School-based self-management interventions improve behavioral and academic outcomes for K-12 students with challenging behaviors
School-based self-management interventions targeting students with challenging behaviors on average have positive effects across behavioral (i.e., prosocial, on-task, disruptive, following directions) and academic outcomes (i.e., achievement, work completion). Results were found to be most impactful for African-American students, and students receiving special education services.
What is this review about?
Approximately 20% of students repeatedly display challenging classroom behaviors (e.g., off-task, disruptive behavior). Students exhibiting challenging classroom behaviors have difficulties achieving academic success and may indirectly harm the learning of classroom peers.
This review provides support for the use of school-based self-management interventions – including self-assessment, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation practices – for children with challenging behaviors.
Self-management interventions targeted a range of classroom behaviors (i.e., prosocial behaviors, on-task behaviors, disruptive behaviors, and following directions).
What is the aim of this review?
This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of self-management interventions to address student behaviors and academic outcomes in schools. The review summarized and analyzed evidence from 75 single-case design studies and four group-design studies, of which three were experimental and one was quasi-experimental.
What studies are included?
Included studies examined self-management interventions for students with challenging classroom behaviors. For inclusion, studies had to identify the use of a self-management intervention, be conducted in a school setting, include school-aged students, assess challenging behavior outcomes, and include one of the following research designs:
- Group-design experimental or quasi-experimental studies (n = 4)
- Single-case design studies (n = 75)
What are the main findings of this review?
Self-management interventions significantly and positively impact student classroom behaviors as indicated by moderate effects for both single-case and group-design studies.
Results of single-case design studies additionally indicated that self-management interventions significantly and positively impacted all challenging behaviors assessed (i.e., on-task behavior, prosocial behaviors, disruptive behaviors, and following directions) and academic outcomes (i.e., achievement and work completion).
Single-case effects were also found to be more meaningful for African-American students in comparison to other races, and for students receiving special education services in comparison to students in regular classrooms.
What do the findings of the review mean?
This review provides support for self-management interventions as a means to successfully address students’ challenging classroom behaviors. Additionally, self-management interventions significantly improve children’s academic achievement and work completion.
These conclusions are primarily based on single-case design studies, as the small number of included group-design studies makes it difficult to make accurate determinations.
That said, some methodological shortcomings of included single-case design studies indicate that presented findings should be read with caution. Additionally, many single-case design studies were not included in the current review due to not meeting minimum design/quality guidelines. More high-quality research is needed, especially utilizing experimental group-designs, to make further and more valid conclusions.
How up-to-date is this review?
The review authors searched for studies published up to December 2020.