The Effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation and a Structured Homework Program on Math Completion and Accuracy in Junior High Students

The effects of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) and a structured homework program on math homework completion and accuracy in junior high school students (grades seven through nine) who were at risk for academic failure were investigated. A multiple baseline design across five participants was utilized. Follow-up data were collected approximately one month after CBC was completed, to assess maintenance over time. Four of the five students improved their completion rates during treatment. Accuracy rates increased during treatment, but to a lesser degree. At follow-up, three of the five students maintained or improved gains they made during treatment. One student who had not improved during treatment showed improvement at follow-up. Another student was unable to maintain the gains made during treatment. Strengths and limitations of the study are discussed. Implica tions for practice and suggestions for future research are also presented. There is substantial support in the literature for promoting the involvement of parents in education (Christenson, Rounds, & Franklin, 1992; Comer & Haynes, 1991; Epstein, 1987; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brissie, 1987). Several reThis research was supported in part by grants provided to the second author by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Rehabilitation and Special Education Services. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect those of the Department of Education. The study was recognized by Division 16 of the American Psychological Association as the 1997 Outstanding Dissertation, awarded to the first author. Appreciation is extended to Kevin Fenstermacher for his graphical assistance. Corresponding author: Susan Sheridan, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Department of Educa tional Psychology, 220 Bancroft Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0345. 282 R. K. Weiner et al. in School Psychology Quarterly, 13 (1998) CBC and Math Homework for Junior High Students 283 views have documented research indicating multiple benefi ts to students, including improvements in academic achievement, attitude towards school, aspirations for the future, attendance, maturation, self-concept, and behavior (Christenson et al., 1992; Epstein, 1987; Greenwood & Hickman, 1991). Parents and teachers also benefi t from parent involvement. Research has shown improved teacherparent and child-parent relationships, increased time parents spend with their children, and a more positive attitude toward the classroom and school environments (Clark, 1983; Greenwood & Hick man, 1991). Typically, parental involvement drops off after elementary school, but continued participation in the home is important for all grade levels (Epstein, 1987). “Home-school collaboration” is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of programs concerned with establishing bidirectional relationships between the home and school (Christenson & Cleary, 1990). In collaborative home-school programs, the responsibility of educating the child (including preventing and remediating academic, social, and behavioral problems) is shared across the home and school systems. Many such programs are designed to address the concerns of both parent and teacher, utilizing collaborative problem solving to resolve concerns, while building a partnership between the home and school. CONJOINT BEHAVIORAL CONSULTATION Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC; Sheridan & Kratochwill, 1992; Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Bergan, 1996) is one vehicle for enhancing partnerships between homes and schools, and may be useful for continuing parental involvement past the elementary grades. It is defi ned as a “structured, indirect form of service delivery, in which parents and teachers are joined to work together to address the academic, social, or behavioral needs of an individual for whom both parties bear some responsibility” (Sheridan & Kratochwill, 1992, p. 122). There are four stages of CBC that structure the problem-solving process: problem identifi cation, problem analysis, treatment implementation, and treatment evaluation (Bergan & Kra tochwill, 1990; Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Bergan, 1996). CBC assumes an ecological perspective and underscores the recognition that children, families, and schools have reciprocal and bidirectional infl uence over each other. Therefore, the relationship between the home and the school must be collaborative and supportive, to provide maximum benefi t to the child. Attention to the mesosystem (i.e., relationship between the central systems in a child’s life; Bronfenbrenner, 1977), is paramount. CBC encompasses multiple systems and settings in an attempt to increase the understanding of target concerns, improve the effectiveness of interventions, and increase the skills and knowledge of multiple change agents (i.e., consultees). Typically, the CBC consultant works with both the parent and the teacher to provide indirect services to a child client. This affords several advantages for the consulting process: (a) comprehensive and systematic data can be collected at different times and in different settings, (b) consistent use of the intervention may enhance both maintenance and generalization, and (c) multiple treatment agents can monitor the behavioral contrast and side effects of an intervention (Sheridan et al., 1996). CBC is a relatively new extension of behavioral consultation, but the research to support its effectiveness is growing (see Sheridan, 1997, for a review). Likewise, the acceptability of CBC to school psychologists across problem types and in comparison to other forms of service delivery appears to be high (Sheridan & Steck, 1995). Thus far, CBC research has focused on elementary-aged students. Middle school students have not been targeted as a population for CBC research. Some researchers (e.g., Epstein & Connors, 1995) have described diffi culties attaining parent involvement in middle school. However, no empirical studies have been conducted to confi rm or dispute the effi cacy of CBC with middle school students. Noteworthy is the fi nding that school psychologists may question whether CBC is a useful method for delivering service at this level (Sheridan & Steck, 1995).