation the PBMIR at a larger scale and the potential to improve outcomes for students with or at risk for ADHD.Trial registrationThis clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) on 8/5/2022 which was prior to the time of first participant enrollment. The registration number is: NCT05489081.

Primary Student and Teacher Game Based Learning Engagement: The Problem and the Challenge

Teacher and student engagement are critical factors that have a significant impact on the learning process. The use of educational games has been shown to make learning more interactive and fun, while also promoting a sense of motivation and engagement among students. This paper aims to investigate the factors that influence student and teacher involvement in game-based learning and how to minimize the potential problem during the classroom intervention. In this preliminary study, we employ a literature review method to find the correlation between teacher and student perspectives in games, and how game-based learning potentially can improve this engagement. Research has found that teacher and student engagement are crucial factors in the learning process and that teachers play a vital role in promoting student engagement. Students who view games as relevant to their learning goals tend to be more engaged and motivated to learn. When teachers view games as a valuable tool for teaching and learning, they are more likely to incorporate them into their instruction and create opportunities for students to use them. This, in turn, leads to increased student engagement, motivation, and learning. Additionally, the use of games in the classroom has the potential to enhance the learning experience for both teachers and students. A key purpose for this review is to provide a framework that teachers might use to construct effective classroom engagement pedagogies.
 Keywords: teacher and student engagement, educational game, game-based learning

Detecting the factors affecting classroom dialogue quality

Despite the emphasis on dialogue and argumentation in educational settings, still not much is known about how best we can support learners in their interthinking, reasoning, and metadialogic understanding. The goal of this classroom intervention study is to explore the degree of students’ dialogicity and its possible increase during a learning programme implementing dialogic and argument-based teaching goals and principles. In particular, we focus on how students from 5 to 15 years old engage with each other's ideas, and whether/how this engagement is influenced by lesson and classroom setting factors. The participants were 4208 students distributed in preprimary, primary, and secondary classrooms of five countries (UK, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and Cyprus). Findings suggest that there is a consistent increase with age for some high-dialogicity moves, and students behave more dialogically in whole-class discussions rather than small-group activities.

Professional Development in Phonological Awareness for Early Childhood Educators in Low-Income, Urban Classrooms: A Pilot Study Examining Dosage Effects.

Providing high-quality literacy instruction in early childhood may positively affect the long-term outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Previous research has shown that educators are generally lacking in their own phonological awareness knowledge and skills which could negatively impact the provision of effective instruction in code-focused early literacy skills. The purposes of this pilot study were to examine the effects of differing dosages of professional development in phonological awareness on early childhood educators' (ECEs) own phonological awareness skills and instructional practices, and to examine the effects on child outcomes. The comparison group consisted of 10 ECEs who were receiving professional development in emergent literacy and a sample of 59 children from their classrooms. The intervention group was composed of 10 similar ECEs who were in the same general professional development program but received an increased dosage of training focused on phonological awareness, and a sample of 53 children from their classrooms. Results showed that ECEs in the intervention group exhibited significantly greater improvements in their own phonological awareness skills and the quality of their instructional practices than the comparison group of ECEs. In addition, children in the intervention classrooms exhibited significantly larger gains on phonological awareness skills and upper-case alphabet knowledge. The results suggest that providing increased dosages of professional development focused on code-focused early literacy skills benefits both the ECEs and children in their classrooms. Implications of the current study and directions for future research are discussed.

Insights from a randomized controlled trial of flipped classroom on academic achievement: the challenge of student resistance

Flipped classroom has been found to positively influence student achievement but the magnitude of the effect varies greatly according to discipline and local design, and few studies have been methodologically rigorous enough to establish causal evidence. Using a randomized controlled trial, this study addresses a gap in current knowledge by exploring how student responses mediate the impact of flipped classroom on academic achievement. The empirical setting is a first-year undergraduate macroeconomics course with 415 students. Comparing students in the treatment group with those in a traditional class, we find a positive, yet statistically insignificant effect on academic achievement. However, this overall effect masks important mediating effects, as students were unexpectedly reluctant to actively participate in the flipped classroom intervention. Consequently, the intervention has a substantially greater effect on academic achievement when controlling for the mediating effect of student participation which leads to consideration of the challenges of student resistance to flipped classroom.

