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Mann MJ, Kristjansson AL, Smith ML, Lilly CL, Thrisdottir IE, Havlicak A. Beyond School Climate: Conceptualizing the School as a Protective Factor Approach. THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2024. [PMID: 38962928 DOI: 10.1111/josh.13490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The school climate concept has been promising, but has long-standing critiques that have not been adequately addressed to date. The School as a Protective Factor approach represents one attempt to offer a new approach that builds on and extends beyond the concept of school climate while addressing previously identified limitations. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THEORY The School as a Protective Factor approach offers a new framework for conceptualizing, measuring, and establishing protective school social and learning environments that co-promote academic achievement and student health in schools, especially student mental health and substance use/abuse prevention. This new framework includes clear definitions, explicit goals, firmly established constructs, validated measures, and an intentionally parsimonious approach that prioritizes the implementation of well-established, high-impact constructs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL HEALTH POLICY, PRACTICE, AND EQUITY: The School as a Protective Factor approach presents a simple, easy-to-use means of ensuring a school social environment that meets the developmental, academic, and health needs of all children and adolescents while maximizing protection across a range of desired outcomes. Perhaps most importantly, it does so in a manner that is manageable and easily integrated into every aspect of schooling, resonates with the practical experience of school personnel, and includes brief, effective, and free measurement tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Mann
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
| | - Alfgeir L Kristjansson
- School of Public Health, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26506-9190; Planet Youth, Lágmúli 6, 108, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Megan L Smith
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
| | - Christa L Lilly
- School of Public Health, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9190
| | | | - Ashley Havlicak
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
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Lilly CL, Kristjansson AL, Smith ML, Thrisdottir IE, Havlicak A, Mann MJ. Beyond School Climate: Validating the School as a Protective Factor-Brief Survey. THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2024. [PMID: 38937967 DOI: 10.1111/josh.13481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The conceptual framework for School as a Protective Factor approach was presented in a companion article in this issue of the journal. The current article describes the validation of the School as a Protective Factor-Brief (SPF-Brief), a 13-item survey measuring the 3 core constructs and 13 defining characteristics of this framework. METHODS The SPF-Brief was validated through 2 studies. The developmental study used a longitudinal design including 1349 participants who completed surveys over 5 semesters, while the validation study used a cross-sectional design with 2775 participants. Both studies included middle and high school students. Factor analysis, growth model analysis, criterion-related validation, and outcome analysis were employed. RESULTS Analyses provided strong evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the instrument and conceptual framework. Higher SPF-Brief scores were associated with higher math grades, English grades, and quality of life, as well as lower rates of anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, alcohol, e-cigarette, tobacco, and cannabis use. Effect size estimates ranged from moderate to strong. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest the utility of the SPF-Brief instrument and the School as a Protective Factor framework. Together, they may offer advantages to the traditional school climate approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa L Lilly
- School of Public Health, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9190
| | - Alfgeir L Kristjansson
- School of Public Health, West Virginia University, 1 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9190
| | - Megan L Smith
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
| | | | - Ashley Havlicak
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
| | - Michael J Mann
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID, 83725-1835
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Kristjansson AL, Santilli AM, Mills R, Layman HM, Smith ML, Mann MJ, MacKillop J, James JE, Lilly CL, Kogan SM. Risk and Resilience Pathways, Community Adversity, Decision-making, and Alcohol Use Among Appalachian Adolescents: Protocol for the Longitudinal Young Mountaineer Health Study Cohort. JMIR Res Protoc 2022; 11:e40451. [PMID: 35930337 PMCID: PMC9391973 DOI: 10.2196/40451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use impairs psychosocial and neurocognitive development and increases the vulnerability of youth to academic failure, substance use disorders, and other mental health problems. The early onset of alcohol use in adolescents is of particular concern, forecasting substance abuse in later adolescence and adulthood. To date, evidence suggests that youth in rural areas are especially vulnerable to contextual and community factors that contribute to the early onset of alcohol use. OBJECTIVE The objective of the Young Mountaineer Health Study is to investigate the influence of contextual and health behavior variables on the early onset of alcohol use among middle school-aged youth in resource-poor Appalachian rural communities. METHODS This is a program of prospective cohort studies of approximately 2200 middle