Piloting a classroom‐based intervention in after‐school programmes: a case study in science migration
| Date | 20 November 2009 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200900014 |
| Pages | 4-20 |
| Published date | 20 November 2009 |
| Author | Kathryn Hynes,Emilie Smith,Daniel Perkins |
| Subject Matter | Education,Health & social care,Sociology |
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Abstract
Policy-makers are looking to after-school programmes to improve family and child well-
being and are searching for evidence-based ways to improve the quality of after-school
programmes. This study examines whether the Good Behaviour Game, a behaviour
management curriculum designed for school classrooms, can be easily migrated to
academically focused after-school programmes. Our results are based on programme
observations, qualitative interviews and ratings of implementation fidelity. We describe the
structure and activities in these after-school programmes and then identify challenges to
implementing and evaluating classroom-based interventions in the after-school setting.
Key words
after-school; intervention; behaviour management; evaluation
programmes afford numerous opportunities to
promote healthy development, research from the
US on their impact is mixed. Some studies report
positive effects on children’s development (Posner
& Vandell, 1994; Mahoney et al, 2005), while
others report few benefits (NICHD, 2004; James-
Burdumy et al, 2005). One reason for variation in
Introduction
Policy-makers and educators in the US and other
countries increasingly recognise the positive role
that after-school programmes and extended
school day services can play in improving children’s
academic, social, behavioural and health outcomes
(Afterschool Alliance, 2004; Mahoney & Zigler,
2006). While these after-school or extended day
Piloting a classroom-based
intervention in after-school
programmes: a case study in
science migration
Kathryn Hynes
Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, US
Emilie Phillips Smith
Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Director of the Center for Family Research in
Diverse Contexts, Pennsylvania State University, US
Daniel Perkins
Professor of Family and Youth Resiliency and Policy, Pennsylvania State University, US
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Piloting a classroom-based intervention in after-school programmes: a case study in science migration
anticipate easier migration when the structures and
behavioural expectations are more ‘school-like’.
While the research for this study comes from the
US, the implications of our findings should apply
to extended school day programmes in other
countries as well, providing they have a similar
structure to those described in this study.
Using both qualitative and quantitative data,
this study provides insight into our experiences
implementing a classroom-based intervention
in after-school programmes. We present a
description of the 21st CCLC programmes in
our sample. As researchers consider strategies
to improve after-school programme quality,
having a clear sense of the structure and content
of different programme types is essential. We
also answer two research questions. First, what
are the barriers to implementing the GBG in
after-school settings? We document the barriers
to implementation that were most salient for
staff, directors and implementation coaches. To
show the extent to which these barriers interfere
with implementation, we provide descriptive
information on the level of fidelity with various
components of the GBG. Second, what kinds of
approaches are needed to evaluate properly the
effects of classroom-based interventions in after-
school programmes? During data collection, we
became particularly interested in the challenges
posed by within-programme variation in the quality
of activities and staff. We document the extent of
within-programme variation in activity quality and
discuss the implications for evaluation efforts.
While the sample size for this study is small,
there is widespread interest in information on
evidence-based practices that can improve the
quality of after-school programmes. Because of
the growing interest in after-school programming,
researchers from many related areas are moving
into this field. We hope our experiences and
findings provide timely assistance to others as they
design related projects.
The Good Behaviour Game
The Good Behaviour Game (Barrish et al, 1969)
is a simple, empirically supported application of
behaviour management that improves children’s
classroom behaviour (Tingstrom et al, 2006). It
has been shown to reduce teacher reports of
aggression for at-risk boys (Kellam et al, 1994)
and to reduce the chances that boys start smoking
(Kellam & Anthony, 1998). The GBG has also
been combined with other types of interventions
to improve child outcomes. For instance, the
the effects is variation in the quality of after-school
programme activities. While there has not been
a large, nationally representative assessment of
after-school programme quality in the US, research
on their infrastructure suggests there is room for
quality improvement. For instance, many after-
school programmes in the US pay low wages, have
widely varying staff education levels, offer only
part-time jobs and, not surprisingly, have high rates
of staff turnover (Seppanen et al, 1993). Without
adequate knowledge, infrastructure and incentives
it will be difficult for staff to provide the high quality
programming that is necessary to achieve beneficial
child outcomes. Therefore researchers have begun
looking for evidence-based strategies to improve
the quality of after-school programmes.
Unfortunately, research on effective strategies
to improve the quality of after-school programmes
is limited. While both the structures and the
curricula in after-school programmes tend to
differ from those of the traditional school day,
there are enough similarities between the two
environments that it may be possible to take
interventions designed to improve classroom
quality and adapt them for the after-school setting.
Identifying evidence-based practices from the
school improvement literature that can be easily
adapted for after-school programmes may be an
effective way to rapidly increase options available
for improving the quality of these programmes.
This study contributes to our knowledge
about the feasibility of migrating classroom-based
interventions into after-school programmes. Data
for this study comes from a pilot project in which
we implemented the Good Behaviour Game
(GBG), a classroom-based behaviour management
system, in eight after-school programmes in the
US. Effective behaviour management practices
are an important foundation for any kind of youth
programming. They may be particularly necessary
for after-school programmes because they are
trying to elicit co-operation from children who
have already been through a full school day. In
addition, they are often serving children who are at
risk of academic or behavioural problems, thereby
increasing the importance of a systematic strategy
of behaviour management (Walker et al, 1996).
The after-school programmes in this study
were all 21st Century Community Learning Center
(CCLC) programmes, which are federally funded
and designed to boost academic achievement
and foster healthy development among at-risk
students. We focus on academically oriented after-
school programmes in this initial study because we
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