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The purpose of the study was to determine the current trends of FBAs and BIPs in a large school district in Arizona. The FBA and BIP components determined best practice by previous literature (Van Acker, et al., 2005; Blood & Neel, 2007) were used to analyze FBAs and BIPs of elementary age students grades Kindergarten through fifth grade serviced in a self-contained classroom designed for students with Emotional Disabilities. BASC-2 composite scores were reviewed and compared to students in the typical population as a means of determining a standard for self-contained placement for the participants. In addition, demographic data were examined including: sex, ethnicity, age, grade, grade of ED eligibility if applicable, and age of ED self-contained placement. This study investigated the FBA/BIPs to determine if they contained the necessary components determined to be best practice by previous researchers (Blood & Neel, 2007; Van Acker et al., 2005) and to answer specific questions about the plans. The major findings of the study with regard to the investigation of the specific FBA/BIP components include: 1) none of the participants had identified and detailed antecedent events in which the problem behavior was least likely to occur 2) the majority of the FBAs did not have an operational definition for the identified target behavior 3) nearly none of the FBAs identified the function of the target behavior 4) the majority of the FBAs had insufficient data regarding the frequency, intensity, and duration of the target behavior 5) none of the BIPs had an identified hypothesis that was considered sufficient. These findings answer the posed questions regarding the antecedent events, behavioral aspects, and consequences/interventions addressed on the FBA as well as the behavioral aspects and consequences/interventions addressed on the BIP. The implications of these findings and areas for future research are discussed.

The School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support model (SWPBIS) continues to gain widespread use across schools in the U.S. and abroad. However, despite its widespread use across schools and the large body of research demonstrating its utility, little research has examined the implementation process to see what factors contribute or inhibit its successful implementation. Informed by Rogers’ diffusion theory, this study examined factors that may influence the sustained implementation of the SWPBIS. These factors are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialibility, and observability. Results of this study indicated that the relative advantage and observability of SWPBIS may explain school personnel’s willingness to continue with its implementation. These results led to some important implications for practitioners involved in the implementation of the SWPBIS. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also provided.

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are legally binding documents required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students with disabilities. These plans are intended to help teachers use positive, function-based interventions to decrease problem behaviors and promote functionally-equivalent appropriate social behaviors. The Behavior Intervention Plan Quality Evaluator (BIP-QE II) identifies six components of BIP technical adequacy including behavior function, situation specificity and behavior change, reinforcement tactics, reactive team strategies, team coordination and goals and objectives. Unfortunately, in practice BIPs often lack these key components, which can lead to ineffectiveness of plans, as well as lack of communication among team members and low implementation fidelity, leading to poor student outcomes. In this study, the research team evaluated the effects of providing feedback to plan developers on the technical adequacy of BIPs, using the BIP-QE II. The study employed a waitlist control group experimental design where five participants in the treatment group received feedback immediately and four the control group received feedback after a short delay. In addition, previous research suggests that feedback is only as valuable as participants perceive it to be so. A social validity interview confirmed that feedback was valuable to participants but there was a perception that external reviewers did not appreciate some important contextual factors impacting participants' work. Feedback to support the technical adequacy of BIPs is a promising practice that appears both effective and efficient and deserves further research, refinement, and exploration.

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are used in public schools for students with disabilities, replacing target behaviors with socially appropriate behaviors using positive behavior support strategies. However, research suggests that BIPs are often poorly written or fail to be implemented as intended. One reason for the ineffectiveness of BIPs may be that the interventionist (e.g., classroom teacher or other staff member responsible for implementing the plan) and the context of his/her classroom is not considered when plans are written by specialists (e.g., school psychologist, special education teacher, etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate BIPs written and used for students in public schools in the intermountain west for their contextual fit, using a researcher-developed measure of contextual fit based on key concepts previously established in research and modeled after the Behavior Support Plan-Quality Evaluation, Second Edition (BSP-QE II). With the coding guide created by our research team, we coded previously collected BIPs for practicality, the skill level and competency required for the interventionist to implement, and the consideration of cultural values for both the interventionist and the student who would receive the intervention. In addition, a previous research study by a graduate student at the same university had previously coded BIPs from the four school districts in Utah for technical adequacy using the BSP-QE II and, using the results from that study, we ran a Pearson correlation to determine whether there was a statistically significant relationship between BIP quality and contextual fit. Ultimately, our study found that BIPs often failed to include all elements for contextual fit to reasonably be considered established, particularly in the cultural values of those who would implement or receive the plan. In addition, we found a moderate, positive relationship between BIP technical adequacy and contextual fit. Implications for practitioners and ideas for future research are also discussed, including: ensuring that BIPs are developed in teams that include the interventionist, creating BIP templates that are culturally and contextually appropriate, and the possibility of research that documents actual interventionist participation in BIP team meetings as a comparison to the results of our scoring guide of BIP contextual fit.

