Preventing Adolescent Problems

OVERVIEW

A school-based intervention to prevent school failures for a population of adolescents judged to be high-risk was implemented in an urban middle school. The goal of the intervention was to prevent an increase in school failure experiences as measured by attendance, promptness, discipline referrals and grades. Students judged to be high risk based on low academic motivation, family problems, and frequent serious discipline referrals were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control group. Students in the treatment group participated in a two-year program that incorporated teacher and parent involvement as well as small sessions that focused on the students' behavior. After the completion of the program there were significant differences in the changes in students' grades and attendance between the groups.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Urban middle school students with school adjustment problems.

Bry and George's school-based intervention to prevent an increase in school failure experiences among high-risk adolescents was based on an intervention developed by S.D. Rose (Rose, 1972) that incorporates behaviorally oriented group meetings of five to seven students with teacher and parent support. The four major components of the intervention program were: keeping track of students' attendance, tardiness, disciplinary and academic records; providing feedback to students and parents about students' actions; providing incentives to students by "points" for encouraged behavior; and providing assistance and discussion on how to earn more "points." The program was incorporated into the students' daily school schedule for two academic years. 

 EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Bry, B.H. & George, F.E. (1980). The preventive Effects of Early Intervention on the Attendance and Grades of Urban Adolescents. Professional Psychology, 11, 252-260.

Bry, B.H. (1982). Reducing the Incidence of Adolescent Problems Through Preventive Intervention: One- and Five-year Follow-up. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10(3), 265-276.

Evaluated population: A total of 24 male and 16 female adolescents were recruited to participate in the study. There were 12 males and 8 females each in the intervention and the control groups.  

Approach: Forty seventh-graders were selected from a class of 555 students in a large, urban, and racially mixed middle school on the basis of low academic achievement, family problems, and discipline referrals on the recommendation of school personnel. The 40 participating students were assigned to intervention and control groups through a yoked-control design. Students were matched into pairs based on similarities, such as classroom, academic track, attendance and grades.  Then one member of the group was randomly assigned to the intervention group and the other placed in the control group.  Students in the control group received no special treatment and school personnel were not informed of the identities of the students in the control group.

Students in the intervention group participated in the program for the next two years.  The four major components of the intervention program were: keeping track of students' attendance, tardiness, disciplinary and academic records; providing feedback to students and parents about students' actions; providing incentives to students by "points" for encouraged behavior; and providing assistance and discussion on how to earn more "points."  Teachers were interviewed monthly to track student's progress, and parents were contacted after instances of tardiness or absences. Points were distributed for positive behavior as mentioned in teacher interviews and in group meetings. Points were then used to allow students to take an extra school trip every semester. After point tallies, group session leaders engaged with students in discussions on how more points could be earned.

School failures were measured by absences, tardiness, grades and disciplinary actions.

Results: Analyses of the grades and attendance records of the students prior to the intervention program showed no significant differences between the intervention and control group.

Since five students left the school system, analyses are based on 15 pairs of students who remained.  The authors note that impacts were not found after one year of the program, but only after two years.  After the two-year program, tests showed significant differences between the changes in the program students' grades and attendance and those of the control group. There were no significant differences in the tardiness and disciplinary actions of the two groups.

One year after the intervention was completed, significant differences between the intervention and control group persisted in the number of adolescents in the group who had ever been employed, and in drug abuse and criminal behavior. There were no between group differences in alcohol abuse or rating of honesty.

Five years after the intervention was completed, a record-check study examined county records for all 60 youth found that there was no evidence of intervention effects upon drug-related arrests. However, significantly fewer students from the intervention group had records of delinquency compared with the control group.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References:

Bry, B.H. & George, F.E. (1980). The preventative Effects of Early Intervention on the Attendance and Grades of Urban Adolescents. Professional Psychology, 11, 252-260.

Bry, B.H. (1982). Reducing the Incidence of Adolescent Problems Through Preventative Intervention: One- and Five-year Follow-up. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10(3), 265-276.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 12-15

Program age ranges in the guide: Adolescence, Youth

Program components: School-based

Measured outcomes: Education and Cognitive

KEYWORDS: Adolescence (12-17), School-based, Adolescents (12-17), High-Risk, Urban, White or Caucasian, Black or African American.

Program information last updated on 1/15/09.

© Child Trends 2003