A precision-based approach to implement evidence-based interventions for students with externalizing behaviors in...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Interventions

Background:

• Externalizing behaviors negatively impact student outcomes, posing a public health challenge in developing nations.
• The "one-size-fits-all" approach to interventions is less effective than precision-based methods for diverse student needs.
• Implementing precision approaches in low-resource settings requires addressing contextual barriers like high student-teacher ratios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy, feasibility, acceptability, and cultural compatibility of the Student Intervention Matching System (SIMS) in China.
• To compare SIMS's effectiveness in matching behavioral evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to students with externalizing behaviors against the one-size-fits-all (OSFA) approach.
• To assess the social validity of SIMS and matched EBIs among Chinese school stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• A collaborative pilot study involving Chinese school stakeholders.
• Utilized a concurrent multiple-baseline across-participant design with six students (three dyads).
• Employed visual and quantitative analyses for efficacy and social validity data for feasibility, acceptability, and cultural compatibility.

Main Results:

• SIMS demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing externalizing behaviors compared to the OSFA approach.
• Social validity data confirmed the feasibility, acceptability, and cultural compatibility of SIMS and its matched EBIs.
• The study successfully adapted a precision-based intervention system for a low-resource, populous country.

Conclusions:

• SIMS offers a more effective and tailored approach to managing student externalizing behaviors than traditional methods.
• The findings support the adaptation and implementation of precision-based intervention systems in diverse, low-resource educational contexts.
• Addressing implementation barriers is crucial for the successful deployment of SIMS in developing countries.