Thomas Farmer

The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research focused on improving outcomes of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to the friendships and social experiences of socially vulnerable youth, longitudinal social network methods and analyses, and grant management. It is well documented that children with EBD experience difficulties with social skil...

As children become adolescents, they experience a range of academic, behavioral, emotional, and social challenges that if negotiated unsuccessfully may negatively impact their school adjustment and constrain their future educational goals and outcomes. During the middle school years, instructional practices, classroom management approaches, and peer group processes impact whether students remain engaged in school and develop productive roles and relationships that promote their educational a...

As students begin middle school they are vulnerable to a range of academic, behavioral, and social problems that may negatively impact their school adjustment. Many adolescents experience difficulties during this time due to a poor fit between their developmental needs and the demands of the school environment. Children develop as an integrated whole suggesting that difficulties in one domain (e.g., academic, behavioral, social) may have consequences for functioning in other domains. The Sup...

In this project, the researchers aimed to evaluate the Competence Support Program, a multi-level program that includes social skills training, school-wide behavior management, and school-wide training in classroom social dynamics management. They intend to test the ways in which the program trains teachers to identify student peer groups, the leaders of those groups, and the socially aggressive students. Researchers also examined how students' personal characteristics (such as risk status), ...