Effects of the Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R) Classroom Resource

1. Effects of the Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R) Classroom Resource JIMERSON, S., STIFEL, S., RUDERMAN, M., RENSHAW, T., & EARHART, J. University of California, Santa Barbara jimerson@education.ucsb.edu FEBRUARY 23, 2011 Presentation available on NASP website

2. School Violence and Bullying • School violence has been a global concern for several decades (Astor, Benbenishty, & Marachi, 2006) • Ecological Characteristics • Bullying has received increasing attention because it is common and recurring (Dupper & Meyer-Adams, 2002)

3. Bullying Intrigue • 3 publications in 1960-69 • 6 in 1970-79 • 36 in 1980-89 • 395 in 1990-99 • 6,639 publications in 2000-2009 • 12,036 so far in 2010-2011 (personal PsycINFO search on December 28, 2010)

4. Bullying Prevention/Intervention • From school ecology to social-ecological • Focus on bully to more comprehensive approach • Recent estimates project that there are over 300 published school-based violence prevention programs (Howard, Flora, & Griffin, 1999; Kerns & Prinz, 2002) • However, less than a quarter of these are empirically validated and only a fraction of them specifically target bullying (Swearer & Espelage, 2004). • Effectiveness?

5. Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R) • From problem-focused to strength-based • P3R • Middle-school bullying prevention program • Social-ecological perspective • Film-based resources with accompanying curriculum

6. Basic Overview of P3R Basic overview of P3R intervention: • 50 minutes/session • 5 lesson and 8 lesson versions • Standardized, semi-structured “Teacher’s Guide” • 3 core components for each lesson: • Viewing of film segments • Facilitated discussion and problem-solving • Provision of school policy and support information

7. Present Study • Investigate the effects of P3R on enhancing student attitudes toward bullying and school supports • Investigate the social validity of P3R • Investigate dosage-response effects of P3R on student attitudes and social validity

8. Research Methods Basic overview of research design: • Pre-post quasiexperimental design • Intervention group • 320 seventh-graders • Control group • 316 eighth-graders • Duration of intervention pre-assigned • 1-week, 5-week, and 8-week • Data collection • Pre-post for intervention and control

9. Research Methods • P3R Implementation Fidelity Checklists (e.g., Noell et al., 1997) • Varying items; 1 aligned with each lesson • Self-report by teacher after implementation • Independent observations on 25% of lessons • Intervention Rating Profile for Teachers—P3R Adaptation (e.g., Martens et al., 1985) • 15 items; 6 point Likert-type scale • Goals, procedures, and outcomes of intervention • Completed by teacher after implementation • Higher composite scores = more favorable perceptions • P3R Social Validity Questionnaire (e.g., Wolf, 1978) • 8 items; open-ended qualitative response format • 3 foci: goals, procedures, and outcomes of intervention • Intervention overall and differences between duration iterations

10. Research Methods • Bullying Attitudinal Scale—Short Form (Song et al., 2001) • 5-point Likert-type scale • Higher composite scores = more prosocial • Test-retest reliability: r = .83 • Cronbach’s α = .88 • Unidimensional factor loading: r = .58 to .83 • Perceptions of School Bullying Supports Scale (Jimerson, 2009) • 5-point Likert-type scale • Higher composite scores = more positive • Test-retest reliability: r = .70 • Cronbach’s α = .73 • Unidimensional factor loading: r = .55 to .70

11. Findings - Overall • The P3R-CR is a socially valid intervention for use within a general education classroom when implemented by a general educator. • The P3R-CR was found to be effective in enhancing students’ general attitudes toward bullying (small effect size). • The P3R-CR was not found to enhance students’ perceptions of their local school bullying supports.

12. Findings • The implementation duration of P3R did not have a differential effect on enhancing students’ general attitudes toward bullying or on enhancing students’ perceptions of their local school bullying supports. • The effect of the P3R-CR on students’ general attitudes toward bullying and students’ perceptions of their school bullying supports did not vary as a function of their baseline attitudes and perceptions.

13. Discussion & Future Directions • Intervention: Dosage-response effects • Environmental pervasiveness? • Duration-threshold? • Internal potency? • Design: Sampling bias & research design effects • Uncontrolled random fixed-factors? • Assessment: Problematic measurement effects • Ceiling effects? • Social desirability/positive school climate? • Lack of profiling possibilities? • Wrong attitudes?

14. Currently Working On • Perceived Realism • Bullying Attitudinal Measure (BAM) • Communication Self-Efficacy • Bystander Self-Efficacy • Positive School Perceptions • Empathy • Bullying Groups and Positive Constructs • School Connectedness • Hope • Empathy • Self-Efficacy

15. Thank you! Questions? Please contact Shane Jimerson, PhD jimerson@education.ucsb.edu