Mari-Anne Sørlie

Immediate Impacts of PALS: A school‐wide multi‐level programme targeting behaviour problems in elementary school

The article describes the main outcomes of the intervention programme “Positive behaviour, interactions and learning environment in school” (PALS). PALS is an adapted Norwegian version of the School‐Wide Positive Behaviour Support model, developed in the United States with school‐wide interventions aiming at the prevention of behaviour problems and the promotion of social competence through a supportive learning environment. The effectiveness was evaluated with a quasi‐experimental design in four elementary schools, two years after implementation. An equal number of comparison schools were included in the study. Informants were students (n = 735) in third to seventh grade and teachers working at least 50% (n = 82). The immediate reductions in teacher‐observed problem behaviour ranged from moderate to large, while the results based on student ratings of social competence and classroom climate were less encouraging. Differential effects were found and implementation quality was together with teacher collective efficacy significantly related to better outcomes. The programme and results are discussed in relation to prior research, limitations of study design, and future implementation and research.

Building strength through enhancing social competence in immigrant students in primary school. A pilot study

In the present pilot study we examined how a school‐wide intervention model, ‘Positive behavior, interactions and learning environment in school’ (Norwegian acronym: PALS) contributed to risk reduction in immigrant students through the promotion of social competence. The aims of the PALS project were to promote social competence through positive behavior support and to prevent and reduce problem behavior in students. Teachers and students in selected grade levels at four elementary schools and four comparison schools participated in a quasi‐experimental evaluation spanning over 20 months. The present study was conducted with a subset of the students, namely the 6.7% (n = 49) immigrant students who had Norwegian as their second language. Consistent with the social learning theory underlying the PALS model, teacher reports indicated that immigrant students in the intervention group were significantly more socially competent than were their counterparts in the comparison group at post‐test when school differences at pre‐assessment were accounted for. A significant decrease in internalizing problem behavior was registered in teacher ratings along with a marginally significant positive trend in teacher‐rated academic progress. No intervention effect was registered in teacher‐rated externalizing problem behavior or in student ratings of social competence. In order to measure potential generalizing effects of school‐wide intervention programs, we discuss the need for larger samples and longer follow‐up periods.

Multilevel analysis of the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and problem behaviour in school

The relationship between perceived teacher collective efficacy and student problem behaviour was examined in a two-wave study. Participants were 1,100 teachers in 48 Norwegian elementary schools. Questionnaires were completed with approximately 6 months lag. A variance component model suggested a strong intraclass correlation (ICC2) for collective efficacy (.77), indicating high reliability across raters. Concurrent and prospective relationships between collective efficacy and problem behaviour were tested using multilevel regression models. Conditioning on T1 status of the constructs, positive change in school mean collective efficacy predicted reduction in teacher-reported problem behaviour. Inversely, increase in teacher-reported problem behaviour predicted reduction in collective efficacy. Predictions were robust to controlling for key school and teacher characteristics, including self-perceived teaching competence. The results indicate that perceived teacher collective efficacy and student misconduct are inversely and reciprocally related. This relationship might serve as an important target for prevention of behaviour problems in schools.

School-Wide Positive Behavior Support–Norway: Impacts on Problem Behavior and Classroom Climate

Results from the first study of the three-level School-Wide Positive Behavior Support model in Europe (SWPBS, called N-PALS) are presented. Using a strengthened nonrandomized design, data was collected from more than 1,200 teachers and 7,640 students at four measure points over four school years in 28 Norwegian intervention schools and 20 controls. Multilevel analyses revealed significant positive main and differential intervention effects on student problem behavior and classroom learning climate. Moreover, the number of segregated students decreased in the intervention group, while it increased in the control group. Implementation quality moderated the outcomes. Study results, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

The PALS School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support Model in Norwegian Primary Schools – Implementation and Evaluation

This chapter provides an overview of a programme or rather a model used in Norwegian primary schools to meet the needs of children whose behaviour difficulties interrupt teaching and learning. In this chapter we give an overview of the PALS model and also present the general outline of a longitudinal outcome study of the school model including some information about the participating schools, staff and students.

