xiii, 99 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / School-Wide Positive Behavior Support has emerged as an effective approach to impact challenging student behaviors at the individual level while building and maintaining a positive learning environment for all. Office discipline referrals are widely utilized within the field of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support as a measure of behavior and behavior change at the individual, group and whole school level. Though widely utilized, the validity of office discipline referrals as an outcome measure has received little attention. This study presents evidence of the construct validity of office discipline referrals as an outcome measure of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support. The primary purpose of this study was to provide evidence of the construct validity of office discipline referrals. The concept of a nomological network was utilized and empirical evidence linking various student predictor variables with office discipline referrals was investigated. The study employed case study methodology with an embedded quasi-experimental design to investigate the correlations between ten independent predictor variables and office discipline referrals. The initial analysis produced weak correlations and limited evidence for the proposed network. A second analysis was conducted including attendance as a co-morbid variable with office discipline referrals. This analysis identified stronger, more compelling evidence supporting the existence of a nomological network for office discipline referrals with attendance. Further regression analysis of the predictor variables blocked within four domains (academic, access, socio-economic status, and student group status) found even more evidence supporting the nomological network of office discipline referrals with attendance. The results from this study support the validity of office discipline referrals with attendance as a measure of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support at the high school level. The inclusion of attendance as a measure at the high school level is supported and recommended for schools implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support. Academic learning (cumulative grade-point-average) was identified as the strongest predictor variable and adds credibility that an explicit link between academics and behavior exists and should be further investigated within the field of Positive Behavior Support. Finally, this study provides and example of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support implementation at the high school level. / Adviser: Gerald Tindal

xiv, 104 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Student safety on school property continues to be a priority for educators. Pediatric research reveals that student injuries sustained while riding the school bus may be more than three times the number actually reported by transportation departments. These studies further indicate that a major factor contributing to injuries is inappropriate student behavior while riding a school bus. This dissertation involved the creation of a behavior management program for students who ride the school bus. The behavior management program (Bus PBS) was derived from the established and well researched school-based universal prevention, Positive Behavior Support (PBS). The core features of the Bus PBS program included, (1) active support and involvement by the School Administrator and the Transportation Director, (2) school-wide expectations reworded for use on the school bus, (3) students received direct instruction regarding behavioral expectations on the school bus, (4) drivers received a 1.5 hour training in the classroom and 3 days of on-board coaching during the intervention phase, and (5) drivers were encouraged to greet students by name as they entered the bus, provide formal rewards to recognize correct student behavior, and deliver a continuum of clear consequences for student problem behavior. The study was conducted with three typical school buses in a moderate-sized West Coast city. The research question under consideration asked if the presence of Bus PBS was functionally related to student behavior on the school bus. Using a single subject multiple baseline design across three buses, direct observation data were collected on (a) fidelity of bus driver implementation of the program and (b) student problem behavior. Results indicated that bus drivers were able to implement the intervention with moderate to high fidelity, and implementation of Bus PBS was functionally related to improved student behavior. Student problem behavior on the school bus during the Bus PBS program was 37% lower than baseline levels. Discussion is provided about the clinical and research implications of the results. / Advisers: Horner, Robert H., Merrell, Kenneth W.

xiii, 118 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Bullying behaviors are a growing concern in U.S. schools, and are documented to have detrimental effects for victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. Most interventions focused on bully prevention either have limited empirical support, or focus primarily on the behavior of the bully. We present here an alternative approach to bully prevention based on the growing recognition that interventions should be function-based. Bully Prevention in Positive Behavior Support (BP-PBS) gives students the tools necessary to remove the social rewards maintaining bullying behavior through a strong link to school-wide positive behavior support, a discrimination between "being respectful" versus "not being respectful" in unstructured settings, and the explicit teaching of a simple, school-wide response to bullying effective for victims, bystanders, and perpetrators of bullying. This is coupled with an efficient strategy for school staff to use when dealing with reports of bullying including a sequence of questioning and practice. A single-subject, multiple-baseline design across six students and three elementary schools was implemented in an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of BP-PBS. Results indicated that implementation of the program not only significantly decreased incidents of bullying behavior for all six students observed, but also increased the likelihood of appropriate victim responses and bystander responses, indicating a substantial decrease in the social rewards that served to maintain bullying behavior. In addition, through a pre-post survey, students also reported improved perceptions of the bullying and safety at their schools. Finally, school staff members were able to implement the program with a high degree of fidelity and regarded the program as effective and easy to implement. These findings have major implications for the design and support of effective social culture in schools. Limitations of the research and future efforts are suggested to encourage the field in a new direction with bully prevention efforts, away from overly complicated definitions and interventions, toward a school-wide approach including specific strategies and a reconceptualization of the bullying construct. / Committee in charge: Robert Horner, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Kenneth Merrell, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Jeffrey Sprague, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Bruce Stiller, Member, Not from U of 0; Lou Moses, Outside Member, Psychology

