First Step Next significantly improves pro-social behavior in at-risk preschoolers, with Hedges' g effect sizes from .34 to .91¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Children receiving First Step Next showed statistically significant posttest improvement in pro-social functioning on parent- and teacher-reported measures compared to control. → Feil 2020
Evidence¶
Feil 2020¶
Feil, E. G., Walker, H. M., Frey, A. J., Seeley, J. R., Small, J. W., Golly, A., Lee, J., & Forness, S. R. (2020). Efficacy Validation of the Revised First Step Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Exceptional Children. https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ecx
q3 · i? · causal · r2
Cluster-randomized trial with 160 at-risk preschoolers randomized at the program level (25 programs, 83 classrooms intervention; 25 programs, 77 classrooms control), analyzed with two-level random intercept regression models adjusting for baseline scores. "Hedges' g effect sizes ranged from .34 to .91" across the three pro-social outcomes, all significant after B-H correction.
"Parents and teachers reported statistically significant improvement at posttest in the prosocial functioning of children receiving First Step Next. For the three pro-social domains, Hedges' g effect sizes ranged from .34 to .91."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- First Step Next reduces relational aggression and child-teacher conflict in at-risk preschoolers — related
- First Step to Success shows potentially positive effects on social outcomes (average improvement index +23) — related
- The revised, unified First Step Next retains the efficacy of the original program in preschool settings, though parent-reported effects remain small — related
- First Step to Success shows potentially positive but not statistically significant effects on emotional/internal behavior (effect size 0.26) — related
- First Step Next replication RCTs produced small to large effect sizes and statistically significant behavioral gains compared with control conditions — a broader claim this one bears on
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