Reducing Threats to Validity by Design in a Nonrandomized Experiment of a School-Wide Prevention Model

This paper reviews literature on the rationale, challenges, and recommendations for choosing a nonequivalent comparison (NEC) group design when evaluating intervention effects. After reviewing frequently addressed threats to validity, the paper describes recommendations for strengthening the research design and how the recommendations were implemented in a current study. Next, tests were performed in order to investigate whether the added design components had contributed to increased internal validity by creating comparable cluster groups at baseline. In order to estimate the external validity or the potential generalizability of results, the statistical power of the study was calculated up front and representativeness of the participating schools in relation to other schools in Norway was examined. Baseline comparisons indicated that the addition of several design elements, such as the random invitation of multiple, stratified, and active comparison groups, may have reduced significant validity threats stemming from selection bias. The need for more accurate and reliable effect estimates in school-based evaluation research is discussed.

Examining Teacher Outcomes of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Model in Norway

Research on teacher outcomes of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) model has been scarce. The present study adds to the knowledge base by examining the effects of the Norwegian version of SWPBS (N-PALS) on school staffs’ behavior management practices and on their individual and collective efficacy. Questionnaire data were collected from staff and students (Grades 4-7) at four measurement points across four successive school years in 28 intervention schools and 20 comparison schools. Using longitudinal multilevel analyses, indications of positive 3-year main effects of the N-PALS model were observed for staff-reported collective efficacy, self-efficacy, and positive behavior support practices. The intervention effects as measured by Cohen’s d ranged from .14 to .91. The effects on student perceptions of teachers’ behavior management strategies were, however, not consistent with the positive staff ratings. Results are discussed in relation to prior research, future research, and study limitations.

Sosial kompetanse i et funksjonelt og empirisk perspektiv

This article pertains to the functional and empirical aspects of social competence in children and youth. The problems of definitions are touched upon, and the relationship between competency dimensions, skills dimensions and social settings for the development of social competence is illustrated with the competency cube. In an empirical analysis of social skills dimensions, the Social Skills Rating System was used in two Norwegian samples of 8th graders. The factor analysis of teacher assessment produced identical results in the Norwegian and U.S. samples, with cooperation, self-control and assertion as the main dimensions. The practical relevance of research into social competence is finally discussed.

The longitudinal association between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement among immigrant and non-immigrant children in Norway

The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal relation between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement, as two processes of children and youth development, among children in Norway, and whether having an immigrant background moderated this association. Data collected from 4,458 students in Norway in four waves over three years were analyzed with multi-group latent growth curve modeling (LGM). Results showed that internalizing symptoms level remained unchanged over time both for immigrant and non-immigrant children, while levels of academic achievement increased only for children of immigrants with both parents born outside of Norway. Further analyses supported a reciprocal relation between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement and revealed that the initial level of academic achievement predicted the rate of change in internalizing symptoms over time, but not vice versa. Moreover, immigrant background did not moderate the associations in the model, however, children of immigrants with both parents born abroad initially had lower levels of academic achievement, but showed an increase in academic achievement, compared to their non-immigrant peers as well as to peers with one native-born parent after controlling for gender and their grade at the first observation. The implications for policy and practice were discussed.

Behavioral Trajectories During Middle Childhood: Differential Effects of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Model

The aims of this study were to assess the longitudinal trajectories of externalizing problem behavior during middle childhood among typically developing children and to examine subgroup differences in the effectiveness of the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) model, called N-PALS in Norway. Participants were approximately 3000 students, and behavioral assessments were performed by class head teachers at four time points from the 4th or 5th grade through the 7th grade. Using a combination of latent class growth analyses (LCGA) and growth mixture modeling (GMM), four distinct trajectory classes were identified, i.e., persistent low (84.4%), persistent high (2.5%), decreasing (7.9%), and increasing (5.3%). An indication of a significant positive effect of the N-PALS model was found for students with a persistently high-risk trajectory. The current study adds to the evidence that this school-wide prevention model can moderate the development of externalizing behavior problems among children and youth.