Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an accepted way of promoting an individual’s resilience, which is the ability to overcome challenging life circumstances to lead a fulfilling life. SEL is traditionally taught in schools as a universal, classroom-wide intervention. However, there is currently a gap in using SEL curricula as secondary, Tier II interventions. Strong Start, a SEL program, was evaluated as a Tier II intervention with 35 2nd grade students using a randomized-control trial design. Data were collected from students on their content knowledge of social-emotional constructs as well as from teachers on ratings of student problem behaviors and prosocial behaviors. Findings suggest improvements in student knowledge, teacher ratings of problem behaviors, and teacher ratings of prosocial behaviors for all students over time, with no significant group by time interaction. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports as Behavioral Interventions in a Pre-K-5 Elementary School: A Phenomenological Study by Meghann E. Roberts-Clawson This qualitative study addresses teacher perceptions of using positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) as positive behavioral interventions. This phenomenological study was conducted within a Pre-K-5 elementary school in northwestern North Carolina. In order to collect qualitative data, personal individualized interviews were conducted from a purposeful sample of teachers in the school who have experience implementing more intensive positive behavioral interventions. By analyzing data derived from the interviews and classroom and individualized documentation, the researcher was able to identify themes such as teachers’ perceptions in regards to using PBIS as a behavioral intervention. Themes elaborating on the ways that teachers implement PBIS in their classroom as well as the most consistently used elements of the PBIS framework also emerged from this study. Findings from this study will be useful in helping to implement the PBIS framework to fidelity as well as helping to sustain these practices. This information will be vital in training new teachers that join the staff as well as veteran teachers who are struggling with individual students’ behavior.

This project discusses the effectiveness of disciplinary interventions in school-based counseling. Participants were selected from elementary and middle school sites in a school district in Southern California. Qualitative interviews were conducted to give this researcher additional knowledge in the field of school-based counseling. The audio of the interviews that were conducted were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed by this researcher. The knowledge of the participants and their unique experiences operating with a wide range of students in many years of experience allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of what intervention strategies are most beneficial to students and where schools and counselors can improve in providing counseling services to students. The results consisted of the following eight themes: Defining Discipline, Measuring Success in Interventions, Strategies in Interventions, Theoretical Orientations, Commonalities between Frequently Counseled Students, Communication within the School, Communication between Counselors, and Areas Where Schools are Lacking. Contributions to social work practice in a micro and macro sense are discussed. Findings were given to California State University, San Bernardino and were provided to the school sites and counselors utilized for this study.

Discipline is of increasing concern to school stakeholders in districts around the world. It is especially concerning in a district of a southern U.S. state, where a zero tolerance policy calls for the removal of disruptive students from the classroom. Students, teachers, administrators, and other district officials may benefit from effective implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a positive discipline program that includes educators using data for instructional and discipline decision making. In the local district, little is known about the teachers' opinions regarding the PBIS implementation. The purpose of this project study was to gain insight on the teachers' assessment of the implementation of PBIS at Middle School A (MSA) and Middle School B (MSB) to benefit the PBIS program at MSA. The research questions addressed teachers' assessments of the PBIS implementation. Based on the theory of operant conditioning, a quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data using the PBIS Self-Assessment Survey. Survey data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using an 1-way ANOVA. Applying the appropriate subscales of the survey instrument, MSA teachers scored the Classroom Setting System as in place and each of the other three systems (i.e. School-wide, Non-Classroom, and Individual Student Systems) as partially in place. MSA teachers (n = 22) also scored their PBIS systems higher than the teachers did at MSB (n = 22). Through the application of the resulting policy recommendation that indicates positive changes for MSA's PBIS program, student academic achievement and behavior may improve. In addition, through policy implementation, stakeholders in other districts may improve the implementation fidelity of their PBIS program with the objective of positively influencing students.

This thesis consists of a single subject multiple baseline study of a math intervention for students with behavioral challenges. Students with behavioral challenges were given instruction using a concrete, representational, abstract (CRA) sequence in Algebra problems requiring transformations on both sides of the equation. This study examined maintenance of those skills. Results indicate that while accuracy decreased from the post-intervention to maintenance phases, scores remained well-above baseline levels indicating that the students retained understanding of the concepts taught. In a social validity survey, participants indicated that they liked the intervention, found it beneficial, and sometimes use it in their classes. / text

Check, Connect, Expect (CCE) is a secondary tier behavioral intervention for at-risk students who require targeted behavioral support in addition to school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. A full-time coach in the CCE intervention provided behavioral supports including daily check-in and check-out procedures, as well as targeted social skills instruction. This study extended CCE to a self-contained elementary school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Twenty-two students participated in the 17-week study that involved a four week baseline phase, followed by a 13-week intervention phase. The following research questions were addressed: (a) How did CCE affect student behavior?; (b) How did CCE affect student weekly academic engagement?; (c) How did CCE affect student weekly math calculation and oral reading fluency growth?; (d) How did severity of behavior predict student response to CCE?; (e) How did function maintaining the behavior predict student response to CCE?; (f) How did relationship strength with the coach predict student response to CCE?; and (g) How socially valid was CCE for teachers, paraprofessionals, and students? Two growth curve models were used to analyze the academic and behavioral data. Overall, students displayed significant behavioral growth during the intervention phase and positive growth in the areas of academic engagement and achievement. Severity of behavior, function, and relationship strength were not significant predictors of student response to the CCE intervention. Future directions, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.