Investigating students’ development of mechanistic reasoning in modeling complex aquatic ecosystems

IntroductionThis study reports on a classroom intervention where upper-elementary students and their teacher explored the biological phenomena of eutrophication using the Modeling and Evidence Mapping (MEME) software environment and associated learning activities. The MEME software and activities were designed to help students create and refine visual models of an ecosystem based on evidence about the eutrophication phenomena. The current study examines how students utilizing this tool were supported in developing their mechanistic reasoning when modeling complex systems. We ask the following research question: How do designed activities within a model-based software tool support the integrations of complex systems thinking and the practice of scientific modeling for elementary students?MethodsThis was a design-based research (DBR) observational study of one classroom. A new mechanistic reasoning coding scheme is used to show how students represented their ideas about mechanisms within their collaboratively developed models. Interaction analysis was then used to examine how students developed their models of mechanism in interaction.ResultsOur results revealed that students’ mechanistic reasoning clearly developed across the modeling unit they participated in. Qualitative coding of students’ models across time showed that students’ mechanisms developed from initially simplistic descriptions of cause and effect aspects of a system to intricate connections of how multiple entities within a system chain together in specific processes to effect the entire system. Our interaction analysis revealed that when creating mechanisms within scientific models students’ mechanistic reasoning was mediated by their interpretation/grasp of evidence, their collaborative negotiations on how to link evidence to justify their models, and students’ playful and creative modeling practices that emerged in interaction.DiscussionIn this study, we closely examined students’ mechanistic reasoning that emerge in their scientific modeling practices, we offer insights into how these two theoretical frameworks can be effectively integrated in the design of learning activities and software tools to better support young students’ scientific inquiry. Our analysis demonstrates a range of ways that students represent their ideas about mechanism when creating a scientific model, as well as how these unfold in interaction. The rich interactional context in this study revealed students’ mechanistic reasoning around modeling and complex systems that may have otherwise gone unnoticed, suggesting a need to further attend to interaction as a unit of analysis when researching the integration of multiple conceptual frameworks in science education.

Evaluating the effectiveness of air purification in the real-world living and learning environment for pupils: A randomized, double-blind, crossover intervention trial

Air purification has been proven to be an effective method for reducing personal fine particulate matte (PM2.5) exposure. A randomized, double-blind, crossover intervention trial involving 105 elementary school pupils in Mengzhou, China was conducted to investigate the effects of air purification interventions in living rooms and classrooms and evaluate the personal PM2.5 exposure determinants. Real-time PM2.5 samplers were used to monitor PM2.5 concentrations and questionnaires were used to collect basic information about pupils and their parents. The time-weighted method was applied to calculate personal PM2.5 concentrations and the mixed-effects model was used to examine the personal PM2.5 exposure determinants. The purification efficiencies of air devices were 32.5%–54.8% and 81.6%–92.4% in the living rooms and classrooms, respectively. Personal PM2.5 concentrations in the intervention group were lower than that in the control group. Air purification interventions, ambient PM2.5, indoor humidity, indoor temperature, temperature difference, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure were significant determinants of personal PM2.5 exposure. The living room and classroom interventions contributed to 42.31% [95% confidence interval (CI): 45.28%, 39.17%] and 21.34% (95% CI: 24.89%, 17.61%) reductions in personal PM2.5 exposure, respectively. These findings suggest that air purification interventions were effective in reducing personal PM2.5 exposure of pupils and living rooms intervention was the effective intervention method.