school youth from a range of 20 rural, small town, and small city (population <30,000) public schools in West Virginia. Students are participating in 6 waves of data collection (2 per year) over the course of middle school (sixth to eighth grades; fall and spring) from 2020 to 2023. On the basis of an organizational arrangement, which includes a team of local data collection leaders, supervising contact agents in schools, and an honest broker system to deidentify data linked via school IDs, we are able to collect novel forms of data (self-reported data, teacher-reported data, census-linked area data, and archival school records) while ensuring high rates of participation by a large majority of youth in each participating school. RESULTS In the spring of 2021, 3 waves of student survey data, 2 waves of data from teachers, and a selection of archival school records were collected. Student survey wave 1 comprised 1349 (response rate 80.7%) participants, wave 2 comprised 1649 (response rate 87%) participants, and wave 3 comprised 1909 (response rate 83.1%) participants. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the sampling frame size, resulting in a reduced number of eligible students, particularly during the fall of 2020. Nevertheless, our team structure and incentive system have proven vitally important in mitigating the potentially far greater negative impact of the pandemic on our data collection processes. CONCLUSIONS The Young Mountaineer Health Study will use a large data set to test pathways linking rural community disadvantage to alcohol misuse among early adolescents. Furthermore, the program will test hypotheses regarding contextual factors (eg, parenting practices and neighborhood collective efficacy) that protect youth from community disadvantage and explore alcohol antecedents in the onset of nicotine, marijuana, and other drug use. Data collection efforts have been successful despite interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/40451.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfgeir L Kristjansson
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Annette M Santilli
- School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Rosalina Mills
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Hannah M Layman
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Megan L Smith
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID, United States
| | - Michael J Mann
- School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, Boise, ID, United States
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
- St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jack E James
- Department of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Christa L Lilly
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Steven M Kogan
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
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Skinner CH, Bennett J, Richardson R, Scott K, Wheat LS, Martinez J. Educational equity, academic standards, and countercontrol: Preventing academic deficits with supplemental interdependent rewards. PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/pits.22756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher H. Skinner
- Educational Psychology and Counseling The University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | - Jade Bennett
- The University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | | | - Katie Scott
- The University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
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Klassen D, Champion C, Montemurro G, Flynn J, Raine K, Storey K. It takes a community: exploring APPLE Schools' impact within and beyond school walls in Canada. Health Promot Int 2022:6576067. [PMID: 35486099 DOI: 10.1093/heapro/daac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Childhood is a critical stage to develop healthy behaviours, and the school years are an important developmental period in which children are learning and growing. School-based health promotion interventions are increasingly using the comprehensive school health (CSH) approach that has been found effective at improving health behaviours, while adapting to the school and community context to create and sustain a healthy school culture. The interconnected environments of school, home and community are key to the CSH approach, however, there is minimal research that has been conducted to determine the impact at the community-level. This research used a qualitative multiple case study design to explore the influence of a school-based health promotion intervention, APPLE Schools, on the school and community environments from the perspectives of school staff in Alberta, Canada. Twenty-two participants participated in walking interviews in five schools. The walking interview approach combined interviewing and field observation and empowered participants to share their local expertise and knowledge within the context of school and community environments. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Four themes were identified: APPLE schools look different, APPLE Schools build champions, APPLE Schools builds community partnerships and APPLE Schools honours community culture. Health promotion practice in schools was uniquely adapted based on strengths and needs of each school and was broadly influenced by the community outside of school walls. In sum, it was found that school-based health promotion reaches beyond school walls and can influence the broader community environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Klassen
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Claudine Champion
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Genevieve Montemurro
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Jenn Flynn
- APPLE Schools Foundation, 3-50 University Terrace, 8303-112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2T4, Canada
| | - Kim Raine
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
