Universal Interventions: Fully Exploring Their Impacts and Potential to Produce Population-Level Impacts
Abstract
In this article we seek to promote a deeper understanding of the value of universal intervention research in education as well as other fields and to call for greater interdisciplinary learning and discourse. Our goal is to deepen the conversation regarding how to build a stronger research orientation toward longitudinal, population-level outcomes in education and mental health. After highlighting the value of universal approaches targeting entire populations and their relevance to education, we raise issues regarding the traditional benchmarks of efficacy when applied to universal intervention trials and suggest alternative metrics for judging the impact of universal approaches. We conclude with lessons based on exemplar studies to help shape future research and policy regarding universal interventions.
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Without clear evidence about why average effect sizes differ in later studies, researchers may prematurely discard interventions that yield low average effects but could provide meaningful benefits at scale for targeted groups.
“Without clear evidence about why average effect sizes differ in later-conducted studies—evidence that could be acquired from a systematic investigation of effect heterogeneity—researchers may prematurely discard interventions that yield low average effects but could provide meaningful and replicable benefits at scale for targeted groups21,23.”
From A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement (2019) · cites this paper as [21]
Most interventions that are effective in initial efficacy trials show weaker or no effects when scaled up in effectiveness trials with more heterogeneous samples.
“most interventions that are effective in initial efficacy trials go on to show weaker or no effects when they are scaled up in effectiveness trials that deliver treatments under everyday conditions to more heterogeneous samples21–23.”
From A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement (2019) · cites this paper as [21]
Historically, scientific methods used to answer questions about heterogeneity of intervention effects have been underdeveloped and underused.
“Historically, the scientific methods used to answer questions about the heterogeneity of intervention effects have been underdeveloped and underused21,24,25.”
From A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement (2019) · cites this paper as [21]
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“We know that interventions that are offered to the general population tend to be more accessible but produce smaller effect sizes (Greenberg & Abenavoli, 2017), so an investigation of its constituent components in terms of how and why they work can further our understanding to best optimize both…”
Background
- Authors
- Greenberg, M. T., & Abenavoli, R.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Greenberg, Mark T.
- Venue
- Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-10-13
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 40-67
- ISSN
- 1934-5739 (ISSN-L)
- 1934-5747
- OpenAlex
- W2531443228
- Cited by
- 255
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 37 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8
- FWCI
- 14.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Evaluation and Performance Assessment
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Policy Implementation Science
- Keywords
- universal interventions, population-level outcomes, longitudinal outcomes, impact indicators, mental health interventions, educational intervention, interdisciplinary research
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