Schedule:
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Lexington (Hyatt Regency Washington, Washington, DC)
* noted as presenting author
Anne Cash, PhD, Scientist, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Tracy Evian Waasdorp, PhD, Assistant Scientist, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Mary Wahl, MPH, Senior Research Program Coordinator, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Catherine Bradshaw, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
School climate influences students’ academic and behavioral outcomes, as it establishes the conditions under which learning and teaching will take place. Students are often permitted greater independence in nonclassroom settings within schools as they transition into adolescence, but there is also typically less supervision within nonclassroom areas and opportunities for problem behaviors increase. Targeted interventions, such as adult supervision and engagement with students, can break the negative cycle of student problem behavior in these areas. In addition, nonclassroom contexts can provide an opportunity for students and school staff to contribute to a safe and supportive school climate, through informal yet positive interactions. This paper examines associations between observed adult and student behaviors in nonclassroom settings.
The Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST; Rusby, Taylor, & Milchak, 2001) measure comprised of event-based tallies (i.e., counts of specific behaviors) and global ratings (i.e., scale scores) as indicators of social processes occurring in nonclassroom areas was used to collect observational data. Observational data (N = 914) were collected from nonclassroom locations (i.e. arrival, hallway/stairway, cafeteria, and dismissal) in 58 high schools participating in a study of school climate.
Results show fewer negative student behaviors were observed when adults actively connected with students. Increased positive student behaviors were observed when adults monitored the nonclassroom settings. The frequency of negative student behaviors varied by location as well as with the density of students present in nonclassroom spaces. This study contributes to prior literature through its focus on nonclassroom contexts, examination of adult as well as student behavior in nonclassroom areas, and the use of observational methodology in high school settings. Implications for schools seeking to reduce problem behaviors and improve school climate in nonclassroom spaces will be discussed.
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