Teacher-reported effects of the Playing-2-gether intervention on child externalising problem behaviour

Abstract

This longitudinal study examines the teacher-perceived effect of a school-based intervention (i.e. Playing-2-gether) targeting teacher–child interactions to reduce externalising problem behaviour (EPB) amongst preschoolers. Boys with the highest score for EPB in the classroom and their teacher participated in the study. Teacher–child dyads (N = 175) from 46 schools were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control (i.e. education as usual) condition. Teacher-rated questionnaires were collected before, during and after the implementation of the intervention. The results of latent growth modelling indicated that intervention boys, compared with control boys, showed a larger decrease in EPB.

Keywords:

• externalising problem behaviour
• teacher–child interactions
• intervention
• preschool

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a research grant of the Research Fund of the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium (OT/09/019). The authors thank teachers and consultants for their help with intervention implementation and assistant researchers for their help with data collection.