CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of education and social work have received a U.S. Department of Education grant to study the social and character development of elementary school students in rural, low-income and multi-ethnic communities.

The collaborative research, funded with a $1.3 million grant, aims to improve academic performance by teaching students social skills and training teachers in social classroom dynamics and classroom behavior management. The study will be implemented in 10 elementary schools in Hoke and Wayne counties.

School of Education assistant professor Dr. Thomas Farmer is the principal investigator. Co-principal investigators from the School of Social Work are Dr. Mark Fraser, professor and associate dean for research, and Dr. Maeda Galinsky, Kenan distinguished professor. Dr. Hongling Xie, associate director of the Center for Developmental Science, is a co-investigator.

The three-year grant will fund the deployment and assessment of a program combining strategies developed within the two schools, as well as the Center for Developmental Science, which is based at UNC and composed of faculty from area universities.

The School of Social Work will supervise a social skills training program, one of the three strategies in the study. "Making Choices," a program aimed at teaching children how to solve social problems and make positive social choices, focuses on building and sustaining social relationships.

"If we can help children improve their skills in working with others – both peers and adults – then that will improve their academic achievement," said Fraser.

The School of Education will evaluate the effectiveness of two strategies in the study providing training and consultation to teachers. The first, "Social Dynamics Training," is designed to alter the social context in the classroom by training teachers to be aware of peer group dynamics, helping to reduce social aggression, bullying and peer rejection. The other strategy, "Competence Enhancement Behavior Management," will guide teachers in improving behavior management in the classroom.

"The focus of intervention for ‘Making Choices’ is the behavior of the kids, whereas the focus for our training is to impact what teachers do and then how they impact kids in normal daily interactions," said Farmer.

All of the training offered through this study is based on cutting-edge behavioral research, said Fraser. The study – representing the first time these interventions have been integrated into a single program – is one of seven projects funded by the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, created in November 2002 as a part of the Education Sciences Reform Act. The institute is responsible for education research and statistics.

"A significant part of this enterprise, for me, is taking more than 20 years worth of basic behavior research on social relations and aggression that has been performed here in North Carolina and applying it to what teachers and administrators do in schools," said Farmer.

Leaders in both schools welcome the collaboration.

"I trust that this partnership between our two schools is just the beginning of our collaboration that will ultimately benefit the students, their families and the communities of North Carolina," Dr. Jack Richman, School of Social Work dean.

"The joint expertise of the two schools represents a significant collaborative approach which we hope is the beginning of a strong future trend," said Dr. Fenwick English, School of Education interim dean.

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UNC School of Social Work contact: Krystie Grubb, (919) 962-6540 or kgrubb@email.unc.edu
UNC School of Education contact: Linda Baucom, (919) 962-8687 or lbaucom@email.unc.edu