Elsevier

Journal of School Psychology

Volume 61, April 2017, Pages 33-53
Journal of School Psychology

A randomized trial examining the effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in rural schools: Student outcomes and the mediating role of the teacher–parent relationship

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Abstract

The results of a large-scale randomized controlled trial of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) on student outcomes and teacher–parent relationships in rural schools are presented. CBC is an indirect service delivery model that addresses concerns shared by teachers and parents about students. In the present study, the intervention was aimed at promoting positive school-related social-behavioral skills and strengthening teacher–parent relationships in rural schools. Participants were 267 students in grades K-3, their parents, and 152 teachers in 45 Midwest rural schools. Results revealed that, on average, improvement among students whose parents and teachers experienced CBC significantly outpaced that of control students in their teacher-reported school problems and observational measures of their inappropriate (off-task and motor activity) and appropriate (on-task and social interactions) classroom behavior. In addition, teacher responses indicated significantly different rates of improvement in their relationship with parents in favor of the CBC group. Finally, the teacher–parent relationship was found to partially mediate effects of CBC on several student outcomes. Unique contributions of this study, implications of findings for rural students, study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Section snippets

The importance of context

Children's behavioral, social–emotional, and academic skills are strongly influenced by context. Academic and social–emotional skills are the cumulative product of experiences within multiple overlapping ecologies, including communities (Miller & Votruba-Drzal, 2013), schools (Connor et al., 2014, Ponitz et al., 2009), homes (Baker et al., 2001, Dearing et al., 2004), and interactions among them (Barbarin et al., 2010, Crosnoe et al., 2010). Whereas the direct effects of school and home

Participants

Two hundred sixty seven students in Kindergarten through third grade (159 treatment, 108 control) along with their teachers and parents participated in this study. Table 1 provides student demographic information across treatment and control conditions. Students were identified as having disruptive behaviors by their teachers based on challenges demonstrated in the classroom. Seventy six percent of student participants were male and the average age of participating student was 6.88 (SD = 1.22)

Results

We first provide information regarding fidelity of CBC procedures and behavioral intervention implementation. Second, we report the immediate effect of CBC on student behaviors and parent–teacher relationships. Third, we report results of the mediation analyses. Finally, we report teachers' acceptability of CBC.

Discussion

The benefits of families and schools working together are becoming abundantly clear, particularly to address concerns about student behaviors and performance. Across three decades of increasingly rigorous research, family-school partnerships have been found to effectively promote students' social skills and academic outcomes. Among the partnership models that have gained empirical traction, CBC has received growing attention from both researchers and practitioners while producing meaningful

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  • Cited by (0)

    The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R324A100115 to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

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