Positive Behavior Support in School Study (PALS Study)

The longitudinal Positive Behaviour Support in School Study is a combined development and evaluation study. In addition to measuring the effects of the PALS model, the study also examines the social development of primary school pupils, and how schools and the learning environment evolve over time.

Large sample

During the study, NUBU has received large amounts of data from questionnaires:

• 35 549 questionnaires from class teachers

• 34 657 questionnaires from pupils

• 7 965 questionnaires from school staff, including teachers

• 6 934 questionnaires from parents

Many children and young people struggle academically or socially at school. Both the quality of the learning environment and the help and support offered to pupils vary significantly from school to school. Increased knowledge about children’s social development in today’s Norway, and what influences this development, and increased knowledge about effective and inclusive school measures to prevent and reduce behavioural and coping problems are key prerequisites for better ensuring that all children and young people receive optimal development and positive learning outcomes.

On this basis, the PALS intervention, initiated by NUBU, was first tested and evaluated in four intervention schools and four comparison schools during the period 2002–2005. The results were generally very promising, including for foreign language pupils. In 2006, PALS was recommended for continuation and further evaluation by an independent research group. At the end of 2015, there were 221 primary and secondary schools from 74 municipalities in 17 counties that used the school-wide PALS intervention model.

To meet a need for a more comprehensive and valid evaluation of the effectiveness of the PALS model, a new research-based evaluation study called Positive Behaviour Support in Schools 2007–2012 was initiated in 2007. The study was financed with funds from sources such as the Norwegian Directorate of Education.

The study is based on a reinforced “experimental non-equivalent comparison group design”. Data were collected on an annual basis (a total of 6 measurement points), primarily via electronic questionnaires. These consisted of a double pre-test (before intervention), a post-test (after three years), two intermediate measurements (intermediate) and a follow-up measurement one year after assumed full implementation (follow-up). 

Information was collected from the school administration, all teachers, assistants and after-school care staff, and all pupils in grades 4–7 (with written informed consent from parents), as well as from parents of a statistically selected group of approximately 30%. To some extent, national register data (municipality, school level) was also used.

Sixty-five primary schools around the country have participated, of which 28 introduced the minimum three-year PALS model from autumn 2007. A stratified/matched control group of 20 schools, in the same municipalities as the PALS schools, operated as usual practice (BAU). The control schools also participated in a separate sub-study called Development of Behavioural and Coping Problems in School. A further 17 schools, in four other municipalities, implemented the PALS Compressed Programme, a shorter format of the model, from autumn 2008

The findings show that if the PALS model is implemented well, significant positive effects are achieved on:

• the extent of problem behaviour in the school environment
• the extent of problem behaviour in classrooms
• the classroom environment (pupil–pupil and pupil–teacher relationships)
• the inclusion of challenging pupils
• teachers’ collective and individual mastery beliefs
• teachers’ teaching practice

Regarding the PALS model’s effects on harassment and bullying, the results indicated a positive trend, although firm conclusions cannot be drawn.

The study further showed that the pupils who benefit most behaviourally from PALS are those with the most serious behavioural problems (high-risk pupils).

Schools with high implementation capacity and compliance with the model, as well as those with fewer than 350 pupils and a higher proportion of assistants, consistently had the greatest utilisation of PALS.

Several positive one-year effects of the PALS model’s short format have also been demonstrated in several of the same areas as for the PALS full format.

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  Mari-Anne Sørlie

  Researcher

  Research department

  • E-mail: mari.sorlie@nubu.no

  • Phone: 97 77 56 65

For enquiries regarding the processing of personal data, please contact personvern@nubu.no