Empowering Youth With School Discipline Referrals as Peer Coaches
University of Southern California
Summary
The study will examine the effects of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based behavioral intervention for discipline-referred middle-school youth who might benefit when trained to act as change agents for their peers. Successful completion of this study will provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth in prosocial peer engagement.
Description
In this proposal, the investigators evaluate the effects of PCT, an approach that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on training youth to help their peers. In urban public school districts across the US, exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension and expulsion) disproportionally affects Black and Latinx youth. Although many school-based interventions are promising, they overlook the motivational potential of helping others and fail to build on the culturally grounded prosocial orientation of Black and Latinx students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Peer Coach Trainin…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 10–15 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Youth who have received at least one disciplinary referral between the first day of school and recruitment Exclusion Criteria: * Youth who have not received any disciplinary referrals between the first day of school and recruitment
Interventions
- BehavioralPeer Coach Training (PCT)
Six to seven session strengths-based behavioral intervention focusing on skills development and help-giving practices
- BehavioralDelayed control
Services offered by middle schools for students according to their standard practice of care. These youth will then receive PCT after completion of follow-up assessments.
Location
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California