Enlisting Peer Cooperation and Prosociality in the Service of Substance Use Prevention in Middle School

NCT03119415 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AA024275
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 2,064
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Students' cooperative and prosocial behavior is vital to their social and academic success and to the quality of a school's social environment. This project will evaluate an instructional technique that could benefit students and schools by encouraging higher levels of prosocial behavior among students and promoting social integration and inclusion, particularly for marginalized students. The instructional technique is called "cooperative learning" which involves students working in groups toward shared academic goals. Previous research indicates that cooperative learning promotes social acceptance and increases academic engagement and achievement. However, it has not been evaluated as a technique to reduce student behavioral problems and promote greater school safety. There is strong reason to believe that it will have these benefits, since cooperative learning brings together students from diverse social groups and provides them the opportunity to work together toward shared goals in a positive setting.

Conditions

Social Behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Substance use

  Tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana; actual use, intentions to use, willingness to use

  twice a year for two years during 7th and 8th grades

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

  twice a year for two years during 7th and 8th grades

• Engagement vs. Disaffection with Learning

  twice a year for two years during 7th and 8th grades

• Classroom Life Scale

  twice a year for two years during 7th and 8th grades

• University of Illinois Bully Scale

  twice a year for two years during 7th and 8th grades

Study Arms (2)

Cooperative Learning

EXPERIMENTAL

Teachers in intervention schools are training in cooperative learning (CL).

Behavioral: Cooperative Learning

Business as Usual

NO INTERVENTION

Schools continue with business as usual.

Interventions

Cooperative Learning BEHAVIORAL

CL is an umbrella term that includes peer tutoring, reciprocal teaching, collaborative reading, and other methods in which peers help each other learn in small groups. CL is not prescriptive but rather is a conceptual framework within which teachers design their own small-group activities. Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec's approach to CL combines positive interdependence with individual accountability, a high degree of face-to-face social interaction among youth, and support for the development of cooperative social skills. The Johnsons' approach offers teachers the combination of specific cooperative activities and the conceptual tools to create their own lesson plans using positive interdependence.

Cooperative Learning

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• All students in participating schools in the 7th grade (first year) and 8th grade (second year)

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oregon Research Institute: lead
• Michigan State University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Oregon Research Insititute

Eugene, Oregon, 97403, United States

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. Enlisting Peer Cooperation in the Service of Alcohol Use Prevention in Middle School. Child Dev. 2018 Nov;89(6):e459-e467. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12981. Epub 2017 Dec 19.

  PMID: 29265358 BACKGROUND

• Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. Cooperative Learning in Middle School: A Means to Improve Peer Relations and Reduce Victimization, Bullying, and Related Outcomes. J Educ Psychol. 2018 Nov;110(8):1192-1201. doi: 10.1037/edu0000265. Epub 2018 Mar 1.

  PMID: 30911200 BACKGROUND

• Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. Peer influence processes as mediators of effects of a middle school substance use prevention program. Addict Behav. 2018 Oct;85:180-185. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.06.016. Epub 2018 Jun 13.

  PMID: 29921538 BACKGROUND

• Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. Effects of cooperative learning on peer relations, empathy, and bullying in middle school. Aggress Behav. 2019 Nov;45(6):643-651. doi: 10.1002/ab.21858. Epub 2019 Aug 20.

  PMID: 31432535 BACKGROUND

• Lee DC, O'Brien KM, McCrabb S, Wolfenden L, Tzelepis F, Barnes C, Yoong S, Bartlem KM, Hodder RK. Strategies for enhancing the implementation of school-based policies or practices targeting diet, physical activity, obesity, tobacco or alcohol use. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Dec 12;12(12):CD011677. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011677.pub4.

  PMID: 39665378 DERIVED

• Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. The Longitudinal Relationship Between Peer Relations and Empathy and their Joint Contribution to Reducing Bullying in Middle School: Findings from a Randomized Trial of Cooperative Learning. J Prev Health Promot. 2022 Apr;3(2):147-165. doi: 10.1177/26320770221094032. Epub 2022 May 5.

  PMID: 36818659 DERIVED

• Low S, Van Ryzin MJ, Roseth CJ. Peer learning can modify the reciprocal relationship between peer support and victimization in middle school. J Adolesc. 2023 Apr;95(3):524-536. doi: 10.1002/jad.12133. Epub 2022 Dec 22.

  PMID: 36546511 DERIVED

• Van Ryzin MJ, Cil G, Roseth CJ. Costs and benefits of cooperative learning as a universal school-based approach to adolescent substance use prevention. J Community Psychol. 2023 Jan;51(1):438-452. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22916. Epub 2022 Jul 8.

  PMID: 35801306 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This research is a comparison between the Cooperative Learning program and services as usual. Approximately twelve middle schools will be randomized to a waitlist-control condition. The intervention group will receive training in Cooperative Learning immediately and the waitlist-control group will receive training at the end fo the project. Teachers will be given training on the basics of Cooperative Learning and will be supported in their efforts to implement it in their classrooms. No curricular changes will be required. The initial training will last two or three days and will confirm to the professional development calendar of the intervention schools (selected at random). The implementation of Cooperative Learning is expected to be on-going for the full duration of the project (two years).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2017
• First Posted: April 18, 2017
• Study Start: July 1, 2016
• Primary Completion: June 30, 2018
• Study Completion: June 30, 2020
• Last Updated: July 23, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)