ERIC Number: EJ1482302
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1389-4986
EISSN: EISSN-1573-6695
Available Date: 2025-08-11
The Good Behavior Game as a Universal Preventive Intervention: A Systematic Review of Its Long-Term Effects
Stephanie D. Smith1; Freddie A. Pastrana Rivera1; Emily R. DeFouw1; Fayth Walbridge1; Tiffany Harris1; Zachary C. Wilde1; Mairin Cotter1; Brian Reichow2
Prevention Science, v26 n6 p968-984 2025
The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a team-based classroom management intervention developed to mitigate disruptive behaviors and promote prosocial behaviors of school-aged children. While the short-term benefits of the GBG are well documented in meta-analyses and systematic reviews, it is less clear for what long-term outcomes the GBG may reduce risk. The goal of this systematic review was to synthesize findings across papers that evaluated the long-term effects of the GBG. A total of 22 papers from 5 original studies examining the influence of the GBG on a myriad of distal outcomes across the lifespan were identified by our search and met inclusion criteria for this review. Distal outcomes were assigned confidence in evidence indicators (i.e., strong, moderate, mixed, no evidence) and we specified for what developmental period and participant subgroup GBG treatment effects were found. Results revealed that there is strong evidence the GBG decreases the risk of tobacco use in late adolescence. There is also moderate evidence that the GBG prevents the progression of disruptive/aggressive behaviors from developing into more severe forms of externalizing behavior (e.g., antisocial/criminal behavior) among persistently aggressive children. When paired with a curriculum enhancement, the GBG is more likely to bolster math/reading achievement, thereby increasing the likelihood of college attendance especially for women. Additional outcomes showed moderate evidence (e.g., illicit substance use, prosocial behaviors, suicidal behaviors) whereas other outcomes showed mixed to no evidence (e.g., social acceptance, alcohol use). Given only a handful of these outcomes have been tested by independent researchers across developmental periods, more replication studies are needed to fully appreciate the GBG's long-term impact on less studied outcomes.
Descriptors: Teamwork, Classroom Techniques, Student Behavior, Behavior Modification, Prosocial Behavior, Program Effectiveness, Educational Games, Smoking, Health Behavior, Aggression, Behavior Problems, Academic Achievement, Substance Abuse, Suicide
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A200185
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1University of Southern Mississippi, School of Psychology, Hattiesburg, USA; 2University of Connecticut, UConn Health, Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Farmington, USA

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