Disruptive behavior within classrooms is a major concern for teachers and parents. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides a multi-tiered framework for schools to provide supports to students, which are matched to each student's needs. Whereas most students are successful with the school-wide supports provided to all students, approximately 20% of students are likely to require additional supports. Group contingencies have an established basis of support as effective Tier 2 interventions; however, these contingencies vary in a variety of dimensions that may influence their efficacy and acceptability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative impact of four different group contingency types (independent, interdependent, dependent, and randomized) on class-wide appropriate and disruptive student behaviors as well as how implementation of a teacher's preferred contingency may enhance student behavioral outcomes. Three general education teachers and their students participated in the study. All four group contingency types resulted in reduced disruption and increased appropriate behavior across all three classrooms. No patterns of differentiation were observed in any classroom. Teacher preference was assessed with two teachers selecting independent and two teachers selecting dependent contingencies as their preferred reward system. Implementation of the preferred contingency resulted in further improvements in both class-wide behaviors. Some evidence of generalization and maintenance was noted in all three classrooms.

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.

abstract: Arcadia Elementary School is an urban Title 1 school that serves 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The school uses a commercial program called Make Your Day to manage student behavior. This program, aligned to the tenets of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), meets the needs of most students but not the most frequent classroom disruptors. This mixed methods participatory action research study explores the how an understanding of a frequently disruptive student's ecology can lead to more effective support and improved behavioral outcomes. The Behavior Intervention Team process consists of effective data tracking tools and practices and a team-based, data-driven approach to student behavior analysis and is a model for how urban schools can leverage existing resources to better support disruptive students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2015

Students with challenging behavior, including those with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, demonstrate emotional, social, academic and behavioral problems that need support within and outside of school. To this end, self-monitoring has been identified through the literature as a promising approach for remediating challenging behaviors like off-task behaviors, disruptive behavior, and non-academic engagement. Although reinforcement is often included as a component of self-monitoring interventions, the literature is unclear whether reinforcement is necessary. Thus, in this study, a single subject research design ABCBC multi-treatment design was used to investigate the effects of a technology-based self-monitoring intervention with and without reinforcement for two elementary students with behavioral problems. Overall, students benefitted from the intervention, but reinforcement did not result in differential effects. Limitations and implications for further research is streamlined.

This dissertation addresses the perspectives of experts and school-level stakeholders on MTSS implementation in high schools. Despite evidence of MTSS implementation effectiveness in elementary and middle school settings, MTSS implementation still lags in high schools. In reviewing the literature on high school MTSS implementation, those who have worked to implement MTSS do not all do so with the same priorities and/or emphases. I collected and examined qualitative data that reflects the perspectives of experts and school-level stakeholders. Specifically, I also reviewed articles or book chapters written by some high school MTSS experts and interviewed them. I interviewed stakeholders working in high school in order to gain perspectives from individuals who are directly involved in the implementation process. I used the Generic Qualitative design in my research, and analyzed the interview data and documents by using the Inductive Analysis method. Experts and stakeholders identified essential elements that they perceived would influence high schools’ abilities to implement MTSS and impact student outcomes. They specified components that relate to the high school system and the ecology of a high school that impact MTSS implementation: components like parent involvement, the community, and the high school culture. All participants shared perspectives on high school students’ roles in the MTSS process, such as student support team involvement, providing ideas regarding interventions, and assistance with peer tutoring. Overall, experts and stakeholders agreed on many of the basic principles and components of high school MTSS (leadership, collaboration, professional development, alignment, data, decision rules); however, they emphasized different approaches for application to a high school setting, and displayed varying opinions on best practices. Some of the foci included reading interventions, behavioral supports, Tier-1 foundational instruction, and graduation goals. Implications for practice may be pulled from the perspectives shared, particularly those regarding context-specific professional development, student involvement, and the urgency of providing supports in time for high school graduation.

This study evaluated the use of the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Secondary (PTR-SEC) model as an individualized Tier 3 intervention within the School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) in three high school classrooms. Three teaching staff (two teachers and one instructional aide) and three students with autism spectrum disorders participated in the study. The study examined the degree to which the classroom staff implemented the PTR intervention plan with fidelity and its impact on the students’ behaviors, using a multiple baseline across participants design. The results indicated that the teaching staff implemented the PTR intervention plan with high levels of fidelity, and their implementation of the intervention plan led to decreases in problem behavior and increases in replacement behavior across all three participating students with ASD. The PTR-SEC teams found the PTR-SEC intervention to be acceptable and satisfactory; all three staff expressed interest in continuing to implement the PTR intervention plan after completion of the study.

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This qualitative study addresses secondary educator perceptions of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and student academic achievement. PBIS is a proactive approach with a multitiered framework. When used properly, PBIS can be a tool for school faculty to establish behavioral expectations and procedures, prevent disruptive behavior, and improve the school climate and culture. This phenomenological study was conducted using two secondary schools in West Virginia. Participants were identified and chosen through purposive sampling techniques according to their years of experience teaching and utilizing PBIS interventions. The data for this study included unstructured, open-ended interviews based on three research questions. The questions addressed secondary educator and administrator perceptions of PBIS and high school student achievement, interventions associated with student achievement, and how the program could be adapted to provide increased student academic support. Interviews were transcribed and data were organized by topics and themes coded into various categories. Triangulation, member checks, and rich descriptions supported the credibility of the analysis. The results revealed that five categories emerged, which included: (1) PBIS influences student work ethic, (2) positive reinforcement of high expectations, (3) Student Assistance Team, (4) Advisory, and (5) consistency.

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