Sandra Jo Wilson

Wilderness challenge programs for delinquent youth: a meta-analysis of outcome evaluations

Evaluations of wilderness challenge programs were meta-analyzed to assess the impact on delinquent behavior. The overall mean effect size for delinquency outcomes was 0.18 (N=22), equivalent to a recidivism rate of 29% for program participants vs 37% for comparison subjects. Program length was not related to outcome among short-term programs (up to 6 weeks) but extended programs (over 10 weeks) showed smaller effects overall. However, the most influential program characteristics were the intensity of the physical activities and whether the program included a distinct therapeutic component. Programs involving relatively intense activities or with therapeutic enhancements produced the greatest reductions in delinquent behavior.

The comparative effectiveness of outpatient treatment for adolescent substance abuse: A meta-analysis

Meta-analysis was used to synthesize research on the effects of outpatient treatment on substance use outcomes for adolescents with substance use disorders. An extensive literature search located 45 eligible experimental or quasi-experimental studies reporting 73 treatment-comparison group pairs, with many of the comparison groups also receiving some treatment. The first analysis examined 250 effect sizes for the substance use outcomes of adolescents receiving different types of treatment relative to the respective comparison groups. As a category, family therapy programs were found to be more effective than their comparison conditions, whereas no treatment programs were less effective. However, not all treatment types were compared with each other in the available research, making it difficult to assess the comparative effectiveness of the different treatments. To provide a more differentiated picture of the relative improvement in substance use outcomes for different treatments, a second analysis examined 311 pre-post effect sizes measuring changes in substance use for adolescents in the separate treatment and comparison arms of the studies. The adolescents in almost all types of treatment showed reductions in substance use. The greatest improvements were found for family therapy and mixed and group counseling. Longer treatment duration was associated with smaller improvements, but other treatment characteristics and participant characteristics had little relationship to the pre-post changes in substance use. Based on these findings family therapy is the treatment with the strongest evidence of comparative effectiveness, although most types of treatment appear to be beneficial in helping adolescents reduce their substance use.

Are Mainstream Programs for Juvenile Delinquency Less Effective With Minority Youth Than Majority Youth? A Meta-Analysis of Outcomes Research

Objective: A meta-analysis was undertaken to synthesize research results about the effectiveness of mainstream service programs for minority juvenile delinquents relative to White delinquents. The analysis addresses the question of whether mainstream interventions that are not culturally tailored for minority youth have positive outcomes on their subsequent antisocial behavior, academic performance, peer relations, behavior problems, and other outcomes. In addition, outcomes were compared with those for White samples receiving the same interventions to identify any differences in the responsiveness of minority and majority youth. Method: 305 studies were selected from a large meta-analytic database in which the participant samples were either predominantly (60% or more) minority or White youth. Effect sizes and more than 150 study descriptors were coded from these studies and analyzed using standard meta-analytic techniques. Results: The results showed positive overall intervention effects with ethnic minority respondents on their delinquent behavior, school participation, peer relations, academic achievement, behavior problems, psychological adjustment, and attitudes. Overall, service programs were equally effective for minority and White delinquents. Although there were slight differences in effectiveness for different service types between minority and majority youth, none of these differences was statistically significant. Conclusions: The use of mainstream service programs for ethnic minority juvenile delinquents without cultural tailoring is supported by these findings.

A Meta-analysis of the Effects of Dropout Prevention Programs on School Absenteeism

This study reports findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature examining the effects of school dropout prevention and intervention programs on students’ school absenteeism outcomes. The meta-analysis synthesized 74 effect sizes measuring posttest differences in school absenteeism outcomes for youth enrolled in dropout prevention programs relative to a comparison group. Although results from randomized controlled trials indicated significant beneficial program effects, findings from quasi-experimental studies indicated no significant beneficial or detrimental effects. Examination of study characteristics suggested that dropout programs may have beneficial effects on school absenteeism among primarily male samples, and younger samples. Although no single type of intervention program was consistently more effective than others, vocational oriented and supplemental academic training programs showed some promise. However, the inconsistency in results and the possibility of small study bias mean the quality of evidence in this literature is low; at this time there is not enough evidence to conclude that dropout prevention programs have a universal impact on youth’s school absenteeism outcomes.

The Prekindergarten Age-Cutoff Regression-Discontinuity Design: Methodological Issues and Implications for Application

Much of the currently available evidence on the causal effects of public prekindergarten programs on school readiness outcomes comes from studies that use a regression-discontinuity design (RDD) with the age cutoff to enter a program in a given year as the basis for assignment to treatment and control conditions. Because the RDD has high internal validity when its key assumptions are met, these studies appear to provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of these programs. However, there are overlooked methodological problems in the way this design has typically been applied that have the potential to produce biased effect estimates. We describe these problems, argue that they deserve more attention from researchers using this design than they have received, and offer suggestions for improving future studies.

The Development of a Descriptive Measure of Early Childhood Writing: Results From the Write Start! Writing Assessment.

