Suchergebnisse

This article presents the findings of an exploratory randomised controlled trial of the PAX Good Behaviour Game (PAX GBG) in Northern Ireland. The PAX GBG is an evidence‐based universal prevention programme designed to improve mental health by increasing self‐regulation, academic engagement, and decreasing disruptive behaviour in children. The study was designed in line with the Medical Research Council guidance on the development of complex interventions and is based on the Medical Research Council framework, more specifically within a Phase 2 exploratory trial. The study used a cluster randomised controlled trial design with a total of 15 schools (19 classes) randomised to intervention and control. This article reports specifically on the outcome of self‐regulation with 355 elementary school pupils in year 3 (age M = 7.40, SD = 0.30). Participating schools in the trial were located in areas of socio‐economic disadvantage. The teachers in the intervention group received training in the delivery of the PAX GBG and implemented the PAX GBG intervention for 12 weeks. A range of pre‐ and post‐test measures, including child reported behaviours, were undertaken. After the 12 weeks of implementation, this exploratory trial provided some evidence that the PAX GBG may help improve self‐regulation (d = .42) in participating pupils, while the findings suggest that it may offer a feasible mental health prevention and early intervention approach for Northern Ireland classrooms. However, a larger definitive trial would be needed to verify the findings in this study.

This article reports results of a phase 2 exploratory trial of a vocabulary program delivered in elementary schools to improve student's reading ability, including their comprehension. The intervention was tested as a targeted intervention in classrooms with children aged 7-10 across 20 weeks during one school year, with eligible students learning in small groups of four. Teachers and support staff received training in this cooperative learning approach to develop children's vocabulary with particular focus on Tier‐2 words. School staff received additional support and resources to equip them to develop and implement the vocabulary instruction sessions to targeted students. The trial was undertaken with a sample of 101 students in seven schools from three English district areas with high levels of socio‐economic disadvantage. A standardized reading test was used to measure reading outcomes, with significant gains found in student's overall reading ability, including comprehension. Owing to the positive results found in this trial, including positive feedback about implementation of the technique, next steps should be a larger trial with 48 schools to avoid the risk of sampling error due to limited number of schools.