An active classroom intervention to improve physical activity, on‐task behavior, and academic achievement outcomes for students with disabilities

AbstractMany children with disabilities engage in less physical activity compared to their peers. This pilot‐feasibility study examines the effects of movement‐based desk and alternative seating on classroom physical activity, time on task, reading fluency, and reading comprehension scores in fourth/fifth and seventh/eighth‐grade children with disabilities. Using a cross‐over 8‐week design, action desks were included in fourth/fifth (N = 14) and seventh/eighth (N = 21) grade classrooms for students with disabilities. Levels of physical activity were measured using accelerometers; reading ability was assessed using AIMSweb Oral Reading Fluency and MAZE probes; time on task was measured using video recordings over 3 consecutive days. Data were collected at 0‐week, 4‐week, 8‐week, 12‐week, and 16‐week time points. A significant increase in metabolic equivalent was seen in fourth/fifth graders and a significant decline in time spent in sedentary activity were observed in both fourth/fifth and seventh/eighth graders. The fourth/fifth graders increased their time spent in moderate physical activity and time on task during the intervention whereas seventh/eighth graders improved oral reading fluency. How a physical activity‐based classroom may be an effective intervention in students with disabilities to improve levels of physical activity and improve academic learning is discussed.

The effects of flipped classrooms to improve learning outcomes in undergraduate health professional education: A systematic review.

The effects of flipped classrooms to improve learning outcomes in undergraduate health professional education: A systematic review.

Assessing Students’ Multimodal Texts in the Subject of English: Synthesising Peers’ and Teachers’ Recognition of Semiotic Work

While learning activities and text production in language subjects typically include multiple forms of multimodal expression, assessment in the subjects continues to a great extent to depend on students’ written texts. As a contribution to an increasing call for alignment of curricular activities and assessment, this article explores an approach to assessment of upper secondary students’ production of multimodal persuasive texts in the subject of English as an additional language (EAL). The article reports from a design-based study comprising two classroom interventions where assessment of students’ multimodal texts was conducted separately by peer groups and the teacher and researcher in collaboration, applying assessment criteria informed by multimodal social semiotic theory and operationalisations of communicative competence. Comparing the results of peer and teacher assessment of students’ multimodal persuasive texts, agreement was found relating to representational, interactional, and compositional aspects of the texts, whereas differences in views mostly concerned nuances in interpersonal aspects. Unpacking these nuances, the article concludes that peers’ and teachers’ assessments of multimodal texts complement each other in ways that can prompt fruitful discussions on meaning making in the light of context and social factors and thus contribute to heightened semiotic awareness and a broader recognition of the students’ communicative competence in the subject.

Mindfulness-based Classroom Intervention: Boon or bane to ESL Teachers in Malaysia?

Teachers as well as pupils may experience stress during the process of teaching and learning a second language in a classroom setting. Mindfulness-Based Interventions are an effective way to manage stress issues in language classrooms. This study aimed to explore the perception of selected English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers on implementing MBIs during their online lessons regarding their understanding of and challenges in its execution. The perceptions of Malaysian English language teachers of this intervention have not been adequately evaluated, despite being one of the most important stakeholders in academia. Seventeen English language instructors from two secondary schools in Perak were interviewed using a semi-structured format. The subjects were chosen using a convenient sampling method. The goal was to determine what the teachers thought about the intervention in general. In addition, their readiness and acceptance of the method are also investigated. The interview was also conducted to elicit their thoughts on the potential inhibitors and facilitators to the introduction of MBIs in their lessons. The findings indicate that the idea of mindfulness is still new to the teachers since they do not understand it collectively. The challenges associated with executing the plan are also emphasized, along with recommendations for mitigating them. Despite possible obstacles, the teachers exhibit a generally positive attitude and a strong desire to implement Mindfulness-based Interventions in their classrooms.

Representational-mapping strategies improve learning from an online statistics textbook.

