Public school systems are required to provide a safe learning environment free of violence and disruption. For students who threaten the learning of themselves or others, schools frequently develop a disciplinary alternative education placement. Students with a history of behavior problems at school are at greatest risk for future behavior problems and academic failures. In response to evidence that removal discipline techniques had little efficacy, schools have focused on identifying alternative methods of maintaining order and safety. This study evaluated the outcomes of an elementary-level alternative discipline placement with unique intervention programming. The program includes interventions to increase the effectiveness of traditional alternative discipline placements. Activities focus on promoting social competence and developing social information-processing skills intended to increase the behavioral and academic success of student participants. The program excludes students from the general student population and consists of a behavior management system with gradually increasing behavior expectations, reinforcements and consequences, focused social skills lessons, counseling, and parenting classes. Participants were consistently lower performing academically than control group students both before and after the program. However, students who experienced fewer discipline removals after the program had higher report card grades. Overall, participants had a decrease in discipline removals after participating in the program but continued to have more lost instruction days due to discipline than control group students. The higher grade level students had less behavior improvement following the program than younger students. No relation was found between a student’s level of success in the program and their academic or behavioral performance changes. Future research needs include a comparison of students referred for persistent misbehavior and those referred for a single, serious incident and the need to assess the specific skills addressed in the program. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Additional advisors: Margaret Rice, Boyd Rogan, Foster Watkins, Martha Barber. Description based on contents viewed May 29, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-120).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Also available in print.

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a descriptive profile of both adjudicated and nonadjudicated adolescents educated in a juvenile center/school for delinquent and/or maladapted youth in order to (a) disclose the characteristics of the contemporary adolescent delinquent educated in a community based facility with both day and residential components, (b) discern any differences in demographic data, scholastic data, handicapping conditions, and delinquent behaviors among handicapped and nonhandicapped adolescents with delinquent or maladaptive behaviors, and (c) discover the prevalence by types of handicaps exhibited by this population since the implementation of Public Law 94-142. The subjects for the study were 102 adolescents educated in a juvenile center/school during September 1, 1981, through August 31, 1982.

This study investigated educators' perceptions of the importance of competencies for teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders and their own proficiency in the competencies. Participants included educators who had completed university-based coursework on emotional and behavioral disorders. Competencies from the Qualification and Preparation of Teachers of Exceptional Children study were correlated with CEC's content standards and knowledge skill sets for special education teachers of individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders. Participants ranked 88 competencies on importance and proficiency. Results revealed that educators' proficiency in competencies, their years of experience, and level of education contribute a significant percentage of variance in their ratings of the importance of competencies. Implications for further research are provided.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2004. / The general aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the psychological intervention programs in the two schools of industries (SOf's) namely, Mimosadafe and Newcastle Schools of Industries. A third school, Bersig SOI was used for piloting the study and the results were incorporated in the main study findings. Twenty-seven educators, one social worker and one consulting clinical psychologist, and sixty-one learners participated in the study. The major findings of the study were as follows: the psychological intervention programs at SOI's are ineffective; learners are benefiting only partially by being at SOI's. According to educators, learners are benefiting partially because they bunk classes, reconstruction social workers are not supportive, Department of Education is not supportive, no follow up programs for learners post-SOl, emphasis is placed only on structure - not therapeutic programs. Only 15% of educators were found to be adequately trained to teach at SOI. Although psychological intervention programs exist at SOI's, they are not structured and they are only administered on a need-to-basis (reactive rather than proactive/preventive). Intervention strategies used at SOI's are based on individualistic, reactive, traditional mainstream psychology that is based on a disease/medical model. Based on these findings, the current study suggested a change of intervention strategies at these schools into strategies based on community psychological methods of intervention, ft was also suggested that the non-mental health professionals e.g. teachers and house parents should be involved in conducting psychological intervention. To be equal to this challenge these non-professionals should be trained.

Disruptive school behaviors in the black male child are of much concern to educators. While not developed specifically for use with black males, the Getting Away Clean program was designed to help children develop productive thinking skills, and to empower children to negotiate the social environment. Decision-making skills are strengthened, and children learn to counteract negative peer pressure and to relate positively to others. Selected fifth and sixth grade black male students from two elementary schools in a metropolitan Virginia school system were identified for the study. Eight students who were identified as those who had exhibited disruptive behaviors in the school setting, or those who needed skills to counteract negative peer pressure,were assigned to the treatment group. A group of eight students from the elementary schools was identified for the control group. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL, Edelbrock and Achenbach, 1983) was used to obtain data from parents, and the Teacher's Report Form (TRF, Edelbrock and Achenbach, 1983) was used to obtain data from teachers. In order to obtain pre-test data, teachers of the treatment and control group subjects for the 1987-88 school year completed the TRF. At the end of the treatment post-test data were obtained by requesting that teachers of the 1988-89 school year complete the TRF for treatment and control group subjects. The CBCL was also completed by parents of subjects in the treatment group. The statistical analyses used to determine differences between the two measures were the Rank Tranform Analysis of Covariance, Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon nonparametric tests and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests. Results indicated positive, but nonstatistically significant, differences between the pre and post measures. In addition, four subscales (Anxious, Social Withdrawal, Inattentive, and Aggressive) were statistically analyzed with the Multivariate Tests of Significance. Positive, but nonstatistically significant, differences between the treatment and control groups on either of the subscales on the pre and post measures will all subjects were found. Parent responses were interpreted in case summaries. While a statistically significant difference was not found between the pre and post measures, positive effects are noted and the Getting Away Clean program can be considered an alternative strategy for reducing disruptive school behaviors. / Ed. D.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The objective of this project is to impove the social skills of troubled middle school children by teaching them humane dog care as well as the handling and training skills of dogs. The hope is to use therapy dogs as a link to the local environment and the development of environmental sensitivity; and to improve the academic status and decrease any negative behaviors displayed by these children. Includes lesson plans.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education