This study describes the development of an observational tool, the Write Start! Writing Assessment, created to provide descriptive information on four features of preschoolers’ writing: forms, directional patterns, intentionality (ways of assigning meaning to marks), and message content. Observational categories were generated from a review of research and then refined through constant-comparative analysis of the writing of 139 low-income, African American children aged 2:6 to 5:11. Children participated in the study from 1 to 3 years. Fall and spring writing samples were collected as children responded to a standard task asking them to write a photo caption. Cross-sectional analyses across seven age bands show the range and relative frequencies of writing categories. A wide range of normal variation was observed within age groups. Growth curve analyses confirmed that children showed significant change in all four writing features over the preschool years. Data from a subsample of 10 children were analyzed longitudinally over 3 years to triangulate findings. Although children moved toward more conventional writing, inter-individual variability in initial starting points and pacing of transitions into more advanced categories was observed for all four writing features. Intra-individual variability was observed in back and forth movement between less and more advanced writing performances, concurrent use of multiple hypotheses, and differential development of the four writing features. The authors conclude that the descriptive information provided by Write! Start! measure provides a starting point for differentiation of instruction for young writers.

Programs to increase high school completion: a community guide systematic health equity review.

CONTEXT High school completion (HSC) is an established predictor of long-term morbidity and mortality. U.S. rates of HSC are substantially lower among students from low-income families and most racial/ethnic minority populations than students from high-income families and the non-Hispanic white population. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of programs to increase HSC and the potential of these programs to improve lifelong health among at-risk students. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A search located a meta-analysis (search period 1985-2010/2011) on the effects of programs to increase HSC or General Educational Development (GED) diploma receipt; the meta-analysis was concordant with Community Guide definitions and methodologic standards. Programs were assessed separately for the general student population (152 studies) and students who were parents or pregnant (15 studies). A search for studies published between 2010 and August 2012 located ten more recent studies, which were assessed for consistency with the meta-analysis. Analyses were conducted in 2013. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS The review focused on the meta-analysis. Program effectiveness was measured as the increased rate of HSC (or GED receipt) by the intervention group compared with controls. All assessed program types were effective in increasing HSC in the general student population: vocational training, alternative schooling, social-emotional skills training, college-oriented programming, mentoring and counseling, supplemental academic services, school and class restructuring, multiservice packages, attendance monitoring and contingencies, community service, and case management. For students who had children or were pregnant, attendance monitoring and multiservice packages were effective. Ten studies published after the search period for the meta-analysis were consistent with its findings. CONCLUSIONS There is strong evidence that a variety of HSC programs can improve high school or GED completion rates. Because many programs are targeted to high-risk students and communities, they are likely to advance health equity.

Dropout Prevention and Intervention Programs for Improving School Completion Among School-Aged Children and Youth: A Systematic Review

Dropping out of secondary school is associated with numerous detrimental consequences, including low wages, unemployment, incarceration, and poverty. Fortunately, many school- and community-based prevention and intervention programs are available for the general population and at-risk students. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the available evidence on the effects of prevention and intervention programs for increasing school completion or reducing school dropout among primary and secondary students. Overall, dropout programs (152 studies; 317 independent samples) were effective in reducing school dropout (or increasing school completion). The random effects weighted mean odds ratio for the general programs was 1.72. Using the average dropout rate for control groups of 21.1%, the mean odds ratio of 1.72 translates into a dropout rate of 13% for intervention groups. Moderator analyses indicated that study methods were associated with effect size magnitude. Effect sizes were therefore adjusted for methodological characteristics to examine the effects of different program types net of the influence of method. Effects were generally consistent across different types of programs and for different types of participant samples. Overall, results indicated that most school- and community-based programs were effective in decreasing school dropout. However, higher implementation quality tended to be associated with larger effects. Given the minimal variation in effects across program types, the review shows that—regardless of type—dropout prevention and intervention programs are likely to be effective if they are well implemented and appropriate for the local environment.

Describing the frequency of marijuana use: Fuzziness and context-dependent interpretation of frequency expressions

Abstract This paper offers a fuzzy-set model for interpreting vague frequency expressions, such as “rarely” and “sometimes,” in the context of self-reported marijuana use. This model distinguishes between “intersubject fuzziness,” reflecting differences between persons in the numeric interpretation of frequency expressions; “intrasubject fuzziness,” indicating intervals of possible frequencies that a person refers to with a frequency expression; “conjoint fuzziness,” reflecting differences between persons in the size of these intervals; and “random error.” These types of fuzziness were examined for seven frequency expressions in two reporting conditions (confidential research, job interview). Intrasubject fuzziness consistently accounted for the largest proportion of response variance (approximately 50%); intersubject and conjoint fuzziness accounted for approximately 20% and 15%, respectively; random error accounted for about 15% of the variance. Intersubject, intrasubject, and conjoint fuzziness make the numeric interpretation of frequency expressions problematic. They reflect that different persons apply different frequency expressions to describe the same levels of actual marijuana use and that one person may use different expressions to describe marijuana use in different situations. The validity of self-reports may be enhanced by interpreting and analyzing frequency expression as fuzzy sets.

Fitting meta-analytic structural equation models with complex datasets.

A modification of the first stage of the standard procedure for two-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling for use with large complex datasets is presented. This modification addresses two common problems that arise in such meta-analyses: (a) primary studies that provide multiple measures of the same construct and (b) the correlation coefficients that exhibit substantial heterogeneity, some of which obscures the relationships between the constructs of interest or undermines the comparability of the correlations across the cells. One component of this approach is a three-level random effects model capable of synthesizing a pooled correlation matrix with dependent correlation coefficients. Another component is a meta-regression that can be used to generate covariate-adjusted correlation coefficients that reduce the influence of selected unevenly distributed moderator variables. A non-technical presentation of these techniques is given, along with an illustration of the procedures with a meta-analytic dataset. Copyright