Using multiple representations is an important part of learning and problem-solving in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. For students to acquire flexible knowledge of representations, they must attend to the structural information within each representation and practice making relational connections between representations. Most studies so far have only attempted to help students connect between multiple representations in the lab or short-term classroom interventions, with the intervention largely separated from students' authentic learning. The present study developed a representation-mapping intervention designed to help students interpret, coordinate, and eventually translate across multiple representations. We integrated the intervention into an online textbook being used in a college course, allowing us to study its impact in a real course over an extended period of time. The findings of this study support the efficacy of the representation-mapping intervention for facilitating learning and shed light on how to implement and refine such interventions in authentic learning contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of Dog Presence as a Therapeutic Classroom Intervention.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has called on nurse educators to increase mental health support for nursing students. Animal visit programs reduce stress, anxiety, and negative mental health feelings; however, most are intermittent and occasional. This pilot study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of integrating a therapy dog into the classroom. This pretest-posttest, two-group design study included 67 baccalaureate nursing students. Two sections of a course were taught: one section included a therapy dog and one section did not. At the end of the course, participants in the intervention group showed improvement in stress, anxiety, and happiness, whereas participants in the control group did not demonstrate any improvement. Students reported positive feelings and benefits from the presence of the therapy dog. Integrating a trained therapy dog into the classroom is both feasible and acceptable, with students identifying positively with the experience. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(6):355-358.].

Preschool Language Environments and Social Interactions in an Early Intervention Classroom: A Pilot Study

Preschoolers’ language abilities are associated with their social interactions in early childhood classrooms. Few studies, however, have examined associations between social interactions and objective measures of children’s real-time classroom language environments, information key to informing interventions to support preschool children at risk for language delays. In this pilot study, we examined associations between objective measures of real-time language environments (input and output) recorded via the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system and observations of children’s positive and negative interactions with peers and teachers in an early intervention classroom for children with developmental delays ( n = 9, seven girls). Mixed effects regression models revealed associations between children’s language environments (input and output) and their social interactions with peers and teachers. More talkative children were more likely to have a high number of positive peer interactions. Children who received more language input from teachers were more likely to have a higher number of positive teacher–child interactions, an effect that was stronger for children with the lowest language output. The results of this pilot study build on prior research by using real-time objective measurement to examine how children’s language input from peers and teachers and children’s own language output supports positive interactions within early intervention classrooms.

Escape Addict: A digital escape room for the prevention of addictions and risky behaviors in schools

Preventing addictive behaviors among teenagers is a crucial mission of public health organizations and public education institutions. However, it is chal-lenging to design effective and portable interventions for classroom settings. This research evaluates the effects of a novel classroom intervention called Escape Addict. Escape Addict is a digital escape room learning activity that aims to prevent, and raise awareness of, addictive and risky behav-iors. We conducted a controlled field experiment with 10 classes surveyed before (N = 202 pupils) and after (N = 199 pupils) the intervention, as well as 20 semi-structured interviews. Our results measured three weeks after the intervention show that Escape Addict significantly increased knowledge by 10%. Escape Addict also enabled pupils talk about addictions and risky be-haviors. The intervention had no major effect on risk perceptions and other behaviors. However, Escape Addict had heterogeneous effects. For instance, those pupils who enjoyed the intervention more, played fewer video games afterwards. Also, the effect on knowledge acquisition was stronger for pupils with higher educational achievement. Gender had limited effect. Our find-ings provide overall support that digital escape rooms represent interesting platforms to convey prevention messages in a compelling way.

Nørrebro Park School, an Experience of Danish Primary School’s Context, Priorities, and Practices

This article reports a practical experience of the implementation of the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) project in a Danish primary school. The main purpose of the paper is to discuss the benefits, priorities, facilitators, and barriers in implementing the project, describing classroom interventions, teachers’ methodology and students' responses. The research approach is qualitative, through planning, implementation, and evaluation of first-hand SEL activities in the classroom. The participants were 25 children, aged 9 and 10 years old, from the third grade in a multicultural public school located in the district of Nørrebro, an eclectic area in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The results show all the SEL activities carried out with the students, together with the teacher’s account of the student’s reactions regarding engagement and participation. We discuss the project developed by two researchers, one of them is the children’s class teacher and the other one is a Ph.D. student. For the first three months, the researchers worked together and for the last three months, the collaboration was carried out in an online format. In conclusion, the study contributes to developing research regarding field investigation experiences in the Danish system regarding social and emotional education. Furthermore, provides useful recommendations for educational professionals responsible for the application of methodology and practices to develop social and emotional competencies in a multicultural context.

