Differential Effects of a Social Emotional Intervention Due to Classroom Characteristics

• In Event: 1-079 - Adult-Child Interactions in Early Childhood Education and Child Outcomes

Integrative Statement

Social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions aim to foster students’ academic skills by supporting their social-emotional functioning (Jones & Boufard, 2012). Many SEL programs’ theories of change hypothesize that the intervention will first impact classroom quality by supporting teacher practices, which will then improve students’ academic performance (McCormick et al., 2016). However, few studies have examined the characteristics of classrooms in which SEL programming is most successful in fostering supportive teaching practices and children’s academic skills. Given that classrooms have unique climates that vary in levels of emotional, instructional, and organizational supports prior to intervention (Hamre et al., 2013), some classrooms may be more receptive to classroom-based intervention. This paper examines the impacts of one SEL intervention, INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament, on changes in classroom climate and academic achievement. This study also explores whether the impacts of INSIGHTS vary by baseline classroom quality.

INSIGHTS is a universal classroom-based intervention that supports teachers in using effective behavior management strategies that respond appropriately to children’s unique temperaments. Twenty-two elementary schools serving primarily low-income students were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Sixty classrooms and 345 students participated in the intervention in Kindergarten. Classroom quality was measured using a total score on the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta et al., 2008). Child academic achievement was measured using the Woodcock-Johnson Applied Problems and Letter Word ID subtests (WJ-III; Woodcock et al., 2001). Analyses examining classroom outcomes were conducted using multi-level modeling with school random effects (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002). Child outcomes were tested using OLS regression models. Change scores were created to capture changes in classroom quality and academic achievement from baseline to post-treatment. To estimate impacts of INSIGHTS on classroom quality, the classroom quality change score was regressed on a treatment indicator and baseline teacher and school covariates. To estimate impacts of INSIGHTS on academic outcomes, change scores were regressed on the treatment assignment dummy and baseline teacher, school, and child covariates. An interaction between baseline classroom climate and treatment assignment was used to test moderated effects on changes in classroom quality and academic outcomes.

Results revealed no statistically significant impacts of assignment to INSIGHTS on changes in classroom climate or changes in math and reading skills. However, further examination demonstrated moderated effects between treatment and baseline classroom quality in predicting changes in classroom quality (B = -.56, p < .001) and reading skills (B = -.49, p < .05). Treatment classrooms with a higher baseline climate demonstrated larger increases in classroom climate between baseline and post-intervention than control group classrooms with similar baseline climate. In classrooms with a high baseline climate, control group students demonstrated higher reading scores at post-treatment than the treatment group. However, in classrooms with a low baseline climate, treatment group students had higher reading scores than students in the control group. Implications for implementation of interventions in classrooms and schools will be discussed.

Authors

• Erin O'Connor, New York University
  Presenting Author

• Hope White, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Samantha Harding, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Meghan McCormick, MDRC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elise Cappella, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sandee McClowry, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author