ERIC Number: EJ1461873
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1389-4986
EISSN: EISSN-1573-6695
Available Date: 2025-01-08
A Novel Approach to Research Synthesis with the Distillation and Matching Model: Application to the Prevention of Youth Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems
Lauren E. Oddo1; Bryce D. McLeod1; Kevin S. Sutherland2; Jason C. Chow1; Jennifer R. Ledford; Grace W. Li
Prevention Science, v26 n1 p69-79 2025
It is difficult for consumers to access the evidence base for prevention programs to determine which models or practices have the strongest empirical support for improving youth social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) outcomes within their specific service contexts. Researchers can address this evidence-to-practice gap through innovations in research synthesis. The Distillation and Matching Model (Chorpita et al., 2005), an approach to research synthesis developed for the mental health field, is designed to identify what works for whom and under what conditions via three steps. In this paper, we describe the Distillation and Matching Model and suggest that applying this approach to the prevention literature for youth SEB problems may help bridge the evidence-to-practice gap. The first step, distillation, involves identifying "practice elements," defined as the goal or general principle guiding a discrete practice (e.g., praise) targeting a specific domain of SEB outcomes. This step produces a standard set of terms for the individual practices used across the literature that are studied in isolation and comprise comprehensive intervention models. The second step involves identifying "common elements," or the practice elements found in studies that meet standards of methodological rigor and report significant improvements in youth SEB outcomes. The third step, "matching," is a method for matching common element profiles (combinations of common elements) to intervention and personal characteristics to identify what combinations of common elements work for whom and under what conditions. The Distillation and Matching Model can provide a method for researchers to generate actionable information about common elements that can be used to develop and evaluate tailored interventions.
Descriptors: Synthesis, Youth, Social Problems, Emotional Problems, Behavior Problems, Prevention, Evidence Based Practice, Mental Health, Theory Practice Relationship, Matched Groups, Research Design
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Related Records: ED670821
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A220261
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Psychology, Richmond, USA; 2Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Education, Richmond, USA; 3Vanderbilt University, Department of Special Education, Nashville, USA