Young children with problem behaviour in school settings: Evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program in a Norwegian regular school setting

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: Children in schools, who struggle behaviourally, socially, or emotionally, are less likely to benefit from academic instruction. In regular school settings, where a large numbers of students can be reached, teachers are important and natural implementers with the potential to influence mental health outcomes in all students. Examining the impact of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) program implemented as a full-scale universal preventive intervention in a regular school setting have not been executed previously. The effectiveness of the IY TCM program, targeting all teachers and students at the lower primary school level in Norway, was examined in the present study.<p>

<p><i>Method</i>: Using a quasi-experimental pre-post comparison group design, the IY TCM program was implemented over an 8 to 9 month period in 21 intervention schools. Reports from teachers, participating in 6 full-day workshops (42 hours) were compared with report from teachers report in 22 comparison schools. A total of 302 1st to 3rd grade teachers and 1,518 students in the age of 6 to 8 years, took part in the trial. Group differences for pre-post changes in student and teacher behaviours were examined.<p>

<p><i>Results</i>: The linear mixed model analyses showed small effects in terms of differences in changes between groups in student’s social skills and problem behaviours (dw = 0.08 to dw = 0.20), and small to moderate effects in teacher-student relationship and teachers’ perceptions about parent’s involvement in school (dw = 0.15 to dw = 0.40). No main effects with regard to change in teacher’s behaviour management practice, teacher’s efficacy, teachers’ report of problem behaviours in classroom and school environment and classroom climate at the 0.05 level were confirmed. <p>

<p><i>Conclusion</i>: This evaluation gives new knowledge of the impact of the IY TCM program when given as a full-scale universal preventive intervention in regular school settings. Long-term follow-up assessments, identification of barriers against implementation and key features of successful implementation in regular school settings are recommended for future research. The findings in the present study suggest potential preventive effects of the IY TCM program and gives implications for future school practice with regard to improving the teacher-student-parent relationship and lowering the risk of future behavioural and social problems in schools.