scholarly journals Effects of the ACT OUT! Social Issue Theater Program on Social-Emotional Competence and Bullying in Youth and Adolescents: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/17900 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e17900
Author(s):  
Jon Agley ◽  
Wasantha Jayawardene ◽  
Mikyoung Jun ◽  
Daniel L Agley ◽  
Ruth Gassman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Issue ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Level ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Theater Program ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background Students in the United States spend a meaningful portion of their developmental lives in school. In recent years, researchers and educators have begun to focus explicitly on social and emotional learning (SEL) in the school setting. Initial evidence from meta-analyses suggests that curricula designed to promote SEL likely produce benefits in terms of social-emotional competence (SEC) and numerous related behavioral and affective outcomes. At the same time, there are often barriers to implementing such curricula as intended, and some researchers have questioned the strength of the evaluation data from SEL programs. As part of the effort to improve programming in SEL, this paper describes the protocol for a cluster randomized trial of the ACT OUT! Social Issue Theater program, a brief psychodramatic intervention to build SEC and reduce bullying behavior in students. Objective The objective of this trial is to examine if a short dose of interactive psychodrama can affect SEC metrics and bullying experiences in schoolchildren in either the short (2-week) or medium (6-month) term. Methods The ACT OUT! trial is a cluster randomized superiority trial with 2 parallel groups. The unit of measurement is the student, and the unit of randomization is the classroom. For each grade (fourth, seventh, and 10th), an even number of classrooms will be selected from each school—half will be assigned to the intervention arm and half will be assigned to the control arm. The intervention will consist of 3 moderated psychodramatic performances by trained actors, and the control condition will be the usual school day. Outcome data will be collected at baseline (preintervention), 2-week postintervention (short term), and 6-month postintervention (medium term). Outcomes will include social-emotional competency; self-reported bullying and experiences of being bullied; receptivity to the program; and school-level data on truancy, absenteeism, and referrals to school displinary action for bullying. A power analysis adjusted for clustering effect, design effect, and potential attrition yielded a need for approximately 1594 students, consisting of an estimated 80 classrooms split evenly into intervention and control arms. Results This study was funded in June 2019; approved by the Indiana University Institutional review board on September 17, 2019; began subject recruitment on November 5, 2019; and prospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. Conclusions Many states have issued recommendations for the integration of SEL into schools. The proposed study uses a rigorous methodology to determine if the ACT OUT! psychodramatic intervention is a cost-effective means of bolstering SEC and reducing bullying incidence in schools. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04097496; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04097496 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/17900

scholarly journals Effects of ACT Out! Social Issue Theater on Social-Emotional Competence and Bullying in Youth and Adolescents: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

10.2196/25860 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e25860
Author(s):  
Jon Agley ◽  
Mikyoung Jun ◽  
Lori Eldridge ◽  
Daniel L Agley ◽  
Yunyu Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Issue ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Independent Observer ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Bullying Perpetration ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Background Schools increasingly prioritize social-emotional competence and bullying and cyberbullying prevention, so the development of novel, low-cost, and high-yield programs addressing these topics is important. Further, rigorous assessment of interventions prior to widespread dissemination is crucial. Objective This study assesses the effectiveness and implementation fidelity of the ACT Out! Social Issue Theater program, a 1-hour psychodramatic intervention by professional actors; it also measures students’ receptiveness to the intervention. Methods This study is a 2-arm cluster randomized control trial with 1:1 allocation that randomized either to the ACT Out! intervention or control (treatment as usual) at the classroom level (n=76 classrooms in 12 schools across 5 counties in Indiana, comprised of 1571 students at pretest in fourth, seventh, and tenth grades). The primary outcomes were self-reported social-emotional competence, bullying perpetration, and bullying victimization; the secondary outcomes were receptiveness to the intervention, implementation fidelity (independent observer observation), and prespecified subanalyses of social-emotional competence for seventh- and tenth-grade students. All outcomes were collected at baseline and 2-week posttest, with planned 3-months posttest data collection prevented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Intervention fidelity was uniformly excellent (>96% adherence), and students were highly receptive to the program. However, trial results did not support the hypothesis that the intervention would increase participants’ social-emotional competence. The intervention’s impact on bullying was complicated to interpret and included some evidence of small interaction effects (reduced cyberbullying victimization and increased physical bullying perpetration). Additionally, pooled within-group reductions were also observed and discussed but were not appropriate for causal attribution. Conclusions This study found no superiority for a 1-hour ACT Out! intervention compared to treatment as usual for social-emotional competence or offline bullying, but some evidence of a small effect for cyberbullying. On the basis of these results and the within-group effects, as a next step, we encourage research into whether the ACT Out! intervention may engender a bystander effect not amenable to randomization by classroom. Therefore, we recommend a larger trial of the ACT Out! intervention that focuses specifically on cyberbullying, measures bystander behavior, is randomized by school, and is controlled for extant bullying prevention efforts at each school. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04097496; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04097496 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.2196/17900

scholarly journals Effects of ACT Out! Social Issue Theater on Social-Emotional Competence and Bullying in Youth and Adolescents: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Agley ◽  
Mikyoung Jun ◽  
Lori Eldridge ◽  
Daniel L Agley ◽  
Yunyu Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Issue ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Independent Observer ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Bullying Perpetration ◽  
Cluster Randomized

BACKGROUND Schools increasingly prioritize social-emotional competence and bullying and cyberbullying prevention, so the development of novel, low-cost, and high-yield programs addressing these topics is important. Further, rigorous assessment of interventions prior to widespread dissemination is crucial. OBJECTIVE This study assesses the effectiveness and implementation fidelity of the ACT Out! Social Issue Theater program, a 1-hour psychodramatic intervention by professional actors; it also measures students’ receptiveness to the intervention. METHODS This study is a 2-arm cluster randomized control trial with 1:1 allocation that randomized either to the ACT Out! intervention or control (treatment as usual) at the classroom level (n=76 classrooms in 12 schools across 5 counties in Indiana, comprised of 1571 students at pretest in fourth, seventh, and tenth grades). The primary outcomes were self-reported social-emotional competence, bullying perpetration, and bullying victimization; the secondary outcomes were receptiveness to the intervention, implementation fidelity (independent observer observation), and prespecified subanalyses of social-emotional competence for seventh- and tenth-grade students. All outcomes were collected at baseline and 2-week posttest, with planned 3-months posttest data collection prevented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS Intervention fidelity was uniformly excellent (>96% adherence), and students were highly receptive to the program. However, trial results did not support the hypothesis that the intervention would increase participants’ social-emotional competence. The intervention’s impact on bullying was complicated to interpret and included some evidence of small interaction effects (reduced cyberbullying victimization and increased physical bullying perpetration). Additionally, pooled within-group reductions were also observed and discussed but were not appropriate for causal attribution. CONCLUSIONS This study found no superiority for a 1-hour ACT Out! intervention compared to treatment as usual for social-emotional competence or offline bullying, but some evidence of a small effect for cyberbullying. On the basis of these results and the within-group effects, as a next step, we encourage research into whether the ACT Out! intervention may engender a bystander effect not amenable to randomization by classroom. Therefore, we recommend a larger trial of the ACT Out! intervention that focuses specifically on cyberbullying, measures bystander behavior, is randomized by school, and is controlled for extant bullying prevention efforts at each school. CLINICALTRIAL Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04097496; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04097496 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.2196/17900

scholarly journals A Cluster Randomized Trial of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS®) With Swedish Preschool Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilianne Eninger ◽  
Laura Ferrer-Wreder ◽  
Kyle Eichas ◽  
Tina M. Olsson ◽  
Hanna Ginner Hau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Randomized Trial ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Thinking Strategies ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Emotional Knowledge

The preschool edition of Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS®) is a school-based, teacher implemented universal intervention developed in the United States designed to promote social emotional competence (SEC) in children as a foundation for improved mental health. PATHS is delivered as a curriculum and it is based on theories and research regarding SEC, brain development, and optimal school environments. A majority of children in Sweden attend preschool, which is government-subsidized and follows a national curriculum focusing on both academic and social emotional learning. However, there is not so much focus on formal instruction nor manual-based lessons. The purpose of this study was to assess the short-term (pre- to post-test) effects of PATHS in the Swedish preschool setting. Using a two-wave cluster randomized trial with multi-method and informant assessment (N = 285 4 and 5-year-old Swedish children; n = 145 wait-list control; n = 140 intervention; K = 26 preschools; k = 13 intervention; k = 13 control) we assessed changes in child emotional knowledge, emotional awareness, social problem solving, prosocial play, inhibitory control, and working memory using structural equation modeling (SEM). We included schools with at least one classroom of 4–5-year-old children from three municipalities. We excluded open preschools, parent cooperative preschools, and family day homes. After random assignment, schools were informed of condition assignment. Research team members were not blind to assignment. We hypothesized that relative to children in control schools, children in intervention schools would evidence improvements in social emotional competence as well as other outcomes. Children in PATHS, relative to children in the control, evidenced improvements in working memory and prosocial play, but also showed an increase in hyperactive behaviors. Girls in PATHS, relative to girls in the control, showed improvement in emotional knowledge and reduced anxiety. These results are considered in light of efforts to promote positive development and mental health. The trial registration number at ClinicalTrials.gov is NCT04512157. Main funding was from Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research Council, Formas, and VINNOVA (dnr: 259-2012-71).

Social-Emotional Competence in Down Syndrome

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Dimachkie ◽  
Connie L. Kasari
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Social Problem Solving ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Prosocial Orientation ◽  
Expression Of Emotions ◽  
Prism Model

This chapter aims to synthesize historical and contemporary literature to provide an overarching understanding of social-emotional competence in individuals with Down syndrome, where social-emotional competence refers to the skills necessary to allow for successful social relationships, as well as the ability to regulate the experience and expression of emotions. Using the framework of Rose-Krasnor’s prism model, this chapter addresses each of the four components that underlie the development of social-emotional competence: self-regulation, social awareness, prosocial orientation, and social problem-solving. The development of each of these components is described for individuals with Down syndrome, and a description of the typical developmental trajectory is given for reference. The short-term and long-term implications of each component are also discussed, as they relate to the individual’s overall social-emotional competence. This overview aims to highlight what is known regarding social-emotional competence in individuals with Down syndrome, as well as to identify areas in which knowledge is lacking.

Associations Between Preschoolers' Social-Emotional Competence and Preliteracy Skills

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 549-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Curby ◽  
Chavaughn A. Brown ◽  
Hideko Hamada Bassett ◽  
Susanne A. Denham
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Social Emotional Competence ◽  
Preliteracy Skills
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