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NCT Number: NCT07515742

Empowering Youth With School Discipline Referrals as Peer Coaches

The study will examine the effects of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based behavioral intervention for discipline-referred middle-school youth who might benefit when trained to act as change agents for their peers. Successful completion of this study will provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth in prosocial peer engagement.

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Key information

Conditions

Disruptive Behavior Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Child Behavior Problem Behavior

Age range

10 year–15 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

In this proposal, the investigators evaluate the effects of PCT, an approach that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on training youth to help their peers.

In urban public school districts across the US, exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension and expulsion) disproportionally affects Black and Latinx youth. Although many school-based interventions are promising, they overlook the motivational potential of helping others and fail to build on the culturally grounded prosocial orientation of Black and Latinx students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based intervention that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on empowering youth to help their peers. A cluster randomized trial will be conducted across ten middle schools (n=150 youth), with schools randomized to either PCT or control (i.e., delayed treatment). Youth referred for disruptive behavior at intervention schools will receive PCT immediately, whereas youth at control schools will receive PCT nine months later. Outcomes related to disruptive and prosocial behavior, school engagement, and empowerment will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Successful completion of this trial will not only provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth prosocially, but also potentially validate an approach to reducing discipline disparities within school contexts.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Youth who have received at least one disciplinary referral between the first day of school and recruitment

Exclusion criteria

  • Youth who have not received any disciplinary referrals between the first day of school and recruitment

Treatment and study plan

Peer Coach Training (PCT)

Behavioral

Six to seven session strengths-based behavioral intervention focusing on skills development and help-giving practices

Delayed control

Behavioral

Services offered by middle schools for students according to their standard practice of care. These youth will then receive PCT after completion of follow-up assessments.

Primary outcomes

  1. Behavioral Problem Checklist

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral problems

  2. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    25-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behavior, along with additional questions related to functioning

  3. Teacher Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    45-item self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder

  4. School archival data of youth behavior and discipline

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    School archival records of behavioral and disciplinary outcomes such as the number of disciplinary referrals and citations, as well as suspensions and exclusions

Secondary outcomes

  1. Engagement versus disaffection with learning - student report

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    20-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral and emotional engagement in learning

  2. MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessmentMacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version

    2-item self-report measure that assesses youths' perceived social status relative to society and peers in school

  3. Moral Identity Internalization Scale

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    5-item self-report measure that assesses the degree to which a list of personal characteristics are important to an individual

  4. Personal Efficacy Scale

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    10-item self-report measure that assesses an individual's perceived ability to deal with challenges and influence outcomes

  5. Psychological Empowerment Indices - Youth School Belonging and Identification

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    6-item self-report measure that assesses school belonging and identification

  6. Wentzel Prosocial Peer Goals and Compliance Goals Scales

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    22-item self-report measure that assesses the frequency youth work towards prosocial, compliance, mastery, and evaluation goals

  7. Esbensen Gang Involvement Scale

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    20-item self-report measure that assesses the level of youth gang involvement and behaviors of the youths' friends

  8. Possible selves survey

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    Self-report measure that assesses youths' future-oriented self-concept (expected, hoped-for, and feared selves) using open-ended prompts and a rating scale

  9. Behavioral Problem Checklist - Youth Peer Assessment

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses behavioral problems of the youths' peers

  10. Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Social Network Interview)

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    48-item interview that assesses youths' perceived social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and friends

  11. Teacher Construals Indices

    Time frame: Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment

    23 self-report items that assesses teacher's commitment and feelings towards their students

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Janus Wong, B.A.

CONTACT

[email protected]

213-740-2203

Stanley J Huey, Ph.D.

CONTACT

[email protected]

213-740-2033

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Southern California

Other

Collaborators

  • Medical University of South Carolina

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Apr 7, 2026
Registry last updated
Apr 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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