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Expanding Daily Report Card Intervention to the Preschool Setting: Evaluation of Effectiveness and Usability for Teachers and Parents

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Abstract

Daily report card (DRC) intervention provides a structured method for increasing communication between teachers and parents regarding student behavior; however, limited research has investigated the effectiveness and acceptability of DRC intervention with preschool students. Additionally, effectiveness of DRC intervention is enhanced when parents provide consistent reinforcement for students’ goal attainment. The purposes of the study were to (a) extend DRC intervention to examine effectiveness and acceptability with preschool students and (b) evaluate the impact of proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on home intervention integrity (i.e., parents’ provision of contingent reinforcement). DRC intervention was implemented in a multiple-baseline-across-subjects design for 3 preschool students to evaluate impacts of (a) the intervention on classroom engagement and disruptive behavior measured via systematic direct observation and (b) proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on parents’ home intervention integrity. Although DRC intervention resulted in negligible level changes in student engagement and disruptive behavior, variability of disruptive behavior reduced following intervention. Antecedent e-mail prompts did not improve home intervention integrity due to high baseline levels (i.e., ceiling effects). Finally, parents and teachers found DRC intervention to be feasible and appropriate for preschool. Limitations of the study and implications for expanding DRC intervention to preschool are discussed.

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Funding

The study reported in this manuscript was funded by the Early Career Research Award Program and the Society for the Study of School Psychology (SSSP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, 02125-3393, USA

    Brian Daniels, Stacy L. Bender, Annisha Susilo & Lindsay M. Fallon

  2. Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy M. Briesch

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  1. Brian Daniels
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  2. Stacy L. Bender
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  4. Annisha Susilo
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  5. Lindsay M. Fallon
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Correspondence to Brian Daniels.

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The study complies with ethical standards for conducting research involving human subjects and all study procedures were approved by the university Institutional Review Board (IRB). Teachers and parents of students who participated in the study provided their informed consent in accordance with procedures approved by the university IRB. Assent was not sought from students who participated in the study because they were determined by the IRB to be too young (all students were 5 years old); however, DRC intervention procedures were explained to them using developmentally appropriate language.

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Daniels, B., Bender, S.L., Briesch, A.M. et al. Expanding Daily Report Card Intervention to the Preschool Setting: Evaluation of Effectiveness and Usability for Teachers and Parents. Contemp School Psychol 27, 303–316 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-021-00387-0

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