Efficacy of the Fast Track Friendship Group Program for Peer-rejected Children: A Randomized-Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate the benefits of the Fast Track Friendship Group program implemented as a stand-alone school-based intervention on the social cognitions, social behavior, peer and teacher relationships of peer-rejected students.

Method

Over four successive years, 224 peer-rejected elementary students (57% White, 17% Black, 20% Latinx, 5% multiracial; 68% male; grades 1–4; M_age = 8.1 years old) were identified using peer sociometric nominations and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 110) or a treatment-as-usual control group (n = 114). Four school districts serving economically-disadvantaged urban and rural communities participated. Intervention involved weekly small group social skills training with classmate partners, with sessions tailored to address individual child needs. Consultation meetings held at the start and mid-point of intervention were designed to help teachers and parents support the generalization of targeted skills.

Results

Multi-level linear models, with children nested within schools (controlling for demographics and baseline scores) documented improvements in social-cognitive skills (direct assessments of emotion recognition and competent social problem-solving), social behavior (teacher ratings of social skills and externalizing behavior), and interpersonal relationships (peer sociometric nominations of peer acceptance and friendships, teacher-rated student-teacher closeness). Significant effects were generally small (ds = .19–.36) but consistent across child sex, grade level, and behavioral characteristics.

Conclusions

The intervention proved feasible for high-fidelity implementation in school settings and produced significant improvements in the social adjustment of peer-rejected children, validating the approach as a school-based Tier 2 intervention.

Supplemental data

Supplemental material for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2051523

Acknowledgments

Appreciation is expressed to the teachers, students, parents, and program personnel who served as partners in this project in the Altoona, Juniata County, Mifflin County, and York City School Districts in Pennsylvania. The views expressed in this article are ours and do not necessarily represent the granting agencies.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Social preference scores were used to identify the sample because they provided a single score that encompasses both positive and negative aspects of peer evaluations. Subsequent analyses examined LM and LL scores separately to better understand intervention effects on positive vs. negative dimensions of peer relations.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) [R305A150488].