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Middle School Classroom Management: A Randomized Control Trial of Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams for Middle Schools (CW-FIT MS)

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Abstract

Middle school is a cornerstone for success in high school. However, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement of adolescents often decline as they transition from elementary to middle school, resulting in lower school grades and more challenging behaviors, especially for adolescents with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Class-wide function-related intervention teams (CW-FIT), a classroom management program based on school-wide positive behavior support, has been found to be effective in elementary general and special education classrooms. The present study, a randomized control trial of CW-FIT for middle schools (CW-FIT MS), evaluated the effects on class-wide on-task behavior, as well as the on-task and disruptive behaviors of students identified as at risk for EBD. Participants included 629 students (70 identified as at risk) enrolled in 28 middle school classrooms across five Title I schools representing diverse geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic areas. The study also addressed research questions regarding effects of the intervention on teacher praise and reprimands, as well as teacher and student social validity. Results suggested that CW-FIT MS was associated with improvements in class-wide and at-risk student on-task behavior, student disruptions, teacher praise, and teacher reprimand rates. Both teachers and students reported the intervention to be socially valid. Study limitations and areas for future research are addressed.

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Funding

This research was funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education (R324A160279) awarded to the University of Kansas in cooperation with Brigham Young University. The opinions presented in this article are those of the authors, and no endorsement by the funding agency is intended or implied.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, University of Kansas, 444 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, Ks, 66101, US

    Howard P. Wills

  2. Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Brigham Young University, 149D MCKB, Provo, UT, 84602, US

    Paul Caldarella

  3. School of Education, Brigham Young University, 149 McKay, Provo, UT, 84602, US

    Leslie Williams

  4. Research Design and Analysis, University of Kansas, 1000 Sunnyside Ave, Lawrence, KS, 66045, US

    Kandace Fleming

  5. National Taipei University of Education, No.134, Sec. 2, Heping E. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan

    Pei-Yu Chen

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  1. Howard P. Wills
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  2. Paul Caldarella
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  3. Leslie Williams
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  4. Kandace Fleming
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Correspondence to Howard P. Wills.

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The research reported in this manuscript was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association. Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Kansas, which also approved the informed consent procedures used.

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Wills, H.P., Caldarella, P., Williams, L. et al. Middle School Classroom Management: A Randomized Control Trial of Class-wide Function-Related Intervention Teams for Middle Schools (CW-FIT MS). J Behav Educ 32, 189–211 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-021-09455-0

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