With the high prevalence of mental health disorders among children, there is a growing need for effective mental health interventions that will enhance overall wellness and functioning while meeting the developmental needs of children (Stagman & Cooper, 2010). In addition, there are increasing demands from policymakers, managed-care organizations, and educators to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs), or treatments that are supported by strong research (Kratochwill & Shernoff, 2004). One treatment that shows promise as an effective, developmentally-appropriate intervention that meets the mental health needs of children is play therapy (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005; Landreth, 2002; Ray, 2011). Although results of play therapy studies have shown some significance in improving a variety of issues for children, the body of research has been criticized, primarily due to inconsistent or inconclusive results across studies or compromised research designs and methods (Phillips, 1985; 2010; Read, Hunter, & McMillan, 1999). In addition, the field also lacks differentiation among various theoretical play therapy approaches across the research base (Phillips, 2010). To address these gaps in the literature, this study utilized a strong research design to examine the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on the challenging behaviors of three kindergarten students. A single-case multiple baseline design was used to maintain a high level of control with rigorous data collection methods (Kennedy, 2005; Ray and Schottelkorb, 2010). Research methods were designed to meet the What Works Clearinghouse pilot standards for single-case designs, which use stringent criteria in evaluating quality of research (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). The integrity of the CCPT intervention was assessed to ensure accurate implementation. Results from direct observational data suggested a relationship between CCPT and the improvement of classroom behaviors. In contrast to direct observational data, teacher ratings did not indicate improvements in behavior. Ratings by parents yielded significant results for improving behaviors at home. This study made valuable contributions to the literature by utilizing a strong research design and demonstrating promising findings for CCPT. Practical implications include using as few as eight sessions of CCPT as a behavioral intervention at school and engaging in ongoing teacher consultation to supplement CCPT.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe how child and youth care practitioners experience their engagement in community level interventions. Five child and youth care practitioners, who identified themselves as engaging in community level interventions in their work, were interviewed and data were analysed using a combined narrative and thematic approach. Eight themes emerged from the data that describe participants’ experience with community, community change and community level interventions. Results show how community level interventions have a tendency to target the micro, meso and occasionally exo, rather than macro, levels of communities. Thus, multi-level interventions are recommended as a way to shift child and youth care practice from an emphasis on interventions with individuals, towards greater emphasis on interventions that are aimed at the multiple levels of the child and youth’s ecological system. The study identifies implications for post-secondary curriculum, professional practice, agency mandates and job descriptions. / Graduate

xi, 111 p. ; ill. (some col.) A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / To address the growing academic and social needs of students, schools must utilize efficient and effective methods of behavior support. Targeted interventions support students who are at-risk for developing more severe problem behaviors. These interventions are implemented similarly across a group of students, and thus serve as an efficient and cost effective method of behavior support. Check in Check out (CICO) is a targeted group intervention that has a growing research base supporting its efficacy (Crone & Horner, 2003; Todd, Campbell, Meyer, & Horner, 2008). Although there is a growing research base, no studies have examined maintenance of reductions in problem behavior upon fading. The present study examines (1) if a functional relation exists between CICO and reductions in problem behavior, and (2) which components of CICO can be successfully faded with reductions in problem behavior maintaining. In addition, this study examines if teacher attention varies across phases of the study, and predicts successful fading procedures. A reversal design was used to evaluate the efficacy of CICO and subsequent fading phases in four elementary school aged boys. Results indicated that CICO was functionally related to reductions in classroom problem behavior in all four participants. In addition, a functional relation was established with CICO and increases in academic achievement in three participants. Fading procedures were mildly successful, with only some intervention components being removed with reductions in problem behavior maintaining. The amount of adult attention did not vary across study phases, however adult attention became less dependent on problem behavior during the CICO and first fading phase. Clinical and conceptual implications, as well as future research will be discussed. / Adviser: Cynthia Anderson

The success of behavioral interventions depends not just on the quality of procedures employed but on the extent to which procedures are implemented. This study used a multiple-baseline across participants single-case design to assess the impact of an online data management application (the Individual Student Information System; ISIS- SWIS) on the fidelity and impact of individual student behavior support plans in typical school contexts. Three students with patterns of problem behavior and their supporting adults participated in the study. The research question examined if a functional relation exists between use of (a) performance self-assessment and (b) student impact assessment via ISIS-SWIS on the fidelity of behavior support plan implementation by adults and improvement in academic engagement and problem behavior by students. Results indicate the efficacy of ISIS-SWIS in improving treatment fidelity, decreasing student problem behavior, and increasing student academic engagement. Potential contributions of the study are discussed in terms of establishing efficient data systems for schools to use in monitoring staff and student behavior and using these data in a meaningful way that results in improved student outcomes and sustained behavior change.