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| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| MG-203910 | Other Grant/Funding Number | William T. Grant Foundation |
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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Medical University of South Carolina | OTHER |
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The study will examine the effects of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based behavioral intervention for discipline-referred middle-school youth who might benefit when trained to act as change agents for their peers. Successful completion of this study will provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth in prosocial peer engagement.
In this proposal, the investigators evaluate the effects of PCT, an approach that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on training youth to help their peers.
In urban public school districts across the US, exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension and expulsion) disproportionally affects Black and Latinx youth. Although many school-based interventions are promising, they overlook the motivational potential of helping others and fail to build on the culturally grounded prosocial orientation of Black and Latinx students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based intervention that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on empowering youth to help their peers. A cluster randomized trial will be conducted across ten middle schools (n=150 youth), with schools randomized to either PCT or control (i.e., delayed treatment). Youth referred for disruptive behavior at intervention schools will receive PCT immediately, whereas youth at control schools will receive PCT nine months later. Outcomes related to disruptive and prosocial behavior, school engagement, and empowerment will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Successful completion of this trial will not only provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth prosocially, but also potentially validate an approach to reducing discipline disparities within school contexts.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peer Coach Training (PCT) | Experimental | Discipline-referred middle-school youth in schools randomized to the experimental arm will be offered immediate PCT delivered by trained research team members |
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| Delayed control | Active Comparator | Discipline-referred middle-school youth in schools randomized to the delayed control will be provided behavioral services according to their middle school's standard practice of care. These youth will receive PCT after completion of follow-up assessments. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peer Coach Training (PCT) | Behavioral | Six to seven session strengths-based behavioral intervention focusing on skills development and help-giving practices |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Problem Checklist | 12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral problems | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire | 25-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behavior, along with additional questions related to functioning | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Teacher Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale | 45-item self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| School archival data of youth behavior and discipline | School archival records of behavioral and disciplinary outcomes such as the number of disciplinary referrals and citations, as well as suspensions and exclusions | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement versus disaffection with learning - student report | 20-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral and emotional engagement in learning | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley J Huey, Ph.D. | Contact | 213-740-2033 | hueyjr@usc.edu | |
| Janus Wong, B.A. | Contact | 213-740-2203 | januswon@usc.edu |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
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| University of Southern California | Recruiting | Los Angeles | California | 90007 | United States |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000066553 | Problem Behavior |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001526 | Behavioral Symptoms |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D002652 | Child Behavior |
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Cluster randomized controlled trial
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Outcome assessors will not be given information on what intervention services the participants are receiving.
| Delayed control | Behavioral | Services offered by middle schools for students according to their standard practice of care. These youth will then receive PCT after completion of follow-up assessments. |
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2-item self-report measure that assesses youths' perceived social status relative to society and peers in school |
| Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessmentMacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version |
| Moral Identity Internalization Scale | 5-item self-report measure that assesses the degree to which a list of personal characteristics are important to an individual | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Personal Efficacy Scale | 10-item self-report measure that assesses an individual's perceived ability to deal with challenges and influence outcomes | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Psychological Empowerment Indices - Youth School Belonging and Identification | 6-item self-report measure that assesses school belonging and identification | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Wentzel Prosocial Peer Goals and Compliance Goals Scales | 22-item self-report measure that assesses the frequency youth work towards prosocial, compliance, mastery, and evaluation goals | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Esbensen Gang Involvement Scale | 20-item self-report measure that assesses the level of youth gang involvement and behaviors of the youths' friends | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Possible selves survey | Self-report measure that assesses youths' future-oriented self-concept (expected, hoped-for, and feared selves) using open-ended prompts and a rating scale | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Behavioral Problem Checklist - Youth Peer Assessment | 12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses behavioral problems of the youths' peers | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Social Network Interview) | 48-item interview that assesses youths' perceived social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and friends | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |
| Teacher Construals Indices | 23 self-report items that assesses teacher's commitment and feelings towards their students | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment |