Effects of Prevention in School (PS): a Swedish School-wide Positive Behavior Support Program at the Primary Prevention Level

Prevention in School (PS) is a modified School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Program at the universal prevention level, developed by Swedish researchers for the school years 4 -9. By defining and teaching school rules to all teachers and students, and by consistently acknowledging students when meeting behavioural expectations, the program aims to reduce problem behaviours in school areas and to improve the classroom learning climate. Against this background, the purpose of this study is to examine whether PS is more effective than schools' ordinary practices in meeting these goals.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Problem Behaviors Among Students; Classroom Learning Environment
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: PS - Prevention in School

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 3207
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Stockholm, Sweden, 10231
    • STAD, Stockholm Centre for Psychiatric Research and Education, Karolinska Institutet

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 15 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Schools situated in Stockholm county and in bordering counties within travelling distance from Stockholm.
• Comprising the grades 4-9 (10-15 years).
• A minimum of 2 classes/50 students in each of the grades 5-7.
• A majority (min.80%)of the staff is positive towards program participation.
• School management willing to take active part in change/developmental work.
• A willingness to submit to study conditions (randomization etc)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participation in other ongoing research projects.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: PS - Prevention in School; Teachers learn to use the core program components (defining and teaching school rules and the handling of rule breakings, principles of positive behavior support)with help from external consultants during approximately 1.5 years.	Behavioral: PS - Prevention in School
No Intervention: Business as usual

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Student problem behaviors	Teacher-reported problem behaviors in school areas during last week; Teacher-reported problem behaviors in classrooms during last week; Student-reported problem behaviors in school areas during the school-year; Student-reported problem behaviors in classrooms during the school-year	24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Classroom learning climate	Teacher self-reports; Teacher Classroom Climate Scale; Student self-reports; Student Classroom Climate Scale	24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Maria Bodin, STAD, Stockholm Centre for Psychiatric Research and Education, Karolinska Institutet

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Horner RH, Todd AW, Lewis-Palmer T, Irvin LK, Sugai G, & Boland JB. The school-wide evaluation tool (SET): A research instrument for assessing school-wide positive behaviour support. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 6, 3-12, 2004.
• Sundell K, Koutakis N, Hellqvist A, Andrén J, Karlberg M, Forster M & Hassler-Hallstedt M. Prevention i skolan. Forskningsbaserat preventionsprogram för grundskolans år 4-9. FoU-rapport 2007:6. Stockholms stadsledningskontor: FoU-enheten, 2007.
• Sørlie M-A, Ogden T. Immediate impacts of PALS: A school wide multi-level programme targeting behaviour problems in elementary school. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 5: 471-492, 2007.
• Sørlie M-A, Nordahl, T. Problematferd i skolen: Hovedfunn, forklaringer og pedagogiske implikasjoner. [Behaviour problems in school: Main findings, explanations, and pedagogical implications].Hovedrapport fra forskningsprosjektet Skole- och samspillsvansker (Rapport 12a/98). Oslo: Norsk Institutt for forsknings om oppvekst, velferd og aldring, 1998.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 20, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): August 22, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): August 22, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 20, 2012
• Last Verified: August 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Problem Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-12050/2008

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No