The Therapeutic Mechanisms of Check, Connect, and Expect

Abstract.

Given the high prevalence of Tier 2 behavioral intervention use and calls to examine mediation and moderation effects on treatment for children, this study tested the mediation effect of the daily progress report and moderation effects of coach–student, teacher–student, and student–teacher relationships and their interactions for 95 elementary school students who received the Check, Connect, and Expect intervention. The only significant finding was the moderating effect of the student–teacher and teacher–student relationships. A significant interaction between the moderating effects showed that a positive student–teacher relationship showed overall reductions in total problem behavior across an academic year. This result is interpreted as students' perception of a positive relationship with their teacher as critical to the therapeutic mechanism of Tier 2 behavioral interventions.

Notes

Preparation of this article was supported in part by grant H324P040012 from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research. The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or nonfinancial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this article.

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Notes on contributors

Scott A. Stage

Scott A. Stage is the director of the School Psychology Program at North Carolina State University. His research interests include intervention and assessment for students with or at risk for emotional disabilities. His current research focuses on progress-monitoring tools for multitiered systems of support (MTSS).

Sally B. Galanti

Sally B. Galanti is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology Program at North Carolina State University. She is currently completing an American Psychological Association–accredited internship with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Her research interests include interventions for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties and program evaluation for behavioral interventions implemented within an MTSS framework.