In school bullying, witnesses play a fundamental role because their defensive reactions can stop bullying situations. However, a great majority of witnesses remain passive despite their prodefense personal beliefs. To address this gap between witnesses' beliefs and behaviors, we developed and tested two social psychology strategies, namely, the…

The Quiet Classroom Game (Radley in School Psychological Review 45: 93-108, 2016) is a class-wide behavior intervention involving an interdependent group contingency based on classroom noise level. It has been shown to be effective at increasing academically engaged behavior, decreasing disruptive behavior, and decreasing classroom noise level in…

Negative student behaviors are a significant concern among teachers. Incorporating Proactive Classroom Management Practices (PCMPs) to prevent detrimental behaviors would benefit the learning environment. These practices promote academic engagement and limit the number of Office Disciplinary Referrals (ODRs). The purpose of this study was to…

Few studies examine the effects of behavior-specific praise (BSP) in secondary classrooms, and there is limited research examining the rate of BSP that is needed to improve classwide appropriately engaged behavior (AEB) and reduce disruptive behavior (DB). Using a multiple baseline design with an embedded A/B/C/A/C condition sequence…

This study seeks to identify the configurations of classroom teaching practices, defined based on the classroom goal structures (mastery-approach, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance) and social climate (academic support, emotional support, mutual respect, and task-related interactions) to which a sample of 1,453 seventh graders…

The aim of the present study was to examine whether early adolescents' positive development (i.e., resilience and psychological wellbeing) could be enhanced by stimulating three dimensions of self-awareness: emotional self-regulation, self-esteem, and self-reflection. An experimental field study (randomized controlled trial) was conducted. Seventh…

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing concern over health care, part of which involves the role of nutrition. In this study, a nutrition educational board game, featuring quantitative computation, was designed to help students acquire nutrition knowledge and improve dietary behaviors. A group of 22 students in grade 7 of a…

Despite growing calls for greater inclusivity and cultural responsiveness, little is known about how environmental education (EE) may differentially affect diverse audiences. As part of a national study of 334 environmentally focused day field trips for adolescent youth in the United States in 2018, we examined how outcomes differed for students…

This qualitative study explores how middle school students in the Western United States participated in a curricular unit that focused on action for socioenvironmental sustainability. Using inductive coding and building on prior research, I examined actions that students took during this sustainability unit and how students talked about action…

In this study, the researcher examined the effectiveness of the WhyTry social skills program through the correlation of student behavioral change and improved attendance, after completing the 10 metaphor lessons over the course of a semester middle school curriculum rotation. The WhyTry program is designed to address a whole child approach rather…

This study investigated the role of school context in changes in the behaviors associated with having high social status during early adolescence. Three waves of surveys were collected from students (N = 542, 53% girls; 44% Black, 44% White, 5% Hispanic/Latinx, and 7% other; 60% free/reduced-fee lunch) in the middle of their sixth, seventh, and…

Background: Schools increasingly prioritize social-emotional competence and bullying and cyberbullying prevention, so the development of novel, low-cost, and high-yield programs addressing these topics is important. Further, rigorous assessment of interventions prior to widespread dissemination is crucial. Objective: This study assesses the…

Background: Highly processed foods are inexpensive and abundant in our food supply, nutritionally poor, and disproportionately marketed to minority youth. This study is part of a curriculum development project to develop, implement, and evaluate the "In Defense of Food" (IDOF) curriculum designed to increase intake of whole/minimally…

The relationship between social-emotional experiences -- number of friends, competitiveness, and self-worth -- and changes in bullying behaviour was investigated among students in Grades 5 to 7. This two-wave study included 235 students for the first data collection and 237 students for the second data collection, with a final sample of 227…

Emotional eating, defined as eating in response to affect, may increase during early adolescence, a time of heightened emotionality and increased prevalence of emotional disorders. We investigated change in emotional eating, while also testing the influence of social-emotional risk factors. Study participants (N = 379, mean age [M[subscript age]]…