Political Science after the Insurrection: Teaching about Democratic Backsliding in US Classrooms

In the context of a deeply polarized electorate, venturing into analysis of current events in the Political Science classroom can be fraught, especially regarding the quality of democracy. We argue that we have a responsibility to give students the tools to engage with the current moment of democratic tension, including questions of the quality and sustainability of democracy in ways that link with current events. The 2020–2021 academic year threw the urgency of this task into sharp relief. In this paper, we suggest a series of classroom interventions–in information literacy, conceptualization, and losers’ consent–which can help students leverage social science research skills to analyze current events without falling into undesirably heated partisan discussion. We argue that this suite of activities, which can be deployed throughout a semester, either as structured or on-the-fly interventions, can serve as a toolkit for instructors to engage their students’ pressing questions while maintaining an appropriately analytic lens.

Perception of edible insects and insect-based foods among children in Denmark: educational and tasting interventions in online and in-person classrooms

Insect-based foods may contribute to the consumption of more sustainable diets. Acceptance strategies for children are necessary to integrate insect-based foods into normal diets and lead to significant protein replacement. This study aimed to: (1) pilot the evaluation of insect-based foods in an online classroom; and (2) investigate the effects of exposing school children to educational and tasting interventions on the perception of edible insects and insectbased foods using in-person classrooms. The online classroom (n=220) used a simple intervention design where the perception of insect-based flatbreads and dhal-inspired dish were measured after exposure to the information session and tasting. The in-person classroom intervention (n=65) was composed of a lesson, food tasting, and a question-and-answer session with designated questionnaires. The online classroom response rate decreased as the number of tasks increased during the tasting or cooking sessions. Children participating in the in-person classroom session reported positive post-intervention correlations between agreeing society needing sustainable foods and willingness to consume insects. Awareness initiatives for insect-based foods for regular consumption should advance as opinions and knowledge about sustainability change.

High school biology students’ use of values in their moral argumentation and decision-making

ABSTRACT In this qualitative case study we examined the impact of a specially-designed classroom intervention for a group of 15–16-year-old Dutch biology students’ use of values in contemplating five socioscientific issues in the human-nature context. The students worked in small groups to support various aspects of their morality. An ethical matrix was used as a heuristic to explore different arguments and moral values from different perspectives. The collected data consisted of written assignments, group conversations, and individual interviews. The results show that students’ use of values differed from one issue to another. The values they used in their moral decision-making indicated that the influence of the intervention activities, aimed at enhancing a relationship between moral agent (student) and moral object (topic), was limited. The study provides evidence that the intervention positively conduced to students’ cognition of the values that are personally relevant. Recommendations for further theorization, research and practice are discussed.

School Problems and School Support for Children with Narcolepsy: Parent, Teacher, and Child Reports

To assess problems faced by children with type 1 narcolepsy (NT1) at school and obtain insight into potential interventions for these problems. We recruited children and adolescents with NT1 from three Dutch sleep-wake centers. Children, parents, and teachers completed questionnaires about school functioning, interventions in the classroom, global functioning (DISABKIDS), and depressive symptoms (CDI). Eighteen children (7-12 years) and thirty-seven adolescents (13-19 years) with NT1 were recruited. Teachers' most frequently reported school problems were concentration problems and fatigue (reported by about 60% in both children and adolescents). The most common arrangements at school were, for children, discussing school excursions (68%) and taking a nap at school (50%) and, for adolescents, a place to nap at school (75%) and discussing school excursions (71%). Regular naps at home on the weekend (children 71% and adolescents 73%) were more common than regular naps at school (children 24% and adolescents 59%). Only a minority of individuals used other interventions. School support by specialized school workers was associated with significantly more classroom interventions (3.5 versus 1.0 in children and 5.2 versus 4.1 in adolescents) and napping at school, but not with better global functioning, lower depressive symptom levels, or napping during the weekends. Children with NT1 have various problems at school, even after medical treatment. Interventions to help children with NT1 within the classroom do not seem to be fully implemented. School support was associated with the higher implementation of these interventions. Longitudinal studies are warranted to examine how interventions can be better implemented within the school.