Teacher assessment of students’ work and social behavior - a validation study

Beeinträchtigungen des Arbeits- und Sozialverhaltens sind in sonderpädagogischen Zielgruppen häufig und stellen ein Risiko für den schulischen Lernerfolg dar. Ziel dieser Studie ist die Validierung von Items, mit denen sonderpädagogische Lehrkräfte das aktuelle Arbeits- und Sozialverhalten ihrer Schülerinnen und Schüler erfassen können. Weiterführend könnten solche Items zur Auswahl und Evaluation von Fördermaßnahmen genutzt werden. Lehrkräfte schätzten elf Items, die erwünschtes Arbeits- und Sozialverhalten abbilden, für 373 Schülerinnen und Schüler aus vier sonderpädagogischen Gruppen (Förderbedarfe Lernen und Emotionale und Soziale Entwicklung) und einer Vergleichsgruppe ein. Zudem wurde für einen Teil der Stichprobe ein standardisiertes Fragebogenverfahren durchgeführt. Es zeigt sich erwartungskonform, dass die Gruppen mit Förderbedarf ein schlechteres Arbeits- und Sozialverhalten aufweisen als die Vergleichsgruppe. Die untersuchten Items korrelieren hoch mit dem standardisierten Fragebogen. Die Ergebnisse implizieren basierend auf der Methode bekannter Gruppen und der konkurrenten Validität, dass sich die untersuchten Items zur Erfassung des Arbeits- und Sozialverhaltens eignen. Da die Überprüfung der Dimensionalität der Items kein annehmbares Modell ergibt, wird eine modifizierte Kurzskala Erfolgreiches Arbeitsverhalten zur weiteren Überprüfung vorgeschlagen. (DIPF/Orig.)Students with special needs frequently exhibit poor work and social behavior, which represents a risk for academic success. The aim of this study is to validate items that enable special education teachers to assess the current work and social behavior of their students. Such items could also be used to select and evaluate interventions. Teachers rated eleven items on appropriate work and social behavior for 373 students from four groups with special needs (learning, emotional, and social problems) and a comparison group. In addition, a standardized questionnaire was administered to part of the sample. As expected, the groups with special needs showed poorer work and a social behavior than the comparison group. The items were found to correlate strongly with the items of the standardized questionnaire. The results imply, based on the method of known groups and the concurrent validity, that the examined items are appropriate for assessing work and social behavior. Since there was no acceptable model on the dimensionality of the items, a modified short scale, Effective Work Behavior, is proposed for further investigation. (DIPF/Orig.

An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis: Behavioral Treatments for Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: Behavioral interventions are well established treatments for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, insight into moderators of treatment outcome is limited. Method: We conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA), including data of randomized controlled behavioral intervention trials for individuals with ADHD <18 years of age. Outcomes were symptoms of ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) and impairment. Moderators investigated were symptoms and impairment severity, medication use, age, IQ, sex, socioeconomic status, and single parenthood. Results: For raters most proximal to treatment, small- to medium-sized effects of behavioral interventions were found for symptoms of ADHD, inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), ODD and CD, and impairment. Blinded outcomes were available only for small preschool subsamples and limited measures. CD symptoms and/or diagnosis moderated outcome on ADHD, HI, ODD, and CD symptoms. Single parenthood moderated ODD outcome, and ADHD severity moderated impairment outcome. Higher baseline CD or ADHD symptoms, a CD diagnosis, and single parenthood were related to worsening of symptoms in the untreated but not in the treated group, indicating a protective rather than an ameliorative effect of behavioral interventions for these children. Conclusion: Behavioral treatments are effective for reducing ADHD symptoms, behavioral problems, and impairment as reported by raters most proximal to treatment. Those who have severe CD or ADHD symptoms, a CD diagnosis, or are single parents should be prioritized for treatment, as they may evidence worsening of symptoms in the absence of intervention