A Meta-Analysis of the Academic Status of Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disturbance

Abstract

Emotional/behavioral disturbance (EBD) is characterized by a range of behaviors that adversely affect a child's academic performance and cannot be explained by other sensory or health impairments. Although research has clearly demonstrated that children and youth with EBD tend to exhibit high rates of problem behavior, research on the characteristics of their academic performance has been less clear. This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of the academic status of students with EBD. The overall effect size was −.64, which indicated that students with EBD had significant deficits in academic achievement. An examination of moderators (subject area, setting, and age) indicated that students with EBD performed at a significantly lower level than did students without disabilities across academic subjects and settings; greater deficits were not observed in older students with EBD (i.e., those more than 12 years old), as compared to younger students. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Academic Performance of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Served in a Self-Contained Setting

“…Prevalence rates for students with EBD who have comorbid academic and behavioral challenges vary, ranging from 25% to 97% (Reid et al 2004). The poor academic functioning of students with EBD is not surprising given that academic underachievement is part of the identifying criteria in the federal definition for emotional disturbance (IDEIA 2004;Mooney et al 2003).…”

“…Multiple studies suggest that students with EBD perform 1-2 years below grade level, with significant differences in achievement as compared to students without disabilities (Kauffman 2001;Reid et al 2004;Trout et al 2003). In a meta-analysis of the academic status of students with EBD, Reid and colleagues reported a general academic functioning level at the 25th percentile with an overall effective size of −.69, indicating moderate to large differences in achievement as compared to students without disabilities.…”

“…However, details on what actually occurs in the academic development of these students are inconsistent. Some studies have indicated that academic deficits remain stable over time (Anderson et al 2001;Mattison et al 2002;Reid et al 2004). For example, in a meta-analysis of the academic performance of students with EBD, Reid and colleagues reported no significant differences between children and adolescents.…”

“…Second, the age range in the samples may vary and, consequently, influence outcomes. For example, the mean ages of the students in studies reviewed by Reid et al (2004) appeared to be from 5.90 to 14.40 years, and the students in the study by Nelson et al (2004) appeared to be older with mean ages ranging from 6.28 to 18.60. However this explanation should be considered with caution as only partial details regarding students' ages were provided by Reid et al (2004) (i.e., means were reported in the summary tables, but age ranges were not reported).…”

“…In their meta-analysis, Reid et al (2004) reported that across all placements (i.e., general education, resource, self-contained and special school placement), students with EBD continued to exhibit significant academic delays. In two studies conducted after Reid and colleagues' review, Lane et al (2005a, b) compared the academic profiles of students with EBD in self-contained classrooms and selfcontained schools.…”