Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' behavior, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.51 and an improvement index of +19 percentile points¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r? · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2007 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 Across two studies meeting WWC standards, the average effect size for behavior outcomes was statistically significant, favoring the intervention group. → WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007

Evidence¶

WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007¶

WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action. (2007). What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. http://www.positiveaction.net

q3 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r?

WWC aggregation of behavior-domain findings from one randomized controlled trial (Flay et al., 2006) and one quasi-experimental study (Flay & Allred, 2003), covering 56 schools and over 2,660 students. The printed "Domain average8 across studies 0.51" is an average effect size of 0.51 (a medium effect), yielding an improvement index of +19 percentile points, and the WWC rated the domain as having positive effects.

"Domain average8 across studies 0.51 na +19"

Studies bearing on this claim¶

Do schoolwide character-education programmes change students' behaviour, and do they also move knowledge, attitudes, values and achievement? This table gathers the studies behind this claim and the 7 narrower claims that bear on it: 2 distinct studies (2 quant-synthesis), q2–q3, 1 of 2 with an effect size coded. One row per study, codes as each entry records them; no effect is averaged and no verdict is drawn. Built by scripts/synthesize_claim.py from eval/synthesis/; a row that looks wrong is fixed on the claim it comes from.

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The average effect across all four behavior outcome measures in the Page & D'Agostino study is positive and statistically significant (effect size 0.40) — related
• The WWC's extent of evidence for Positive Action is moderate to large for behavior and academic achievement, with no qualifying studies addressing knowledge, attitudes, and values — a broader claim this one bears on
• Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' academic achievement, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.37 and an improvement index of +14 percentile points — related
• The Child Development Project/CSC shows potentially positive effects on student behavior, with an average improvement index of +8 percentile points — related
• Too Good for Drugs has potentially positive effects on student behavior, with a WWC-computed domain average effect size of 0.25 that is not statistically significant — related
• The WWC rates Project CRISS® as having potentially positive effects on comprehension for adolescent learners, with an average improvement index of +20 percentile points — related
• Growth Mindset interventions have potentially positive effects on postsecondary academic achievement (improvement index +13) — related
• WWC rates MTP-S as having potentially positive effects on general achievement, with a small extent of evidence — related
• In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action reduced serious violence among boys but not among girls — related
• In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action significantly reduced grade retention, with an effect size of 1.09 and an improvement index of +36 — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action showed no statistically significant effects on state standardized test scores in reading and math — related