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

TLDR

EBD involves behaviors that impair academic performance and are not due to other impairments, yet while problem behavior rates are high, the academic impact remains unclear. The study conducts a meta‑analysis of academic status in students with EBD and discusses implications and future research directions. The meta‑analysis found a large negative effect size (−0.64) indicating significant academic deficits for students with EBD, with lower performance across subjects and settings, but no greater deficits in students older than 12.

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.