xiii, 99 p. : ill. (some col.) / Check-in-check-out (CICO) has been demonstrated to produce decreases in problematic behaviors and increases in academic engagement when used as a secondary intervention within a school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) framework. In general, research has suggested that CICO is most effective for children whose problem behaviors are sensitive to adult attention without modifications. However, research is lacking on secondary interventions intended for students whose problem behaviors are hypothesized to be maintained by escape or avoidance of academic tasks. Drawing from research on the utility of function-based interventions and the teaching of functional replacement behaviors to decrease problem behaviors and increase appropriate skills, a secondary intervention, Breaks are Better (BrB), was designed that builds off core features of CICO but also includes function-based components for addressing problem behavior maintained by task avoidance. Modifications included 1) defining specific expectations that were incompatible with problematic behavior during academic routines and 2) providing students with functional replacement behaviors that allowed them to recruit both brief breaks and help. Effectiveness of BrB was examined using an ABAB design across three participants whose off-task behaviors were hypothesized to be maintained, in part, by task avoidance or escape. The current study examined the following primary research questions: 1) is there a functional relation between the implementation of BrB and reduced rates of off-task behavior, and 2) is there a functional relation between the implementation of BrB and increases in the use of alternative replacement behaviors (help and break)? A functional relation was documented between the implementation of the BrB intervention and reductions in off-task behavior for two out of three participants (Gregg and Alex). However, for Diego, off-task behavior was somewhat variable during the final intervention phase. Results from the collection of contextual fit and social validity data indicated that students, teachers, and parents viewed BrB as effective, worth the required effort, and contextually appropriate for use in this school. / Committee in charge: Cynthia M. Anderson, Chairperson; Rick Albin, Member; Laura Lee McIntyre, Member; Jennifer Pfeifer, Outside Member

No description available.

No description available.

This study evaluated the implementation of the school-based Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for elementary school students engaging in high levels of problem behavior. Three students and their classroom teachers in two public schools participated in the team-based PTR process during which they engaged in teaming and goal setting, functional behavior assessment, intervention, and evaluation. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of using the PTR model on student problem and replacement behaviors. Direct and indirect observations of student behaviors were conducted across target and generalization academic time periods. Findings indicate that the PTR intervention effectively reduced problem behavior and increased replacement behavior for all three participating students in both target and generalization academic time periods. Social validity assessments with the participating teachers and students indicated high levels of acceptability of and satisfaction with the PTR intervention goals, procedures, and outcomes. Implications for using the PTR model within MTSS for students who are not responding to Tier 2 interventions are discussed.

This study investigated the effects of the positive behavior support program Family HOPE conducted in homes of families of children with disabilities. Graduate students conducted an 8-10 week collaborative method of training for parents of children with disabilities to reduce problem behaviors of their child with a disability. The Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) and Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) were given to both experimental and control group families to investigate the program effects on parents' perceptions of limit setting, parental support, frequency and severity of problem behaviors. Results indicated that there was not a significant pre-post difference for either group on limit setting and parental support. There was a significant decrease in the frequency and severity of problem behaviors on the SIB-R for the treatment and control groups; however, no significant difference was found according to group membership. On subscales of Limit Setting and Parental Support on the PCRI no significant differences were found between control and experimental groups. Implications for further research are suggested and include items such as the control group size and using measures that are sensitive enough to detect changes in behavior over a short period of time.

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effects a service-learning tutorship had on the Social and Personal Responsibility Scale scores of middle school students identified as at risk for emotional and behavioral problems and enrolled in a one hour class that focused on social skills, self-management, and emotional resilience. Eight students identified through school-wide screening measures as at-risk for emotional and behavioral problems were involved in a pre/post quantitative survey, pre/post exploratory interviews, and a post focus group to analyze their level of growth in relation to social and personal responsibility. Currently, there is a limited amount of research identifying the influence service-learning has on students at risk for emotional and behavioral problems. This case-study found that service-learning is an effective tool at helping students increase their level of competence in relation to social and personal responsibility. Limitations of this study are addressed, suggestions for future research are noted, and implications for execution of future service-learning ventures are discussed.

Children with developmental disabilities often exhibit problem behaviors, such as physical aggression, tantrums, and self-injury. These behaviors can detrimentally affect the family's lifestyle. Research has shown that such families should take an active role in developing and implementing a behavior plan. However, families need support to promote effective changes in their child's behavior. This study investigated how a positive behavior support workshop that used the Family HOPE program affected behavior problems and parent/child relationships in families with children with developmental disabilities. Parents of eight children with disabilities and challenging behaviors participated in this research. A Project Director and Principal Investigator taught the six systematic steps to changing behavior. They were assisted by graduate students who provided behavioral education to families, helped families complete a Functional Behavioral Assessment, appropriate interventions, and analyze intervention data. The Parent-Child Relationship Inventory (PCRI) and Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R) were given to the families to study the effects of parent trainings on parents' perceptions of limit setting, parental support, and the frequency and severity of problem behaviors. Results showed a significant difference in the pre- and post-intervention data on limit setting and parental support. There were no significant differences in the frequency and severity of problem behaviors on the SIB-R. Implications for further research are suggested concerning teaching parents Positive Behavior Support principles in a workshop setting.