Facing History and Ourselves shows no discernible effects on student behavior, with self-reported fighting differences neither statistically significant nor substantively important¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2006 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Eighth-grade students in FHAO classrooms reported less fighting than comparison students, but the difference was not statistically significant and the effect size (0.20) did not meet WWC substantively-important criteria. → What Works Clearinghouse 2006

Evidence¶

What Works Clearinghouse 2006¶

What Works Clearinghouse. (2006). WWC Intervention Report: Facing History and Ourselves. U.S. Department of Education. www.facinghistory.org. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/InterventionReport/169

q2 · i? · causal · r2

WWC re-analysis of the Schultz, Barr, & Selman (2001) quasi-experimental study of 346 eighth-grade students in 22 classrooms. The fighting outcome showed an effect size of 0.20 (improvement index +8), not significant at α = 0.05 after clustering corrections; equivalence was not tested.

"Facing History and Ourselves students reported less fighting than students in the comparison group, but this difference was neither statistically significant (as calculated by the WWC) nor large enough to be considered substantively important using WWC criteria."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The evidence base for Facing History and Ourselves is limited: only one of eight reviewed studies met WWC evidence standards, and it used a quasi-experimental rather than randomized design — related
• Four of seven knowledge, attitudes, and values outcomes favor the comparison group, including ethnic identity (effect size -0.19) and both moral reasoning measures, none statistically significant — related
• Three of seven knowledge, attitudes, and values outcomes favor Facing History and Ourselves, including relationship maturity (best response) with effect size 0.45, but none remain statistically significant after WWC corrections — related
• Effects on behavioral intentions for marijuana use and fighting were not statistically significant in either study — related
• Group-design studies show a significant main effect of self-management interventions on classroom behaviors (g = 0.63), but rest on only four studies — related
• In the RCT, the average effect across knowledge, attitudes, and values outcomes was substantively important (0.35) but not statistically significant, with several individual outcomes null — related