ERIC Number: EJ1466636
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1866-2625
EISSN: EISSN-1866-2633
Available Date: 2024-12-04
The Role of Externalizing Problems and Empathy on the Daily Report Card
Pevitr S. Bansal1; Jocelyn I. Meza2; Sara Chung1; Laura N. Henry1; Melissa R. Dvorsky3,4; Lauren M. Haack1; Elizabeth B. Owens1; Linda J. Pfiffner1
School Mental Health, v17 n1 p106-117 2025
The daily report card (DRC) is a commonly used behavioral intervention in which teachers rate child performance on target goals and parents provide home rewards based on the child's performance. The current study investigated associations between child externalizing problems, empathy, and specific components of the DRC: (1) types of DRC goals that are chosen, (2) teacher and parent adherence to the DRC, and (3) child performance on the DRC. These aims were examined in a sample of 71 children (ages 7-11) who were enrolled in a school-home intervention designed for children with significant inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors. Teachers and parents completed separate baseline measures of inattention (IA), hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I), conduct problems (CP), and empathy. Outcomes included type of DRC goals (i.e., academic, behavioral, and social-emotional), teacher and parent adherence to the DRC during the initial four-week intervention period, and child DRC performance during the same period. First, IA predicted more academic goals but fewer social-emotional goals, H/I predicted fewer academic goals but more behavioral goals, and CP predicted more social-emotional goals. Second, H/I predicted better parental adherence such that parents rewarded their child's DRC more frequently. Third, baseline empathy predicted better overall DRC performance; externalizing problems did not negatively impact DRC performance. Results suggest that the DRC is a robust behavioral modification tool that can be tailored to fit each child's needs and severity of externalizing problems. Empathy may serve as an important factor when designing treatment protocols to improve overall child behavior.
Descriptors: Behavior Modification, Reports, Behavior Problems, Student Behavior, Empathy, Teacher Behavior, Parent Role, Students with Disabilities, Teacher Role, Intervention, Program Effectiveness, Predictor Variables, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Elementary School Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED); National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence; Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R324A120358; T32MH018261
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: 1University of California, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco, USA; 2University of California, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Los Angeles, USA; 3Children’s National Hospital, Division of Psychology and Behavioral Health, Washington, USA; 4The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Department of Pediatrics, Washington, USA