| | - Kate Storey
- School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 3-300 Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, 11405-87 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
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Nguyen AJ, McDaniel H, Braun SS, Chen L, Bradshaw CP. Contextualizing the Association Between School Climate and Student Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Rurality. THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2021; 91:463-472. [PMID: 33821509 PMCID: PMC10568539 DOI: 10.1111/josh.13026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In rural communities, understanding and improving school climate may benefit youth facing unique contextual challenges to well-being. As education research rarely focuses on rural schools, we aimed to examine school climate and student well-being with a particular focus on rural schools, compared to suburban schools. METHODS Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 62,265 students in 22 rural and 78 suburban Maryland middle and high schools. Student self-report data were collected on school climate (safety, engagement, and environment) as well as internalizing problems, behavior problems, stress, substance abuse, and future orientation. Multiple-group, multilevel models were fit to compare between rural and suburban schools. RESULTS On average, rural students reported significantly lower perceptions of safety and engagement than suburban students. Safety and engagement were generally associated with higher youth well-being. A number of moderated effects were observed, which generally suggested stronger associations between school-level climate-particularly engagement-and more positive outcomes for rural compared to suburban students. CONCLUSIONS Students' perceptions of safety and engagement were associated with student well-being, in some cases with stronger associations for rural students. These findings suggest that efforts to improve school climate may be particularly impactful for rural students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Nguyen
- School of Education & Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, PO Box 400281, Charlottesville, VA, 22904
| | - Heather McDaniel
- School of Education & Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, PO Box 400281, Charlottesville, VA, 22904
| | - Summer S Braun
- School of Education & Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, PO Box 400281, Charlottesville, VA, 22904
| | - Lingjun Chen
- University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, PO Box 301402, Houston, TX, 77230
| | - Catherine P Bradshaw
- School of Education & Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, PO Box 400281, Charlottesville, VA, 22904
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Gaias LM, Cook CR, Nguyen L, Brewer SK, Brown EC, Kiche S, Shi J, Buntain-Ricklefs J, Duong MT. A Mixed Methods Pilot Study of an Equity-Explicit Student-Teacher Relationship Intervention for the Ninth-Grade Transition. THE JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2020; 90:1004-1018. [PMID: 33184887 PMCID: PMC7702116 DOI: 10.1111/josh.12968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Student-teacher relationships are associated with the social and emotional climate of a school, a key domain of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model. Few interventions target student-teacher relationships during the critical transition to high school, or incorporate strategies for enhancing equitable relationships. We conducted a mixed-methods feasibility study of a student-teacher relationship intervention, called Equity-Explicit Establish-Maintain-Restore (E-EMR). METHODS We tested whether students (N = 133) whose teachers received E-EMR training demonstrated improved relationship quality, school belonging, motivation, behavior, and academic outcomes from pre- to post-test, and whether these differences were moderated by race. We also examined how teachers (N = 16) integrated a focus on equity into their implementation of the intervention. RESULTS Relative to white students, students of the color showed greater improvement on belongingness, behavior, motivation, and GPA. Teachers described how they incorporated a focus on race/ethnicity, culture, and bias into E-EMR practices, and situated their relationships with students within the contexts of their own identity, the classroom/school context, and broader systems of power and privilege. CONCLUSIONS We provide preliminary evidence for E-EMR to change teacher practice and reduce educational disparities for students of color. We discuss implications for other school-based interventions to integrate an equity-explicit focus into program content and evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa M Gaias
- Assistant Professor, , Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 850 Broadway St Lowell, MA 01854
| | - Clayton R Cook
- Professor, , College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Lillian Nguyen
- Project Coordinator, , School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115
| | - Stephanie K Brewer
- Postdoctoral Fellow, , School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115
| | - Eric C Brown
- Associate Professor, , Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1600 NW 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33136
| | - Sharon Kiche
- Project Coordinator, , School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115
| | - Jiajing Shi
- Research Study Assistant, , Committee for Children, 2815 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
| | - Jodie Buntain-Ricklefs
- Research Lead/Managing Director, , School Mental Health Assessment, Research, and Training Center, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115
| | - Mylien T Duong
- Senior Research Scientist, , Committee for Children, 2815 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
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