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Positive Behavior Supports: The Involvement of Students in the Process A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Education of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Karen M. Oswald November 2008 © 2008 Karen M. Oswald. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Positive Behavior Supports: The Involvement of Students in the Process by KAREN M. OSWALD has been approved for the Department of Teacher Education and the College of Education by Dianne M. Gut Associate Professor of Teacher Education Renée A. Middleton Dean, College of Education 3 ABSTRACT OSWALD, KAREN M., Ph.D., November 2008, Curriculum and Instruction, Special Education Positive Behavior Supports: The Involvement of Students in the Process (202 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Dianne M. Gut Students who exhibit disruptive and possibly aggressive behaviors pose a challenge for schools, as administrators and teachers are often held responsible for managing these behaviors. The goal of this study is to identify contributing factors to student involvement in School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS), evidence of overall improvements in discipline problems, and subsequent implications regarding the unique features of student involvement in SWPBS. A phenomenological approach was used to discover and explain the experiences and insights of study participants. Through the use of mixed methods, the effectiveness of student involvement in SWPBS was determined. This included examining office discipline referrals as well as conducting participant observation and semi-structured interviews with students and school personnel. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Dianne M. Gut Associate Professor of Teacher Education 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply appreciative and grateful to those who have been influential and indispensable throughout the time I have spent obtaining a doctoral degree. Through the process of the years pursuing this degree, I have endured many challenges. At the same time, I will always relish this grand opportunity to further my education. I can celebrate this success only mindful of those individuals who guided me by their expertise, patience, and prayer. I would first like to thank my husband, Bryan Oswald and my two daughters, Breanna and Louisa who endured many hours of mom “being busy with work”. It is their lack of complaining and understanding that allowed me the perseverance and fortitude to continue this journey. I would also like to thank my parents, Joe and Ruth Hayes, who taught by their modeling to have a strong work ethic and determination in life. I want to thank my extended family and friends who patiently and earnestly asked how I was progressing and were willing to listen as I explained what I was doing. I also want to thank my dissertation advisor, Dianne Gut, who spent many hours with me providing endless support and guidance, particularly as she served as my qualitative research methodologist who was always available to offer her assistance. I would also like to thank my first doctoral advisor and committee member, Steve Safran, who taught me over the last two decades so much of what I know about positive behavioral supports and educating students with disabilities. I would also like to thank my other committee members, Tracy Leinbaugh and Yegan Pillay, who provided me with hours of feedback and expert guidance in my cognate area of counseling education. I am 5 forever grateful to have learned so much from two very dedicated individuals in the field of counseling education. Lastly, I would like to thank a former student of mine, Jaclyn Lewis who developed tables and graphs that added the visual component to the results of this study. Additionally, Jaclyn helped me develop the quantitative aspects of the study, as this became a challenge due to a lack of obtainable data. Her efforts were much appreciated. In closing, I would like to acknowledge the staff, faculty and students of the school that welcomed me and my research endeavor. I will always have fond memories of time spent with these individuals, as they filled my day with joy and happiness, as they graciously and with spirit and a love for life, found themselves actively involved in the initiative to involve students in SWPBS. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 4 LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................... 11 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 11 Background of the Study…………………………………………………………….....13 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................ 30 Review of Literature ................................................................................................... 30 Levels of Student Involvement in School Reform Initiatives and Theoretical Implications ......................................................................................................... 30 Pro-Social Goal Theory ...................................................................................... 31 Developmental Theories ...................................................................................... 36 Overview of School-wide Positive Behavioral Supports ..................................... 42 Levels of PBS Interventions .................................................................................47 Data Collection Procedures Used in SWPBS ..................................................... 53 Interventions Used in SWPBS ............................................................................. 58 SWPBS with Active Student Involvement ............................................................ 61 Planning for SWPBS with Student Involvement .................................................. 63 7 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................... 69 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 69 Mixed-Method Approach ..................................................................................... 70 Conceptua Framework ........................................................................................ 77 Procedures ................................................................................................................... 79 Research Site ....................................................................................................... 79 Gaining Entry ...................................................................................................... 82 Adult Participants ................................................................................................ 84 Selection of Student Participants ........................................................................ 84 The School Environment......................................................................................86 Process of SWPBS with Active Student Involvement............................................88 Data Collection Methods ............................................................................................ 98 Quantitative Data ................................................................................................ 98 Qualitative Data ................................................................................................ 100 Pilot Study ................................................................................................................. 106 Reliability .................................................................................................................. 108 Validity ..................................................................................................................... 110 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 113 Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 115 CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................... 117 Results ....................................................................................................................... 117 8 Quantitative Results.............................................................................................118 Qualitative Results...............................................................................................123 CHAPTER FIVE………………………….………………………………………..144 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………..144 Supports and Non-Supports of SWPBS................................................................147 Adult Involvement.................................................................................................151