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are legally binding documents required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students with disabilities. These plans are intended to help teachers use positive, function-based interventions to decrease problem behaviors and promote functionally-equivalent appropriate social behaviors. The Behavior Intervention Plan Quality Evaluator (BIP-QE II) identifies six components of BIP technical adequacy including behavior function, situation specificity and behavior change, reinforcement tactics, reactive team strategies, team coordination and goals and objectives. Unfortunately, in practice BIPs often lack these key components, which can lead to ineffectiveness of plans, as well as lack of communication among team members and low implementation fidelity, leading to poor student outcomes. In this study, the research team evaluated the effects of providing feedback to plan developers on the technical adequacy of BIPs, using the BIP-QE II. The study employed a waitlist control group experimental design where five participants in the treatment group received feedback immediately and four the control group received feedback after a short delay. In addition, previous research suggests that feedback is only as valuable as participants perceive it to be so. A social validity interview confirmed that feedback was valuable to participants but there was a perception that external reviewers did not appreciate some important contextual factors impacting participants' work. Feedback to support the technical adequacy of BIPs is a promising practice that appears both effective and efficient and deserves further research, refinement, and exploration.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OFDanielle N. Crespo, for the Master of Science degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, presented on January 18, 2022, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: A COMPARISON OF FEEDBACK SEQUENCING FOR INCREASING SKILLS WITH IMPLEMENTING BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION PLANSMAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Paige Boydston Schools and school employees have been tasked with providing social, emotional, and behavioral supports to a rising number of students. Training staff to implement these supports with fidelity is crucial. Providing feedback to staff implementing behavior intervention plans is a method to increasing performance. In the present study, a multiple baseline across behaviors was utilized to compare different sequences of feedback statements on paraprofessional job performance. Three feedback sequences were compared: Positive-Corrective-Positive (PCP), Positive-Positive-Corrective (PPC), and Corrective-Positive-Positive (CPP). The results of this study showed the PCP condition, commonly known as the feedback sandwich, showed the quickest results to mastering skills. However, results from a preference questionnaire showed most paraprofessionals preferred the CPP sequence, with the PCP sequence being rated second in preference. Overall, results from this study show the PCP sequence may be an effective tool in training paraprofessionals in a school setting.

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) on students with Behavior Intervention Plans. This study used qualitative research methods to obtain the perspectives of teachers who had implemented PBIS on students with behavior plans. The study relied on semi-structured interviews using questions established by the researcher. The results of the study indicate that most of the teachers interviewed feel that PBIS is effective for students with PBIS because it acts as a motivational tool, gives students something to work towards, decreases negative behaviors, and increases positive behaviors. Additionally, the study indicates that teachers believe PBIS effectively reduces behavior infractions in the classroom.

The purpose of this study was to examine the motivation of individuals to use Truly Accomplished (TA) as a fitness intervention, with or without a social support component. All participants utilized the TA Software as a fitness intervention and received weekly feedback on their progress. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either participate in the regular TA process (n=16) or a modified TA process (n=14) with the addition of a social support component in the form of a social media group. Participants in the modified condition posted weekly to a Facebook group page about successes and obstacles they faced and gave feedback to their peers. It was hypothesized that participants, regardless of condition, would show fitness gains in the 6-week study. Also, with the added social support component to TA, participants were expected to have higher levels of self-determination in relation to the three psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, relatedness, and competence) and higher levels of perceived social support. A between-subjects deign was used to measure overall effectiveness, changes in fitness performance (plank, push-ups, wall-sit, step-test) and body composition (BMI, percent body fat), perceived social support, levels of psychological needs satisfaction as it relates to the three basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and satisfaction with TA. No significant differences were found between conditions for satisfaction with TA, levels of perceived social support, or levels of psychological needs satisfaction post-intervention. However, a significant increase was found regardless of condition in terms of autonomy and guidance. A significant increase was shown in both the plank and modified push-up post-intervention measure, regardless of condition. Finally, the condition with the added social support had a significantly higher overall effectiveness gain than the condition with no added social support. The practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

Student problem behavior continues to be a major issue in schools for both teachers and students. Teachers often feel they are not provided with enough resources to help them manage this problem behavior. Students who engage in problem behavior tend to struggle socially and academically. When classified with an emotional disturbance, students are especially at risk due to the severity of the problem behavior they exhibit (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). This study examined how function-based interventions can help both teachers and students better manage the effects of problem behavior. There are several factors believed to hinder the effectiveness of function-based interventions, including time available, training, parental involvement, and fidelity of implementation (Ingram et al., 2005). The study used the critical incident technique (CIT) qualitative methodology to identify helping and hindering factors in the implementation of behavior intervention programs (BIP). Participants of the study include BIP implementers, defined as any school personnel who directly participates in the implementation of an effective BIP with a student. Using the CIT qualitative methodology and semi-structured interviews, the research team determined which events are most prevalent in the hindering and helping of BIP implementation. Research concluded that ongoing collaboration with colleagues, in- and out-of-class support, consistent data tracking, reward systems, calming down strategies, and relationships were the most helpful factors reported by teachers. Unexpected events, severity of behaviors, inconsistent reward systems, differing opinions amongst team members, inconsistent communication, and insufficient training were factors that hindered BIP efficacy based on the results of this study. The findings suggest that the implementation of BIPs can be improved with greater consistency in consequences, clear communication among stakeholders, and building meaningful relationships of trust.