Northern Illinois University
Department of Psychology
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

This project is a collaboration between the NIU School Psychology program and The Pennsylvania State University, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.

The purpose of this project is to conduct a pilot study to test the potential efficacy of Brief Intervention Group Support (BIGS), a broad Tier 2 intervention for students with elevated social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) concerns. Within a multi-tiered system of support framework, Tier 2 interventions are provided to at-risk students who need additional intervention, beyond Tier 1 instruction. However, many such interventions are for specific student challenges, which is not an efficient model when problems are complex and schools have limited resources. BIGS was developed as a feasible and efficient way to address a wider range of student SEB needs.

Although BIGS received initial positive feedback from stakeholders, its promise for improving student outcomes has not been tested. As such, this project aims to:

1. Evaluate the promise of the fully developed BIGS intervention for improving the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes of students at risk for disabilities.
2. Examine key aspects of BIGS implementation including feasibility, social validity, fidelity, and costs.

Implemented in collaboration with The Pennsylvania State University, the pilot study of BIGS is being conducted in a local school district and has recently expanded to a new out-of-state school district as well.

What is BIGS?

BIGS is a 12-lesson program designed to teach healthy life skills and routines for stress reduction, social support, and goal setting through practice and generalization. BIGS is intended for grades 4-12. Lessons are run by a facilitator, usually a school social worker or school psychologist, with a suggested group size of 4-6 students. BIGS is part of the Social Skills Improvement System, Social Emotional Health, and Classwide Intervention Program (SSIS SEH CIP) family.

What is social-emotional learning?

Social-emotional learning (SEL) involves five skill domains integrated into children’s learning, home, and community environments.

• Self-Awareness – The ability to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior.
• Self-Management – The ability to manage one’s own emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations.
• Responsible Decision Making – The ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.
• Relationship Skills – The ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate diverse settings.
• Social Awareness – The ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts.

Taken from: https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/what-is-the-casel-framework/#social-emotional-learning

Funding Source

Institute of Education Sciences (IES), 2023-25.
IES is the nation’s leading source for education research and evaluation.

IES Award Number: R324A230183

More information can be found at https://ies.ed.gov/FUNDING/GRANTSEARCH/details.asp?ID=5884 .

Related Links

• SSIS CoLab website – https://ssiscolab.com/
• Penn State Project site – https://csc.la.psu.edu/research/funded-research-projects/...