Social Studies Content Knowledge Interventions for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Meta-Analysis.
Social-studies lessons built with evidence-based practices give big learning gains for students with emotional and behavior disorders.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team pulled together 17 smaller studies. All tested ways to teach social-studies facts or skills to students with emotional and behavior disorders.
They ran a meta-analysis to find the average boost in learning.
What they found
Lessons built with evidence-based tricks gave a large jump in scores. The pooled effect was g = 0.83, a big leap for this group.
In plain words, the right teaching moves can close a lot of the gap in social-studies classes.
How this fits with other research
Two years earlier, McKenna et al. (2019) looked for solid studies on academic lessons for students with emotional disturbance in general-ed classrooms. They found almost none. The new meta shows the gap is now filling in.
Solomon (2014) warned that single-case school data often break statistical rules. Garwood et al. (2021) still found a strong average, so the positive signal holds even with those quirks.
Ajibola et al. (1995) got large reading gains with self-reinforcement for kids with ADHD. The new review shows large gains are possible in social-studies for kids with EBD when teachers use clear, scripted methods instead of self-management.
Why it matters
You now have proof that social-studies lessons can work for students with EBD. Pick programs that use direct instruction, graphic organizers, or guided notes. Start one in your next class and track quiz scores for a month.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The importance of social studies and civics education is increasing, as evidenced by the growing number of states requiring coursework in this area for graduation and its growing presence in school accountability frameworks. Social studies instruction is critical for all students so that they may understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities as citizens and how their actions can influence their communities. Students who exhibit antisocial behaviors, such as those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), may especially benefit from social studies and civics education as it promotes college and career readiness and provides opportunities to engage in social problem solving and perspective taking. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the social studies and civics intervention research for students with EBD. We sought to describe and evaluate the extant literature, identify promising practices, and suggest areas for future research. A total of 17 intervention studies were identified. Overall, 10 out of the 17 studies met What Works Clearinghouse Design Standards with or without reservations. Eight of the 10 studies were eligible for effect size calculation, resulting in an overall large effect (g = 0.83). Study limitations, implications for school practice, and directions for research are discussed.
Behavior modification, 2021 · doi:10.1177/0145445519834622